High Tunnel | Step 2: Layout, Augers & Arrowheads

in #ecotrain6 years ago (edited)

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Look at that sunset from last night!!

Summer is in full swing here! I heard reports last night that it is actually "the hottest summer on record"- not sure how true that is, but I can confirm: it is hot!!.

As you know if you're been following us for any length of time, we are setting up a high tunnel that we got a grant for. We'll be sharing the Step by Step process of clearing the land (see post below),

High Tunnel Time | Step 1: Clearing Land

Layout (today's post), and other aspects of the setup.

The land is fruiting with abundance and it encourages us to continue planting perennials! We've been loving eating some of the thornless blackberries (on second year canes) and blueberries (planted this year!), all the while trying to stay cool.

It's been beautiful out though as evidenced by the gorgeous blue sky!


Today in High Tunnel news, we finished clearing the land in the last week, and Ini's been "de-rocking"- that very technical Ozark land-practice....

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The High Tunnel parts are laying in wait and we are getting closer each day to assembling them, but first we need to layout the high tunnel and drill holes for posts....

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This is the Auger Ini went to town early this morning to rent so that we could actually drill up to 3' deep and set the high tunnel side wall posts into concrete. We've dug enough holes on this homestead to know that this auger will be well worth it!! We have it for the weekend, so we're trying to work smart and fast to get what we need to get done finished (and maybe a few other post holes dug here and there ;))!

We need to dig 18 holes for the high tunnel!



Here is a view of the annual garden (with a hedge of Persimmon, lemon balm and yes some "weeds" that the high tunnel will abut. Just to the right of this pic is where the high tunnel is going (for some context.)

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Ini also picked up a magnetic level. This will come in handy!

We put these two of these posts in the ground as our 2 main points at 30 ft apart. Then we used a triangulation method to account for the hypotenuse (high school math! more on this below!)....


It's crucial that the layout is done right. To make sure we are square, we use our high school math skills.

Just about the only thing we use from this period is this simple trigonometry. The basics is a 3-4-5 triangle, where the square root of the long side is equal to the square roots of the other two side combined (A²+B²+ = C²). You can use this ratio to make right angles and correctly square the layout. Luckily the short side is 30' so it made the layout a little easier.

After a few back and forth with the 100' measuring tape, we had equal measurements from corner to corner. We then drove corner posts and ran a string line. Next up is marking a spot every 6' for the sidewall posts and to get digging!


As we were doing this today, I found my first arrowhead!

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I've been looking and looking for arrowheads basically every time I'm outside so to look to the ground and see one as I was holding the tape measure today was such a pleasant surprise. Ini found one last week while he was digging for potatoes (actually he found a spear point!), but I'll save that for another post! It's very cool to be on our land connected with ancient indigenous humans who also frequented this space.... It brings another sacred element to our connection with the land and brings up questions about their lives and what the land must've been like...

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Ini was pretty stoked for me.

Stay tuned as we drill the holes and set the posts in concrete!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a great weekend!

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What a beautiful arrowhead! I love the pattern in the rock. Wild berries are blooming here in California. I had some native blackberries and raspberries on our hike last weekend. Good luck with the high tunnel set up :)

yes me too! awesome! glad to hear you're getting out and enjoying :) thanks! it's well under way!

Right On Wren! I love how your relationship to the land is expanding. Sounds like you're on an important spot. Love following you guys. Much love from the full on summer east of the rockies ❤🌄

<3 <3 thanks, me too @yogajill <3 so thankful for these "connection points" that really happen beyond our control, but that open our senses to a much larger reality than ourselves. much love to you in your east of the rockies home!! xoxo

Thank-you!! It's so wonderful ❤❤❤❤

Wow, so an arrowhead..makes one pause and wonder who used this and how long ago, right? You guys are really working hard, it will be neat to see the high tunnel when it is completed. It will really change the landscape between your current buildings. Stay cool!

We were considering who made it and if this piece was lost through a missed shot or a deer that got away, or something else... It reminds us to stay humble indeed.

It's exciting and we have some figs and nopales were ready to give some shelter to. Extending the growing zone excites us!

As for staying cool, were grateful for the cool well water and creek to chill us out!

So cool about the arrowhead! Just love the shades of blue/gray.

Don't envy you the rock picking though...

My first exposure to growing ( as an apprentice on biodynamic farm) was on super fertile soil where we didn't fertilize or irrigate. Needless to say our soils are a wee bit in need of attention. I figure if I do I while I'm young and focus on trees and shrubs all is well. We'll see how it turns out ;)

P.s. Our first high tunnel turned up 28 five gallon buckets of rocks in 200 square feet!

I am also on super fertile rock free soil here, so I am super spoiled. :))

I've heard you get a new crop of rocks each year, have you found this with the first tunnel?

hehe, ya. we keep a bucket for rocks as we tend the tunnel... This high time we will be focusing on simply building up and bringing in tonnes of biomass to fill out raised beds.

What a beautiful arrowhead! This is an awesome connection for you! I can't wait to see the new High Tunnel complete!

Such a blessing! Us too on seeing it complete. Just many hours of labor between now and then.

Great post!

Amazing. Stoked you found the arrowhead... what a buzz! That auger sure beats doing it by hand!! No complaining about machines here I see!! 💛💛💛

Such a blessing to connect with another time when food was acquired by skill, connection and perseverance...

I'm stroked to use petroleum slaves on this one as weird as that sounds. I'm strong, but know when it's time to use my privelage as a modern human to give myself a break! That said, it's still a lot of work to use this machine in or rocky soils. Technically know as extremely gravelly silty loam.

-ini

We call it gravelly mcmavelly which we think is the technical term?

hehe. i call it hard work!

Congrats on getting the high tunnel! you guys will be able to crank out some veg. with that joker!

Thanks. We are in the stages of bed layout and such and are excited to push the heat limits with crops like ginger and figs. Plus of course winter veg that always is so welcome.

Very cool, I am wondering about that grant myself when I move down to my land. Do y'all know the deadline for when that goes away?

I want berries toooooooooooo

Wow! That arrowhead is so special. What a wonderful connection to have made. There are so many untold stories from the past. I often wish we could have a glimpse just for a moment.

The photo of your annual garden has my heart swooning. A hedge of Persimmon. Wow! I feel so greedy sometimes because I want to grow absolutely everything and we are actually quite limited here.

I am really excited for you about the grow tunnel, I've never had one so watching the process is really helpful. That said ...

hypot...huh? Math is so annoying. I work in "ish" and "about". I'll have to keep in mind that accuracy is very important with a grow tunnel. I am hoping we'll be able to put one in next year. :)

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