Homestead Ideas Page 1
Got a tip for a fellow homesteader? Email it to me, dvorhis@whidbey.com with a couple pictures. If I publish it here, I'll send you a free pair of GreenJeanstm chaps.
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1. Lawn tractor traction
I use our little lawn tractor with it's trailer to haul wood and other things. It fits into tight places. Trouble is, with a load even on a little slope, and when the grass is damp (most of the time on Whidbey island!), I slipped a lot and got stuck. So I went to the local thrift store and got a pair of car tire chains for about $5. With a bolt cutter I cut them to fit, and used bungee cords to hold them on. Haven't been stuck since!
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2. Fruit Tree Overload
A nice problem we sometimes have is too much fruit on a tree. We don't use fruit thinning sprays, and even though I thinned one plum tree pretty aggressively by hand about 4 times last year, I still had broken branches when the fruit started to fill out. Below are pictures of a "Beauty" Japanese plum with the gorgeous fruit and resulting branch damage.
Here is an idea for a way to mechanically prop up the branches in an
emergency. Instead of trying to hunt up a gazillion 2X4s of the correct length,
I figured out a way to make an adjustable support. I got some 10 foot long 2X2s and some rope. I drilled 3 holes in the 2X2 of a
diameter just bigger than the rope, and strung the rope through the holes like
in the picture below.
The branch in need of support goes in the loop on the left. The rope is pulled up against the branch until it's snug and takes some of the weight of the branch. The third hole (hole closest to the ground) is there so I can tie off the rope so it doesn't slip. Remember, these are 10 feet high, so that third hole gives me a tie off that I can reach.
So these poles stick up high in the tree, the rope loops down and supports the branch. There is Levi on the right, thinking about chores.
Use a soft rope so the outer, growing layer of the branch isn't rubbed off.
The supports are inexpensive, adjustable in height, and are easy to set up. You may need a couple on one branch sometimes, each braced out in a different direction so the branch doesn't move.
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