MC`s Forest Adventure

[markscastle]

Didn`t use the power for growing. The power was for personal use in the RV. Electric heater/AC, lights ,TV, Blue- Ray ,charging lap top ,modem, cell phone flood lights, Stereo, Shore Batteries, Military Ham radio & batteries, etc. Also ran skill saw charged drills ,charged car batteries. Sometimes I was over 6500 watts , some times under. Never a problem. I run the generator off 220 with a split plug for two 120 lines. One goes to the RV 120 system and the other 120 outlets. I can charge as many as 4 car batteries outside and still have two outside plugs with 15 amps along with the 30 amp line the RV from the generator.

 

[markscastle]

No I want one that will more than meet my needs and be able to be updated and expanded on as needed. I may want to put in a few RV hookups for family and friends to visit the farm ,run a good size greenhouse ,outdoor lights, alarms, video cams, electric fence, and who knows what else, just like it was in town.

The Blazer is done so I`m heading to town to pic it up and do laundry. Such fun!

 

[markscastle]

I do not want pg&e on my property.

 

[4214evr]

H i Mark kudos on makin it thru and on @JON DIFOOL he wants to be off the grid please chill now back to the regularly scheduled program

 

[Dunge]

Imagine having enough good seed that you can splash a batch of early beans to see what happens.
I like it.

 

[markscastle]

Imagine having enough good seed that you can splash a batch of early beans to see what happens.
I like it.

Not early enough! I was planning on having then started early enough to have them all sexed by June 1st. I won`t have them sexed now until mid to end of June because of the snow storm. I still think they are early enough for full sized plants but I won`t have enough time to grow from clones with them and have early plants. I`m still thinking of making some clones anyway. I`ve had a lot of interest from people who still want them who have voiced interest from some ways away. I can`t understand the reason someone would drive 10 hours for clones from So Cal when they could just plant seeds of my strains. I`m willing to take computation for seeds in person to legal med growers in state with the proper medical recommendations and Cali ID. Then they could make all the clones they want to. When I`m set up better for vending I`ll have limited offers for seed packs of what I`m growing this year here at the farm. I won`t have a lot of packs to vend at first but will increase the number and variety as I go along. Plan on a slowly starting up MC seeds again.

 

[markscastle]

JON DIFOOL don`t worry about starting seeds near the oven. This is a farm in progress not the almost lab set up some people have for indoor grows. It works just fine as you can see from last years grow pictures. You should have seen my backwards process I used in the 60`s 70`s when I used to grow on long backpack trips into the mountains in Humboldt, Mondo, Trinity and Shasta Counties!

 

[boston]

[qthink ote="JON DIFOOL, post: 1235344, member: 6451"]Im being chill and im not trying to give him a headache . I just get frustrated when i read about him starting seeds in front of his oven on low in an rv instead of in a place built for growing plants . The things he is talking about running and doing with that garden are not really things you can run off of a simple solar setup or gasoline generator and designing a complex system around on the grid city equipment like he is talking about running is not something the average grower is gonna ever have time to do on top of growing .[/quote]
I think he is going for a lifestyle not a grow

 

[markscastle]

I`m looking to make my property a sustainable and comfortable life style without owing my soul to the bankers. Organic foods and no utility companies or substantial bills to yoke me down. I want to invest in my self not the other guy who isn`t willing to work for a living but looks to live off of others work. This is what bankers and large mortgage investors do. I don`t mind sacrificing to get what I want. To me money is the grease used to make progress towards a goal, not the goal it`s self. Achieving my goal will provide security and the ability to fulfill other goals instead of chasing a life style that can`t be maintained. Rent is a waste of money as you never have anything.

 

[markscastle]

Oh and I had a house in town with all the comforts included along with a mortgage that kept me a prisoner to the bankers and when it was almost paid off after 28 years of being a cow for the investors they foreclosed on me, but not before I was forced into bankruptcy in the vain attempt to hang on to the American Dream. I have a new dream now and it doesn`t include being a cow for the system. My property is paid off and improvements will not be financed ,nor are my goals to be tethered to the grid or any corporations, banks, or investors. If the economic system fails as I believe it will, because of greed, I don`t want to go down with it. And if it doesn`t go down I`m still better off being independent as possible.

 

[boston]

I envy you mark

 

[markscastle]

Like I said it`s a work in progress. Gas is a hold back but if I had to I could grow sorghum and beats and make Alcohol to run the generators. The reality is I`ll never be able to be 100% self reliable on this property. But there is much that I can do to make life cheaper and be less reliable on the system. Having a full solar system set up will be a big step forwards.

I`m already retired and on Social Security so I have an income .I don`t depend on my grows for day to day expenses. And I got over 75 lbs off the last grow with smaller plants started in early July last year. The spacing is just fine for the screen of green style the planters were set up to do. They also had 100 gal. of soil per plant and that`s enough to grow plenty big enough plants with. I`m happy to have any suggestions thrown my way from anyone but don`t worry your self to much as this isn`t new to me ,going on 54 years of growing experience this season.

I will not be paying the kind of $ required to put power lines down the property just to have to pay for the power they would transmit. It will save me $47,000 the first day to invest in solar over the cost of putting in power lines because of the cost of construction. Generators will only be a back up and would still be needed for backup with power lines because in the mountians they are not 100% reliable ether.

 

[markscastle]

Everyone around me is a grower. The whole community grows without ANY exceptions including LEO and Federal Law Enforcement Agents in the area. Hell there are three retired Sherriff`s Officers and Two full time Sherriff`s Officers doing a co-op grow just a few miles from me. The only real busts in my area over the last few years have been cartel grows. Everyone around me knows I grow, they also grow, so what? When I first bought the property I had to tell the local Feds to move there grow ops off my property next season . I keep to the legal limits under State and Local laws. Only problems I`ve had with other people have been outsiders(rippers) in the area, but the community ran them off.

If you would just go back and read the thread you would see I don`t dance around anything. My land was payed for by barter in Pounds and all of the expenses have been paid for by my grow. My Social Security Check goes towards clothing and food and pet expenses.

I also have a history of getting things done I say I will do. Not to say I don`t change plans as I go sometimes. And the time frame I get things done by changes as needed as well, but that`s life isn`t it? And you need to revise both the high estimates of trimming costs and the low amount of estimated worth of my product ! By a lot! I started out from being homeless and worked at a co-op in the valley . It took me awhile to grow enough for the land ,the road in and all the taxes and equipment I now have. That is why I haven`t got any farther than where I`m at now. It`s a process and I have a ways to go yet. Between health problems and cheap ass equipment made in China it will no drought take longer than I hope to complete the goals I have set.

I`m beginning to feel more trolled by you than having someone who is just giving helpful suggestions Jon DEFOOL.

 

[markscastle]

I`m going to take a little brake from this thread. I am warn out and have to catch some things up. I`ll be around the farm. Not going anywhere just a short brake.

 

[urbanfog]

I`m going to take a little brake from this thread. I am warn out and have to catch some things up. I`ll be around the farm. Not going anywhere just a short brake.

you deserve one my friend ;)

Enjoy the cool breezes :D

 

[markscastle]

OK I said I was taking a break from the forest Adventure but this just has to be posted!

 

[urbanfog]

nice :)

 

[markscastle]

Looks like not many of my sprouted seeds came up. I think it`s because of the snow that settled on them before they had a chance to break light. I`m going to town this week and get some started indoors. Still have the house in the valley where my son is so he can give a hand at starting and making this years seedlings. I`ll move them back up here after they are a little less tender.

Working on getting my son`s tickets paid and his license renewed then getting his DR. recommendation renewed, I`ll need mine soon anyway. We can both get them done. I also need to get my three month fasting blood test done before my next visit to my diabetic Doc. Someone took my blood sugar test kit out of my car last trip to town so I just got a new one. Been feeling poorly but without the blood test kit I wasn`t able to tell how I`ve been doing. It`s a little high. It`s warmed up a little in the day time anyway and I`ve been craving a milkshake so bad! Instead it`s been green tea and veggies for the most part. I haven`t even ate any fruit sense being diagnosed diabetic. I`m going to need new pants and a belt if I don`t stop losing weight soon ! I`m able to walk a little better now and seem to have more energy. The nerve pain is even a little better. Really don`t want to be put on insulin shots.

 

[markscastle]

I got everything I set out to do today and I`m back before dark, that`s a new first for me!

 

[markscastle]

I bought a FM antenna and a new 500 watt inverter yesterday and have my two large speakers and receiver hooked up to a 12 v battery now. Works great and I got tunes outside without trying to blast over the sound of the generator. This is one of the things I miss the most , that and satellite TV. Still working on that ! I need a bigger battery bank and solar set up to run that. Thinking when I can afford a bigger/better RV I`ll work on getting set up with better power/TV. My RV is ill and it looks like I`ll be looking for a nicer 4 season RV before I can put much more money into the property. I plan on doing a bud grow this year ,maybe next year on the landing and should have the property ready to move on to by then. I am also open to buying a smaller property of about 2+ acres below the snow line if it has good access, well and septic and sun for the right price. Until then I`ll work on the 10 acres and make it more useable. Ether way I`ll need a better RV to live in. I`ll keep the old one for my son to sleep in and for storage and if it degrades too much I can part it out and recycle it. Thinking the frame would make a good flat bed trailer for a 4x4 tractor with a bucket and box end scraper. I could use one to keep up on the roads and mix mulch, castings and amendments. Dam I`m needy ! Just got to work my ass off and make enough money`s all ! I want my place set up and running before my grandkids are on Social Security !