LOCAL EVENT: WEST PLAINS TOURING PRO PBR

West Plains Civic Center

110 Saint Louis Street

West Plains, MO 6577

Phone: 417-256-8123

PRESENTS:

WEST PLAINS TOURING PRO PBR

March 29TH @ 7:30PM & March 30TH @ 7:30PM

How To Make A Hanging Gutter Garden

 Materials

1 – 8′ PVC white rain gutter cut into 3 32″ sections

6 – PVC white gutter end caps

2 – 1/8″diameter steel cables cut to desired length

6 – Feeney Cross Clamps (see image below)

6 – 1/8″ diameter Feeney steel rods

2 – Galvanized eye hooks

Potting soil and Plants

Tools

Cordless Drill with drill bit set

Hand saw or hack saw

T-square or straight edge

Tape measure

Permanent marker

Level

Eye protection

1. Determine the center of your gutters and draw a reference line (otherwise your gutter won’t hang right).
2. Mark and drill the holes for the steel cable rods. Find a drill bit the same diameter as the cable to minimize the wiggle room.
3. Space drill holes a few sizes larger to make sure you get good drainage (plant roots hate sitting in water for long periods of time).

1. Locate a spot that gets at least 4 hours of sun. 
2. Drill pilot holes (a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the screw diameter) to make screwing in the eye hook a lot easier. Make sure the holes are the same distance as the steel cable so they hang straight down.
3. Slide the gutters through the holes and secure them with the cross clamps at your desired heights. 
4. Secure the gutter with the cross clamps and half circle steel rods.

Now you’re ready to fill it with organic potting soil and plant them with your choice of shallow rooted plants.

Special thanks to Goods Home Design.

http://goodshomedesign.com/hanging-gutter-gardenhow-hanging-gutter-garden/

Start a 1 Acre Self-Sufficient Homestead

We wanted to share this great information from Mother Earth News on how to start a 1 Acre Homestead. There are some great ideas here. 

We have the land for sale. All it needs is you! Contact us Today!

Your 1-acre homestead can be divided into land for raising livestock and a garden for raising fruits, vegetables, plus some grain and forage crops. 

Everyone will have a different approach to keeping a self-sufficient homestead, and it’s unlikely that any two 1-acre farms will follow the same plan or methods or agree completely on how to homestead. Some people like cows; other people are afraid of them. Some people like goats; other people cannot keep them out of the garden. Some people will not slaughter animals and have to sell their surplus stock off to people who will kill them; others will not sell surplus stock off at all because they know that the animals will be killed; and still others will slaughter their own animals to provide their family with healthy meat.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/self-sufficient-homestead-zm0z11zkon.aspx#ixzz2Or9G0TxS

LOCAL EVENT: A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri hosted at the Mtn. View Library

The Mountain View Library is very honored to be hosting, 

A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri.

To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and educate Missourians about the important role our state played, the Missouri Humanities Council and the Missouri History Museum have partnered to create A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri, a traveling, interactive exhibit that shares stories of the war from a Missouri perspective.

Programs being held at the library will include storytellers, a Civil War camp, music from that era, artifacts and Civil War scholars discussing local Civil War activity. Also there will be a Read From the Start program for parents.

March 9-May 4, 2013

@ the Library in Mtn. View. 

Admission is Free.

Sponsored by: Missouri Humanities Council 

Missouri History Museum

Additional support: Friends of the Library & City of Mountain View

Library Hours:

Monday: 9:00am-5:00pm

Tuesday: 9:00am- 5:00pm

Wednesday: 9:00am- 5:00pm

Thursday: 9:00am- 8:00pm

Friday: 9:00am-5:00pm

Saturday: 8:00- 12:00pm

Closed Sunday

Regrow your green onions!

Did you know you can regrow your green onions?? You can cut off the roots and 

put them in water, then the roots will absorb the water and start to grow a new 

green onion. It takes a good 2-3 weeks for the green onion to grow completely 

so you can use it again, but it grows a whole new one!!!

Cooking On A Log

Cooking on a log...

Cut the log evenly on both sides so it stands up freely. Then cut it into vertical segments most of the way down the length of the log. Stuff in some newspaper into the cracks as deep as you can get it, leaving a wick at the bottom, and light it up.

That's all there is to it—the log burns from the inside out, and you have a simple, handmade stove.

Homemade dishwasher detergent cubes with just four ingredients

Homemade dishwasher detergent cubes with just four ingredients! 

1 Cup Borax, 1 Cup Washing Soda, 1/4 Cup Epsom Salt, Lemon Juice. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

1/4 Cup Epsom Salt

Lemon Juice

First, start by mixing all the powders together. Make sure they get mixed up good because you want it evenly spread through all the cubes you're going to be making. If you're not sure about the Borax, just eliminate that from the recipe, it won't harm it at all.

When everything was mixed,  put a cup of the powder into a separate bowl and then pour in a little bit of lemon juice. For one cup of powder used 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. You don't want it to be dry but you don't want it soaking wet either. 4 tablespoons made it a little wet and sticky which is exactly what you want.

The lemon juice will foam when it hits the powder. Mix it all in and get it a little sticky. When finished with that, start to add it to the ice cube trays. Put in the amount and pat it down.

Now, when you're all done, set the cubes up on the window sill in the kitchen so that it would get a lot of sun and therefore dry quicker. Letting it sit overnight will make it nice and hard. In the morning flip the trays over and knock the cubs out.

Missouri’s Wild Turkey Population Remains Strong

Missouri’s Wild Turkey Population Remains Strong

Missouri is recognized as offering some of the nation’s best turkey hunting. Each year, the state’s turkey harvest ranks among the highest in the country. The improved production of 2011 should result in an increase in the number of 2-year-old gobblers during the 2013 spring season. The hatch of 2012 should continue this trend into 2014. Missouri’s turkey population remains strong, offering hunters a tremendous opportunity to enjoy one of the state’s most cherished natural resources.

By the Missouri Department of Conservation

Spring Turkey Season Starts April 15!

Homemade Mosquito Repellent

Combine in a 16 oz bottle:

15 drops lavender oil 
3-4 Tbsp of vanilla extract
10 drops of citronella oil 
1/4 Cup lemon juice.
Fill bottle with water.
Shake & it's ready to use.
Spray on yourself.

Compost Bin

Compost Bin  

by ic517

www.instructables.com

Step 1: Materials

3 2x4 x 8 pressure treated
1 galvinized chain link fence post
4 3.5inch 1/4 bolts with washers and nuts
6 or 8 6" 60d nails
one 55 gal barrel (must be food grade)
4 latches
one piano hinge
one box of 10-32 3/4" nuts and bolts ( make sure they fit your hinges and latches)
paint if you want . I use barn paint from tractor supply co . its cheap and it doesn't require primer!
now I bought most of my materials but you can use what ever you have on hand also. the whole project only cost me 50 dollars so its not that expensive any way

Step 2: Assembly

First cut 2x4s in half
take 2 2x4s measure and make a mark half way down both of them . then center them and bolt ( you can use nails but bolts work better) them together.
repeat for other side.
you should have two giant X's
it doesn't matter which way they go,so pick one side as the bottom measure up 3 inches from each foot for the bottom braces.
now attach your other 2 boards with nails or screw them together.
your frame is now done and you can start to work on the barrel.
you can cut your bottom braces a few inches longer than the barrel for a better fit but you don't have to.

Step 3: Post hole

now get a hole saw to match your post and drill in the center of each end of the barrel.drill a hole and put a bolt through the end to keep it from sliding off the frame. you'll also need to trim the post to length. 

.

Step 4: The lid

This is the most difficult part of the whole project take your time to cut , drill and line everything up.
I use 4 latches because the heat from the compost can warp the lid and the plastic is somewhat flexible anyway. the piano hinge adds stability also. start by marking the door out. I used a carpenters pencils , its a little hard to mark mark on the plastic.
then drill 4 1/4" holes in the corners.
cut out door with a jig saw . i made mine big enough for my shovel the fit in just use good judgement and dont make it to big or small.
first drill and bolt the hinge to the barrels first.
now drill and bolt the lid on . drill two holes and bolt them together first just on case they don't line up. the drill bit will try to slip on the plastic so start your drill slowly.
make a handle out of what ever , a simple finger hole would work.
now drill and attach the bolt side of the latch first then slid bolt open and use it to line up bolt reciever. close each bolt when you go to install the next one so the stay lined up. take your time aand it should be ok

Step 5: Ventilation holes

on the opposite side of barrel from the lid mark off 4 evenly spaced 1/4 holes across the barrel.then measure 6 inches down from each hole till you all gone all the way around. just make sure it has some ventilation. this would be a minimal amount . Now randomly drill some hole for the spikes . drill a hole a little small than the spike and just nail them in. these help brake up the material when you rotate the barrel speeding up the composting. You should use 4 to 8 spikes what ever works best . you can always pull them out.

Step 6: Add compost!!!!

the only other thing you could do is paint it black . they make paint that will stick to plastic. I live in south Florida so that's really not necessary but if you live in northern climates you might need to find a good sunny spot and place it there! the advantages of this barrel composer are quite a few. its quick, cheap and effective. no bugs or rats, almost no odor. you can use it in a very small yard and not bother the neighbors. 
I square foot garden ( mel is a genius ) and buying fertilizer and compost can add a lot of expense you don't need. I save a lot of money growing my own food and you would amazed how much food you can grow this way .good compost can double your harvest!

Rose Cuttings using a potato

Propagating roses by cuttings is easy. Some say the secret of success is the humble potato! Before planting rose cuttings, push the bottom end into a small potato, which keeps the cuttings moist as they develop roots. It sounds crazy, but apparently it works really well.

Have any of you tried this?

DIY rose cuttings - http://bit.ly/131RXH7

The Organic Rose Garden: http://amzn.to/15mYjg1

Eat Your Roses: http://amzn.to/ZHA62n