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DIY Pergola by Popular Mechanics

Pergola's won't keep you from the wind, rain or harsh Summer sun, but they are a beautiful addition to gardens, yards, parks and the back yard for that little extra pizzazz you're wanting. Even more so when climbing vines are planted around the pergola that make a beautiful accent to the structure (or add some accenting weather sturdy fabric to block the wind or sun).

Popular Mechanics had a wonderful article on how to build your own pergola, step by step with pictures: (directly from the Popular Mechanics website)

How to Build a Backyard Pergola: Simple DIY Woodworking Project

Step-by step plans to make an arbor-like cedar structure, with 3D animation and master-level blueprints

By Rick Peters

July 14, 2006 12:00 AM

Here's a structure that won't provide shelter from wind or rain, and is only marginally better when it comes to the midday sun. So, why build it? Because in the absence of walls and a roof, it defines an outdoor space without constraining it. It's a unique architectural blend that places you both inside and out at the same time. The structure is called a pergola, and it's just the thing to bring backyard landscaping to life. Pergolas were common features of Italian Renaissance gardens, often covering walkways or serving as grape arbors. Today, the same design can be used to define a passageway or frame a focal point in your yard. Add a climbing plant such as wisteria or, yes, grapevines, and your pergola will provide color and shade as well.

Our pergola fits on an 8-ft. square, but it's easy to modify it to suit your site. Cedar is our material of choice because it resists decay. Leave it unfinished and let it gradually turn gray. Or, apply a stain or sealer designed for exterior use.


Model designed in Alibre Design Xpress. Get your FREE copy today!

Download a larger animated PDF of this project with a printable step-by-step guide (Requires Adobe Reader).

Installing the Posts
The posts are composed of pressure-treated 4 x 4 cores that are sheathed with 1 x cedar. We secured the post cores to a concrete pad with steel post-base anchors. If you're not building on a pad, use longer posts and set them in the earth below the frost line.

Lay out the post positions and mark the screw locations [1].



We used 1/4-in. Tapcon screws that thread into 3/16-in. holes bored with a hammer drill [2].



Hold each post plumb and drive nails through the anchors into the wood [3]. If necessary, brace the posts so they stay plumb.



Attaching the Support Beams
Cut the four 2 x 6 cedar support beams to length, use a template to mark the curved notches at the ends and cut the notches with a jigsaw. Clamp the beams in place, and check that they're level and that the posts are plumb.

Then secure each end with four 3-in. No. 10 screws [4].



When adding the second of each pair of beams, check that they're level across the top edges [5].



Adding the Crossbeams
The 2 x 6 crossbeams are notched to fit over the support beams.

Cut the notches with a dado blade in the table saw [6], or lay out each notch and use a jigsaw to remove the waste.



Then, make the curved end cuts [7].



Install the crossbeam pairs at the posts first. When they're in place, bore screwholes down through their top edges and screw crossbeams to the support beams [8]. Then add the three remaining pairs with similar spacing.



Post Trim and Braces
Cut the post trimpieces to length and width. Note that you'll need to notch some of the pieces to fit between the support beams, or you can make filler blocks to cover the post cores at these areas. Instead of trying for perfectly flush corners, we dimensioned the trim to leave a 1/8-in. shadow line, or reveal.

Secure the trimpieces to the posts with construction adhesive and galvanized finishing nails [9].



Use 2 x 6 stock for the diagonal braces. Cut the ends to length at 45 degrees, and use a flexible stick to lay out the shallow curve on the lower edge of each brace. Fasten the braces to the posts and beams with screws [10].



Fitting the Top Slats
Cut the five 2 x 4 slats to length and shape the ends.

Clamp each slat in place and mark the crossbeam notch positions [11].



If you use a table saw and dado blade to make the cuts, be sure to support the long stock at the opposite end [12].



Then, bore pilot holes and attach the slats with 3-in. No. 10 screws [13].



Capping the Posts
To make the post caps, cut square blanks and then set the table saw blade to 15 degrees for shaping the bevels.

Use a longer board with a stop across the end as a sled to guide each blank through the blade [14]. Clamp the blanks to the sled when making the cuts.



Secure the caps with 6d galvanized finishing nails and construction adhesive [15].

Read more: How to Build a Pergola - DIY Building a Pergola - Popular Mechanics

Getting the Garden ready for Spring planting without using Gas, Electricity or Oil powered machines. Off-Grid Goodness!

  While browsing online, I found a good source of tips and information that will help those off-grid or living the "simple life" to save some money and get the garden ready for Spring planting that's just a few months away.

"Once you have the grass mowed and the weeds chopped down, the next step is to break up the soil for planting. Heavy duty tools like a Broadfork can make this job easier. The 20 inch wide fork is specially sharpened to take big bites from the ground. Extra-long 60 inch handles give you lots of leverage to break the soil loose. There’s much less bending over than a hoe requires, and no need to chop or hack at the soil. Best of all, the dirt is left loose and pliable, not packed down by heavy power equipment.

Once the soil is broken up, the next step is to cultivate. Instead of using a bulky gas-powered tiller to over work your soil, you can create a smooth planting bed with an easy-to-use rotary cultivator. To use this tool, you simply push it in front of you as you walk down the rows of your garden. The wheel breaks up the soil and works in your peat moss or compost while you get some exercise.

Once your garden is cultivated, it’s time to plant. To keep your rows nice and straight, just drive a one-foot stake at the end of each row and tie a string between them. Then use the string as a guideline.

Dreading the thought of crawling around on your hands and knees to plant all those seeds? No need if you get yourself an old fashioned corn planter. All you have to do is pour the seeds into the cup on the side, push the steel blade into the ground and squeeze the handles. The seeds will drop right where you want them. It’s a very efficient system and allows you to finish a chore that could take hours in just minutes.

If you want butterflies decorating your garden, once you have the seeds in the ground, plant oregano, borage, catnip and hollyhocks between the rows. The colors and scent attract the beautiful creatures. Butterflies also like bee balm, red carnations and begonias.

After planting your garden the natural way, don’t stop there. Make a pledge to water your vegetable plants by hand every day with a good old-fashioned watering can. And instead of relying on pesticides -- which over time can work their way into the ground-water and damage the environment -- to keep the weeds down, get out there every day with a hoe and pull them up.

To keep bugs away, sprinkle a mixture of garlic power and flour on your plants. It works especially well for cabbage flies, but use it sparingly. The mix will get pasty on the leaves if applied too thickly.

 
( picture gained from here )

OLD TIME GARDEN TIPS

Here’s a trick to keep the woodchucks from stealing carrots from your garden. Fill glass gallon jugs with water and place them around your garden. The woodchucks see their reflections and, apparently thinking it’s another animal, run away. Sounds silly but it works.

If you’d like to force hornets, bees and wasps to move out, try hanging moth cakes on your deck, under the eaves, or anywhere else they like to build their nests. They don’t like the smell so they fly far away and call somewhere else home. "

Article taken from this site.

Save Money by Saving Seeds: Here's How to Do It!

We're edging into the Winter months, but Spring is on the mind for those who are looking ahead at gardening and planting time, so here's some tips to keep in mind when growing your crops this coming up 2013 year for saving seeds for the future. You can save $ money $ and can make a little, too!

7 Reasons to Save Seeds:

1. Money Savings. When you buy seeds, invest in high-quality seeds for the first planting, then you will have high quality seeds in a much higher volume to save, thus saving you more money in the long run.
2. Seed Security. Instead of industry corporations who have discontinued some varieties of seeds to sell lucrative hybrid seeds, saving your own seeds gives you seed security in the fact that you control the supply of the seed variety you chose to plant, especially now hard to find seeds that aren't always available in the catalog (perhaps offer extra seeds to sell to other interested gardeners thus making you more money).
3. Regional Adaption. When you save seeds grown on your land and in your climatic environment, you are developing over time, better adapted varieties best suited to your soil and climate conditions and growing practices.
4. Consistent Quality: Corporations use open pollination in their seed crops, which means that their seed packets may contain several off-type seeds because they rarely rogue their fields for bad or poorly growing plants, which then pollinate and add to the seed crop. In saving your seeds and doing the picking, cleaning and hoeing yourself, you pull out the suckers, the weaker plants, etc and thus provide a more consistent pollination to your own seed crop that has better quality seeds each time you plant.
5. The Joy of Learning.  The more seeds you save the more you learn about botany and the plant kingdom, this is a great thing for kids to get into especially for science projects!
6. Explore Heirloom Varieties. Some people like to grow heirloom varieties because doing so gives them a connection to our garden heritage, others choose non-hybrid seeds because they don't want to support the industrial Agriculture system that is increasingly controlling our food supply and some older, open-pollinated varieties produce more nutritious crops than do modern hybrids bred mostly for high yields and long shelf life.
7. Influence Crop Traits. Gene pools are incredibly elastic. By carefully observing your plants, you can save seed from those plants that best meet your needs for germination, ripening time, yield, specific fruit shape, flavor, storage, qualities, less seediness, better disease resistance, bloom color, or other unique trait within the variety of plant. Over time, most of the plants you grow from your saved seeds will end up having the desired traits you like.

Seed-Saving Tips
 

• Always choose OP (Open-Pollinated) varieties for seed saving, these are non-hybrid plants with seed that's true generation after generation. (Self & Cross-Pollinating plants are OP)
• The easiest crops to save seeds from are: peas, beans, tomatoes, and peppers (Self-Pollinators).
• Cross-Pollinating crops need to be isolated from other varieties of the same species. The simplest solution is to grow only one variety of a given species and you can just save seeds from one or two plants, but to maintain long-term health and vigor, you should buy new seed every few years or trade seeds with other growers. Cross-Pollinating crops to save seeds from are: brassicas, corn, carrots, beets, squash, cucumbers, and melons.
• Soak "wet" seeds, like Tomatoes and Squash which have a gel sac around the seeds that prevents germination, in order to remove the sacs and dry on a screen.
• Seed crops are often harvested at different times than food crops, in order to keep your garden organized and track of which crop you want for seed, mark off the row with a ribbon or tie or other marker that you will know means a seed crop.
• Flower heads are usually harvested as they dry.
• Using screens as filters or rubbing seed pods between your hands is a couple ways to remove chaff from the seed.
• Store seeds in glass jars, plastic bags or paper envelopes. Though glass is always best as it prevents moisture from getting to the seeds. (I have used baby food jars for small amounts of seed saving, but they are thoroughly washed, sterilized and dried before putting in the seeds).
• Store seeds in a cool, dry place, ideally at less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit and at a relative humidity level of less than 50 %. In general, for every 10 degrees colder the storage conditions, seed longevity doubles, so it's best to keep seed in a covered container in a refrigerator. As long as the seed is very dry, it will last longest if you keep it in a freezer. All seed should be dried to a brittle state, ideally less than 14 % moisture (so ice crystals don't form on the seeds while in a freezer). When you're ready to use freezer stored seeds, allow the storage jar to come to room temperature before opening it to avoid condensation on the seed.

Cite:
**(Information acquired from Mother Earth News Magazine, December 2012/January 2013 edition, Article " Saving Seed 7 Reasons Why and Dozens of Tips for How" by Roberta Bailey pgs 38-44 )**

Build a High-Protein Dispenser for FREE Chicken Food!

Found a nice little article that will help all those who have chickens, through the winter and the rest of the year saving you money by feeding natural, and high-protein, and FREE feed to your chickens with a little material found 'round the homestead or farm with a dollar or two thrown in for some minor materials.

The article I gleaned this info from is out of the "Countryside & Small Stock Journal" Vol 96 No. 6 November/December 2012, Page 61, by Jeff Hoard.

Basically the articles author explains how to create a maggot dispenser for your chickens using some simple materials:

• Flat plywood- to put under dispenser to catch & feed chickens on a clean surface.
• 5 gal. bucket with lid, bottom cut out but leave a 1" lip around it to hold a round piece of grate or heavy wire mesh.
• Grate or Heavy Wire Mesh
• Charge (dead animals, meat scraps, or raw fatty meat products. Don't use anything sick or dying.)
• PVC Coupler
• Long piece of ABS pipe
• Auto Heater Vent Hose
• Skirting-for little bird & wind barrier
• Tools for cutting & Drilling

 The author goes on to explain how he put the dispenser together and how it works:

     "I mentioned ours being a deluxe model and I'll explain. The hanger/vent was made out of scrap pipe. At the top I inserted a long piece of ABS pipe. The horizontal hanger is another short pipe that is welded over a hole that I cut in the main vertical pipe. A little below that are two more short pieces of pipe in a v-shape that stick out on each side of the hanging bucket. These serve as bumpers. On the lid of the bucket, I inserted an appropriate sized PVC coupler and a piece of auto heater vent hose, which attaches from there up to the hanging pipe.  This is how the odor is vented up and out at the top of the long ABS pipe. Like the vent system, the "skirt" that was installed on the bucket is certainly not a necessity but does perform some added functions. first, it keeps smaller birds from hanging off the bottom trying to eat their fill. Second, the skirt serves as a wind catch. Third, as the chickens go for the maggots they hit the skirt to hopefully dislodge a few more. Fourth, it helps keep the charge from drying out (very important). I did drill one small hole in the center at the top of the bucket's lid to allow for moisture to be added onto the charge if needed. " (page 63)

The author continues with some tips, "Install the dispenser 20 ft away from the chicken house,  in the shade, this will help draw the flies away from the flock and the flies are immediately drawn to the charge. They then lay their larvae on the charge and the larvae then turn into maggots, hundreds at a time and as they grow larger they get heavier and eventually fall through the grate and onto the plywood below to be gobbled up by a waiting chicken. It usually takes about 5 days for the maggots to start dropping and as long as the charge is refreshed," there is a constant supply of high-protein feed for your chickens and it's free! Chickens can keep laying with this feed and greens for quite some time, without the need for corn scratch!

I scanned the image directly from the magazine in order to show you all what they've created and about how it'll look when finished. It's in pdf form so you will need Adobe PDF viewer to see the file>> PDF

Tips for the Cold & Flu Season without Meds

Got these helpful tips from webmd.com 

8 Tips to Treat Colds and Flu the 'Natural' Way

With no cure in sight for the cold or the flu, over-the-counter treatments can at best bring symptom relief or shorten the duration of those symptoms. Or you can take the natural approach. WebMD explores some home remedies that may help you feel better along the way.

No. 1: Blow Your Nose Often -- and the Right Way

It's important to blow your nose regularly when you have a cold rather than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you blow hard, pressure can cause an earache. The best way to blow your nose: Press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other. Wash your hands after blowing your nose.

No. 2: Stay Rested

Resting when you first come down with a cold or the flu helps your body direct its energy toward the immune battle. This battle taxes the body. So give it a little help by lying down under a blanket.

No. 3: Gargle

Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary relief. Try a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times daily. To reduce the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle -- such as tea that contains tannin -- to tighten the membranes. Or use a thick, viscous gargle made with honey or a mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar, a popular folk remedy. Steep one tablespoon of raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot water and mix in one teaspoon of honey. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before gargling. Honey should never be given to children less than 1 year old.

No. 4: Drink Hot Liquids

Hot liquids relieve nasal congestion, help prevent dehydration, and soothe the uncomfortably inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat.

No. 5: Take a Steamy Shower

Steamy showers moisturize your nasal passages and relax you. If you're dizzy from the flu, run a steamy shower while you sit on a chair nearby and take a sponge bath.

No. 6: Apply Hot or Cold Packs Around Your Congested Sinuses

Either temperature may help you feel more comfortable. You can buy reusable hot or cold packs at a drugstore. Or make your own. Take a damp washcloth and heat it for 55 seconds in a microwave (test the temperature first to make sure it's not scalding). Or take a small bag of frozen peas to use as a cold pack.

No. 7: Sleep With an Extra Pillow Under Your Head

This will help with the drainage of nasal passages. If the angle is too awkward, try placing the pillows between the mattress and the box springs to create a more gradual slope.

No. 8: Don't Fly Unless Necessary

There's no point adding stress to your already stressed-out upper respiratory system, and that's what the change in air pressure will do. Flying with cold or flu congestion can hurt your eardrums as a result of pressure changes during takeoff and landing. If you must fly, use a decongestant and carry a nasal spray with you to use just before takeoff and landing. Chewing gum and swallowing frequently can also help relieve pressure.

Remember, serious conditions can masquerade as the common cold and a mild infection can evolve into something more serious. If you have severe symptoms or are feeling sicker with each passing day, see a doctor.

Best MO Counties for Hunting Bucks as per Missouri Game & Fish Magazine!

Just found a wonderful spread in the Missouri Game & Fish Magazine about the Top Counties per Region in Buck Harvest for last year, which serves as a great forecast for this hunting season!

The article is on page 32-34 & continues on page 57 from the November 2012 issue.

For our area which is the Eastern Ozarks the top county is Texas, followed by Howell and then Wayne counties. The buck harvest for 2011 in Texas County was 1,987, Howell County 1,888 and Wayne County 1,477 that's a lot of bucks, mounts and deer chili for dinner! Now the article does go into the surrounding counties but I wanted to highlight on the areas where we have most of our owner financed land and hunting leases.




"This 17-county region [ Eastern Ozarks Region] came in fourth place out of eight regions in the estimated number of antlered deer with 52,681 bucks.  Hunters reported taking 20,112 antlered deer in this region last year, which also ranked it near top at second place statewide. The top three antlered buck harvest counties in were Texas 1,987 (first statewide); Howell 1,888 (second); and Wayne with 1,477 (11th). None of the 17 counties in this region are included in the APR zone. [Antler Point Restrictions]" (Missouri Game & Fish, "Missouri's 2012 Deer Outlook-Part 2 Finding Trophy Bucks" by Tony Kalna Jr, page 57)

The article continues to say that "a trophy buck can be killed just about anywhere in Missouri, but the numbers don't lie. Some counties and regions simply are better when it comes to having more bucks and more trophy-class bucks." So, this bodes well for this years hunting season, if you've been wondering where your next big buck and possible winner of the Boone and Crockett record breaker is, then why not come down into Howell and Texas counties here in the Missouri Ozarks and bag your next big break!

What do you get when you cross cool weather with deer?

A hunter in the woods with a bow! That's right bow season is here and muzzel loader is right around the corner; White tail deer and wild turkey beware!  But with the deer active even more now that the temperature's dropped that also means drivers need to be careful toward evening/dusk and early mornings, this is the time when deer are on the move the most and also when heavy fog rolls in blinding deer and drivers alike.

To all you hunters out there from all of us here at Homestead Crossing Inc., be careful and happy hunting!