Happy spring back to you. Glad you figured out how to post on here. :)
I wish you the very best for a super fun first year as you explore the different garden spaces and try to grow as many veggies as you can handle. I'm sure the soil is just itching for a bit of attention. ;)
Looks like it might be April showers out there for a little while longer... wish we had some of that here! I love the sun, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the earth just needs a good bath! Apparently it was a really wet spring here in Ontario last year, and this time it's the opposite.. all balances out, I suppose.
Looking forward to your updates. Hope you're managing to get some salad greens planted! (And remember, at this time of year, white row cover is your best friend!)
Don't get me wrong, Michael - we're totally planning to be urban farmers in Cobourg. It's just Nelson Urban Acres that may or may not have a future. I'm not sure what the name of the farm in Cobourg will be, but it's not going to be "Nelson Urban Acres" - that farm's staying put! (If I were a little smarter maybe I would have chosen a more portable name before investing in the Internet domain names, logo design and glossy banner!)
I will definitely make sure to link to the new farm website in Cobourg when we're up and running in the spring!
I find these blankets don't really get all that warm. They're 120 W each, which I think is somewhat cooler than most heating cables designed for this amount of surface area. When I put my hand under the blankets, it feels cozy, but not really that "warm", even at their highest setting. I monitor the temperature regularly (some may say too regularly) and if I had any doubts about the safety of my seedlings I'd take suitable precautions.
But that's a very good point, and anyone following my lead should take care to read the safety instructions and use common sense!
I wonder about the safety factor with the layered electric blankets, though. I have an electric blanket (which I don't use) whose instructions say to always keep it on top due overheating and subsequent fire hazard.
Félicitation pour ton rôle dans le documentaire. Tu as joué ton role exceptionnellement ! J'ai particulairement apprecié la scène avec ton velo et son rôle de réduires les émissions de CO2. Nelson est tellement beau!
We've had a really warm spring with very few days of frost (if any) over the past month or so - until a couple of days ago!
I was tempted to plant some early stuff, but I'll be patient and wait another week or two. Of course, I don't have to go to market to make some dough...
Oh! The garlic, of course, has been up for some time and is quite advanced, actually.
Thanks for this advice; I've received similar advice from my pal Christoph. Your points are particularly valid in Nelson where there is an abundance of large hills.
I did upgrade my brakes somewhat – added a rear disc brake (the biggest disc I could get). I still have to upgrade my front brake, which apparently is even more important since that's where most braking occurs – it's just that I don't have disc brake caliper mounts on my front fork anymore. I need to do a couple modifications before I can have front disc brakes, and this stuff is expensive! But I'll get around to it before I start hauling really large loads up and down hills.
In any case, I've been riding extremely carefully coming down hills, using my brakes a lot and getting a feel for how much impact they have at different speeds. To be safe I never coast down a hill with a heavy load – always take it down slowly and safely! And I am inspecting my brakes regularly.
Now with the improve 2.0 version of your trailer, you are going to be loading the wagon with even heavier items than you have in the past.
If in the past you were able to load say 100 lbs (50 Kg - for simplicity calculations), now perhaps you are able to double this? (200 Lbs, 100 Kg - remember I like to keep the math simple)
Problem is, have you upgraded your Brakes and Steering to handle the additional load?
This is where the realm of an engineer comes in, and, like the Wright Brothers, a little bit of trial, error, think what went wrong, and trial again comes to play.
Most 'Stuff' is designed to withstand Double the rating in engineering terms to be safe. This is how you may get away without having the wagon fall apart if it does not get stressed too badly. However, and this is a big BUT...
The stresses imposed by having the wagon to double it's original weight may cause Brake failure or worse yet, cause you to not stop at the bottom of a large hill, when trying to decelerate, due to the height of the hill, the force of gravity, 9.8 m/s[squared], and the weight [force of gravity acting on the mass of the contents in the wagon.
Some simple tests would be needed, but could confirm how well, or not so well, your Bike's brake system works or does not work is to measure your stopping distance with a *known* weight on the trailer hookup and a suitable slope for testing. [with appropriate foam padding around the luge posts should you decide to perform these tests yourself]
Keep up the good work - lets hope for a safe summer of green gardening
Hey Jasmin –
Happy spring back to you. Glad you figured out how to post on here. :)
I wish you the very best for a super fun first year as you explore the different garden spaces and try to grow as many veggies as you can handle. I'm sure the soil is just itching for a bit of attention. ;)
Looks like it might be April showers out there for a little while longer... wish we had some of that here! I love the sun, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the earth just needs a good bath! Apparently it was a really wet spring here in Ontario last year, and this time it's the opposite.. all balances out, I suppose.
Looking forward to your updates. Hope you're managing to get some salad greens planted! (And remember, at this time of year, white row cover is your best friend!)
Ciao for now,
Paul
Cobourg, ON
Great! Please do provide a link when your up and running.
I may not be eventually farming for profit myself, but I still find it interesting to follow the avenue you have taken.
Cheers
Don't get me wrong, Michael - we're totally planning to be urban farmers in Cobourg. It's just Nelson Urban Acres that may or may not have a future. I'm not sure what the name of the farm in Cobourg will be, but it's not going to be "Nelson Urban Acres" - that farm's staying put! (If I were a little smarter maybe I would have chosen a more portable name before investing in the Internet domain names, logo design and glossy banner!)
I will definitely make sure to link to the new farm website in Cobourg when we're up and running in the spring!
Sounds like you two won't be farming there in Cobourg, but good luck on your endeavours.
Looks like you guys have been luckly recently with an unusual high amoutn of precipitation in July. And more coming. Make for easier work!
We're actually looking for it. He may have never completed it. I'll check his Final Cut project files, so what I can muster...
I'm sorry for your loss Paul. I'm late in saying this too but also thank you for the kind words back in April.
I found this interesting, but can't find part 2 on youtube or http://sustainablecobourg.ca, was it produced?
I find these blankets don't really get all that warm. They're 120 W each, which I think is somewhat cooler than most heating cables designed for this amount of surface area. When I put my hand under the blankets, it feels cozy, but not really that "warm", even at their highest setting. I monitor the temperature regularly (some may say too regularly) and if I had any doubts about the safety of my seedlings I'd take suitable precautions.
But that's a very good point, and anyone following my lead should take care to read the safety instructions and use common sense!
Very resourceful!
I wonder about the safety factor with the layered electric blankets, though. I have an electric blanket (which I don't use) whose instructions say to always keep it on top due overheating and subsequent fire hazard.
Good observation... well I guess with all the vast sprawling forests around here, the Kootenays must seem like one big park to those foreigners. :-)
Nice little film,
I love that Nelson is at the foot of Kootenay NP hahaha. You could place Germany between Kootenay NP and Nelson!
Hilarious! That's so sweet of you to show your whole class, Mee Ming. :-)
My biology class saw this and they think you are very cool !
Félicitation pour ton rôle dans le documentaire. Tu as joué ton role exceptionnellement ! J'ai particulairement apprecié la scène avec ton velo et son rôle de réduires les émissions de CO2. Nelson est tellement beau!
Gratz on the first place(s). They look really nice, very much want to eat. lol
But there wasn't exactly a whole lot of competition to speak of. :P
Way to go, Paul!
I must say, those greens look about as good as they could probably look. And I bet they taste equally good!
Glad to hear it! I think it will be a great addition to Nelson's local and organic food community.
The drip system looks great. Thanks for reporting all this stuff!
Informative, thanks!
We've had a really warm spring with very few days of frost (if any) over the past month or so - until a couple of days ago!
I was tempted to plant some early stuff, but I'll be patient and wait another week or two. Of course, I don't have to go to market to make some dough...
Oh! The garlic, of course, has been up for some time and is quite advanced, actually.
Good luck!
Hey Richard,
Thanks for this advice; I've received similar advice from my pal Christoph. Your points are particularly valid in Nelson where there is an abundance of large hills.
I did upgrade my brakes somewhat – added a rear disc brake (the biggest disc I could get). I still have to upgrade my front brake, which apparently is even more important since that's where most braking occurs – it's just that I don't have disc brake caliper mounts on my front fork anymore. I need to do a couple modifications before I can have front disc brakes, and this stuff is expensive! But I'll get around to it before I start hauling really large loads up and down hills.
In any case, I've been riding extremely carefully coming down hills, using my brakes a lot and getting a feel for how much impact they have at different speeds. To be safe I never coast down a hill with a heavy load – always take it down slowly and safely! And I am inspecting my brakes regularly.
Happy gardening to you, too!
Hello Paul & Congratulations.
Now with the improve 2.0 version of your trailer, you are going to be loading the wagon with even heavier items than you have in the past.
If in the past you were able to load say 100 lbs (50 Kg - for simplicity calculations), now perhaps you are able to double this? (200 Lbs, 100 Kg - remember I like to keep the math simple)
Problem is, have you upgraded your Brakes and Steering to handle the additional load?
This is where the realm of an engineer comes in, and, like the Wright Brothers, a little bit of trial, error, think what went wrong, and trial again comes to play.
Most 'Stuff' is designed to withstand Double the rating in engineering terms to be safe. This is how you may get away without having the wagon fall apart if it does not get stressed too badly. However, and this is a big BUT...
The stresses imposed by having the wagon to double it's original weight may cause Brake failure or worse yet, cause you to not stop at the bottom of a large hill, when trying to decelerate, due to the height of the hill, the force of gravity, 9.8 m/s[squared], and the weight [force of gravity acting on the mass of the contents in the wagon.
Some simple tests would be needed, but could confirm how well, or not so well, your Bike's brake system works or does not work is to measure your stopping distance with a *known* weight on the trailer hookup and a suitable slope for testing. [with appropriate foam padding around the luge posts should you decide to perform these tests yourself]
Keep up the good work - lets hope for a safe summer of green gardening
-Terrific