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Western NY. I planted magic molly seed potatoes 3 weeks ago in 3inches of compost and a 4-6 inch old hay mulch, but they don’t appear to be doing anything. A few I’ve checked have sprouted a bit but I believe many had sprouted before even putting them in the ground. It’s been rainy and anywhere from 50-70 during the day. What’s going on?

Here are my guesses: 1) I’m impatient and need to wait a few more weeks 2) Hay has herbicide or something in it. The source said no sprays, and the lettuce and onions that it’s mulching don’t seem terribly unhappy (though not growing much yet either)

Any ideas? Thanks in advance

I want to connect these two rain barrels that were gifted to me. Thoughts on the best way to do this seeing how the connections at the top are two different sizes? The connections at the bottom are the same sizes but different heights and purposes. The smaller barrel doesn’t have an official bottom connection, just its spigot. The larger barrel has a bottom connection and spigot, the bottom connection is lower than the spigot on the smaller barrel and the higher connection (where you are supposed to install its spigot) is higher than the spigot on the smaller barrel.

I haven’t installed the downspout diverter yet, so I can have the gutter go into either barrel at this point.

The Freehold Project: A 100% Off-Grid, Labor-Based Community

We’re building a fully off-grid, self-sustaining community on a 50-100 acre tract of land in the Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana region, with plans to establish others. This isn’t a cult, a commune, or a business. It’s a shared land project where labor and responsibility are the only currencies that matter. No landlords, no bosses. Just land, work, and mutual freedom.

What We’re Building:

A jointly-owned plot of land through an LLC

All costs (land, taxes, improvements) shared equally

Ownership doesn’t require money, you can earn your stake through labor

Temporary residents welcome with a 10-hour/week labor contribution (or equivalent cash value)

Ownership and Membership:

The land is owned by a legally structured LLC, and all full members are equal owners

To join, you contribute equal value (in money, labor, or both) to what others have already paid in (for instance, if 19 owners have contributed a total of $1.5 million dollars in money, materials, and labor, the buy-in to become the 20th member is $75,000). The buy-in is split among the existing LLC members.

All members commit to:

10 hours/week of labor

An equal share of expenses and profits, if any

Equal voice in decision-making

Leaving or Falling Behind:

If you’re 3 months behind on work or dues, you’re out, but fairly

You’ll be bought out for your contributions, paid back at $1,500/month

You can choose to stay on the land as a renter, drawing down your owed value week by week in place of labor

The Vision:

Once this land is up and running, we’ll use it to seed another tract, then another. The goal is a network of decentralized, self-reliant communities, tied together by mutual aid and common sense, not ideology.

Eventually, we’d like to go nationwide, and possibly beyond.

Interested?

Reply here or DM me. Let me know:

If you’d contribute money, labor, or both (if labor, list your skills)

Where you’re located, and whether you’d be interested in moving to the Arklatex location or you’re holding out for one nearer your area

Any suggestions, critiques, or deal-breakers

If enough people are serious, I’ll spin up a Discord and we’ll start laying the foundation.

Has anybody tried combining Hugelkultur beds with rock trenches for arid regions? It seems like they would work well together, but I can’t seem to find anybody doing this.