I hear ya. I slept wrong last night and woke up with a hurt back.
Do you have, or have access to cheap (or free!) cattle panels? Free in cattle country? LOL
Funny you should mention that. I was just thinking yesterday about how useful a cattle panel ceiling of sorts would be in a high tunnel. Hang anything anywhere, attach overhead infrastructure. Then I started adding up $30+$30+$30+$30+$30+$30+ and .... Cattle panels with a frame for gates is new to the to do list.
I wrapped cattle panels around my little front yard garden this year because the goats got over the field fence last year and stomped the plants down that they didn't eat. Being a fabricator, I have lots of ideas for them and get them for $30 at the feed store. I already have a firewood rack, 24" x 24" x 78" tall firewood rack sitting next to the wood stove. I made it a few years ago out of one panel. No real frame so it has to be attached to the wall/studs but it's been stuffed and the shelves hold up good. A 16" panel cut into 4 pcs would make a nice newly planted tree protector. We have pot/pan racks made from them before that I did 20 years ago from small sections I found.
But, there are a lot of ‘income streams’ you can have when you have some land.
I've started growing shiitake mushrooms twice now but done a piss poor job at it. Mostly at keeping the logs moist because I had no good way to do so. That tank sprayer will help with that. The woods are too rocky for things like cultivated ginseng and the various roots that grow here wild and have value.
I am still trying to talk Beau into taking advantage of all the woods we have, as far as FREE hardwood
I cut a couple of TRUE red oaks when putting in fence. They were over 2 foot in diameter and the branch/knot free logs would have brought some money but were deep into the woods. We kept really warm that year. It's the top rated wood for heat production.
First time we lived in MO I cut a Black Walnut down because it was in the way. Got $250 for a 18" log, 16' long. That was 20 years ago. There happened to be a buyer there that exported them for laminate use in Oriental countries. They still like their dark wood tone interiors.
I have some TRUE white oaks here and those are very valuable. There are a couple of hot spots for white oak for making wine barrels and this is one. A forest in France is the other. We have stave companies here.
I really don't have enough trees to do anything but slowly harvest for our own use which is firewood and smoker wood. We've got hickory. I'm a tick magnet so on my knees in the woods? naa. Shiitake logs are doable on the edge of the woods with some protection from sun and critter. Pallets are definitely free and the right ones would give the right shade.
I love your ideas! I keep thinking along the lines of ways to provide some sort of income for us. I had hoped goat milk soap would be a good one but they are mass produced now with such a low price, so for now they are just gifts for friends and family.
My tomatoes are being hit with blight, again, after I put black plastic down from fall until planting, and installed a drip system. I have been treating, but it only knocks it back as it rains almost every day here. Feed store guy suggested I sprinkle lime. We will see. I ran into the same problem with tomato cages (the hoop ones don’t cut it). I bought several of the Fiberglas stakes and using the hoop cages and the stakes, I then ran a horizontal stake from the plant to the fence and tied it. As the tomatoes are getting taller I just tie them to the horizontal stake and so far so good. Inexpensive fix for that (so far)
Cattle panels are a ridiculous price here - from $60+ for a cattle panel to $90+ for a goat panel (with 4x4 openings). Ugh. I need the goat panel to make a hay feeder, but I think I will settle for goat fence and use a wood frame. I needed a cattle panel to hoop trellis for spaghetti squash and cucumbers. So far it is working great. But as I am putting them in, I am counting how many veggies I could get from the farmers market for $60 😂
Anyway…
I have 2 “zucchini” plants that are putting out fruit that is zucchini in color but the taste and shape of summer squash 🤷♀️ Weird. Kind of like the year all my watermelons tasted like cucumber (same families cross polinating and such I suppose)