tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56314570202043777182024-03-05T01:35:18.915-08:00Swimming Pool to Natural PondHow to make an Earth-Friendly, Aquaponic fish pond out of a swimming pool. An economically feasible, "DIY" backyard project.village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-79475093687139258002010-04-27T00:17:00.000-07:002010-04-27T00:20:21.732-07:00Overpopulation - The Exponential FunctionWhy is finding solutions now for future problems so important?
Maybe this video will help people understand why we cannot wait for solutions. We simply cannot afford to wait. Pay special attention to the last part where he gives an example using bacteria in a jar.
Be one of the bacteria that sees the problem ahead of time.village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-67717693364859234192010-04-24T00:42:00.000-07:002011-11-04T01:06:13.134-07:00One Year...April 2009 to April 2010...
It was April 15th, 2009 when I started the removal of the swimming pool on my way to creating this "one of a kind" system. All things considered it has gone fairly well. At the end of summer last year I had hopes of getting the fish for the large pond. As things turned out I was unable to obtain the type of fish I wanted without jumping through more hoops than I wasvillage1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-17750917660331510842010-04-14T21:42:00.000-07:002010-05-22T16:54:32.365-07:00April Showers...Bring May flowers, so they say.
Well, it's not May. but April showers have brought out many April flowers. Here are some of my flowers that either are in bloom or will be in bloom this April. If this is what I have in April, I can't wait for May!
Almost all plants you see here were grown from seed.
Alyssum. A minty ground Cover that has been in bloom since February
Aptenia. Beautiful village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-35150508452212484122010-03-27T22:36:00.000-07:002010-04-27T00:29:24.401-07:00New LifeIt just amazes me how a new life starts. Whether it be a human, another animal, or a plant. It is all equally amazing to me. This is the time of year where so much new life is finding an opportunity to be among the living. On a daily basis it pops up everywhere.
The first wildflower in this garden
3 days later(after removing some of the bully flowers)
Look closely. See the goldfish eggs?
village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-60468377094195710452010-03-20T03:39:00.000-07:002010-04-27T00:32:52.489-07:00Adding A Planter To The Pond EdgeWhen constructing my pond, I purposely made my pond edging "soft". What I mean by that, is that the edges were not permanently bound to any kind of structure, making them flexible and easy to work with. There is a problem with that, and it is exactly that, they are not permanently mounted and are flexible. So a soft edge is good and bad for the same reason. Having an edge that is easy to "redo", village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-21599623205983059402010-02-23T09:05:00.000-08:002010-04-27T00:34:44.120-07:00Springtime Is On It's WaySo much to do to get ready for spring. There are new plants sprouting everywhere. The goldfish seem to be getting ready for mating season. The days are getting longer. The weather is warming up. I am excited to get this project finished. With nothing left, as far as the system goes, except to get the fish for the large pond, I am doing a lot of landscaping to get the yard nice for show this village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-47805432259973758472010-02-01T01:04:00.000-08:002010-02-01T01:04:41.237-08:00DIY Pool Removal Too Easy To Believe!
1.
2.
3.
As Easy as 1-2-3.
Checkout this post on the step-by-step blog for complete instructions.village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-43774531046565838392010-01-27T06:12:00.000-08:002010-04-27T00:33:40.538-07:00Calculating Swimming Pool Volume in Cubic FeetThis article will quickly show how much dirt is needed to fill a moderate size swimming pool.
I am going to use the following backyard as an example.
Lets see how much fill dirt would be needed by finding the surface area and depth of this pool to get an estimated total volume...
1677 cubic feet of dirt is about 62 cubic yards. That would fill approximately 300 wheelbarrows.
The above village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-54669257897896778402010-01-20T15:49:00.000-08:002010-01-20T20:59:15.089-08:00Thinking about it?If you are thinking about getting rid of your swimming pool and/or a natural pond is an option you want to consider? I have just finished a few articles that can help you with your decision. They are on my step-by-step blog and part of the "Thinking about it?" section.
Here are the links:
Thinking About It?
1. Should I Get Rid of My Swimming Pool?
2. What Can I Do With My Swimming Pool?
3. Why village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-42186521903748041532010-01-20T13:21:00.001-08:002010-01-20T15:38:48.471-08:00Global Climate Change
A great way to look at the global warming "debate"
village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-70777809468281812452010-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:002010-01-19T17:28:38.744-08:00Stormy WeatherHail, rain, and wind are wreaking havoc on Northern California and have been for the last few days. With no end in sight I will have to figure on being indoors for a while. I'll take the only positive I can see for having to stay indoors for 2 weeks: I get to spend more time on the PC doing my blogs. We need the rain, so I am not complaining.
The rain has been very intense, which has made the village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-51791741702767266792010-01-02T12:38:00.000-08:002010-01-02T14:46:53.774-08:00Instructions For Grow Bed ConstructionMy step-by-step instructions for building your own grow beds are complete. They consist of ten separate instructions with images and full details. To read them and all of the step-by-step instructions for converting a swimming pool to a "Natural Pond" go to my blog dedicated to that purpose HERE.
Feel free to comment on anything about them. Problems and critiques are welcome and will be village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-60985040744809410342009-12-27T01:46:00.000-08:002010-04-27T00:35:40.098-07:00DIY - Replace The Battery in a Dog CollarThis has absolutely nothing to do with anything on this blog. I just like showing people ways to save money. Plus I hate it when companies design things solely for the purpose of taking your money. So here I will show you how to save money by deconstructing an unnecessary battery pack that was designed for one purpose, to take your hard earned money. There is NO reason to design something like village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-29038067993851668522009-12-16T11:06:00.000-08:002010-04-27T00:36:50.741-07:00The Water is Crystal ClearThe pond water can not get any more clear than this. Compare this system to one that employs all the expensive, unneeded equipment that the "experts" would have you unnecessarily purchase. This pond is equipped with one pump, home-made biological filters in the form of grow beds, and nothing else. You need nothing else, and I have all the proof you could ever want right here...
Unless you village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-22502202899400091082009-12-05T11:02:00.000-08:002009-12-16T11:22:16.439-08:00Google Sketchup...Nice!
If you have seen my last couple of instructionals on the step-by-step blog you probably noticed the cool 3D images. I used Sketchup to create a 3D model of a grow bed and it was pretty easy. I watched 2 short videos as an introduction and played around with it for about 20 minutes before I jumped right in and started creating the model. Try doing that with AutoCADD(which I spent 2 days playingvillage1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-34643511122087594662009-12-01T20:32:00.000-08:002010-03-30T15:17:33.592-07:00Winter Composting Tricks And A "Go Green" Tip...So it's winter, and your compost isn't getting finished as fast as you would like. Here are a couple of things you can do that will help.
1. Cover the pile - Put some landscape cloth, large plastic bags, or a tarp over the pile. This helps keep the pile warm by containing the heat created during the process. Make sure you uncover the pile during the day a few times a week and mix up the pile a village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-50858641152469689712009-11-24T07:37:00.000-08:002009-11-28T02:49:04.476-08:00Step-By-Step InstructionsFrom now on, all the future step-by-step instructions will be posted on my other blog. I created that blog for that specific purpose. It will also contain any helpful tips and information to help you get the job done correctly.
This blog will detail everything else related to the project, including what I am currently working on and other yard related topics. The link to the step-by-step's is invillage1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-49180920326550762452009-11-24T05:48:00.000-08:002009-12-16T11:25:14.215-08:00How To Make a Grow Bed (PART 2 - Mounting Support)This instruction is for the mounting support that will go underneath the grow bed and is attached to the posts. Once the mounts are in place you just set the grow bed on top of it and secure it.
The above photo was taken when I was designing the mount and is not exactly what the final support looks like, but it does give you a good idea. An additional three posts(one 4x4 and two 2x4 posts) andvillage1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-69994335243396457502009-11-22T03:03:00.000-08:002009-11-22T03:03:27.344-08:00How To Make CompostYou are going to need a lot of plants around the pond and the best way to grow them is using plenty of compost. Making good compost quickly is not as easy as a lot of people might say. If you want it fast, it takes a lot of work to get it right. It is easy if you want it next year, but if you want it in about 6 to 8 weeks, prepare to work for it.
First you need to designate an area of at least 6village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-7045720413082039402009-11-20T23:13:00.000-08:002009-11-24T19:50:13.168-08:00How To Make a Grow Bed (PART 1 - The Grow Bed)This will give instructions for making a grow bed box out of wood. This does not include the mounting, underneath support, or the liner and drains. Each of these steps will have there own set of instructions. I feel this is a better way to go. A few small sets of instructions rather than one massive set of instructions is easier to follow IMO.
So here we go, the first of daily(or almost daily) village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-43064320459832103092009-11-15T07:53:00.000-08:002010-01-28T21:12:58.518-08:00Modifying The Grow BedsI didn't feel enough of the water flow was being filtered. This is, in part, due to needing constant water input into the upper pond to keep the waterfall flowing all the time. What I did was direct a lot of water flow directly back into the pond without being filtered. Coupled with the water being used for aeration, I would estimate only about 30% to 40% of the water coming out of the pump was village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-88892261947354847222009-11-14T10:47:00.000-08:002009-11-15T09:01:36.615-08:00November ImagesTo control mud during winter I decided it was important to finish the landscaping in the grow bed area. After a little rain, I had a taste of what the winter will be like if I didn't do something immediately. I have also spent a lot of time modifying the grow beds to get more filtration.
November images:
village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-3150440162009643602009-11-13T20:58:00.000-08:002010-01-28T21:12:43.667-08:00How To Get Aloe Vera Gel From The Live Plant
Aloe Vera gel is so good for your skin, I felt I had to show how to get the gel easily from the plant. Here are the steps.
1) Cut a few leaves from the plant. Use the leaves that are closest to the ground. These leaves are more mature and will yield more gel.
2) Cut the thorny edges and the tips from the leaves.
3) Peel the leaves, seperating the two outer layers.
4) village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-19575373590955763492009-11-01T04:24:00.000-08:002009-11-01T04:24:13.326-08:00A Helpful Solution to Some of Our Problems: Pool to PondNo doubt you know about the problems we face in the world today. A quick glance around the internet can be both depressing and enlightening. Whether you believe some or all of potential problems we face, you might fall into one of these three categories...
1) The Overly Optimistic - Everything is going to be fine. Somehow, someway we always figure it out. No need to worry or change our lives village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5631457020204377718.post-85330358811568711672009-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:002009-10-20T08:11:29.268-07:00One Steaming Pile Of.......Compost.
During a little rainy weather yesterday I got the chance to turn my compost pile. It was steaming hot.
And underneath the steam was what I was hoping for, "Black Gold".
I'll take the finished compost and screen it to remove the larger items and I will have the best soil amendment known to man. Made from kitchen scraps, paper plates, and yard waste, you can't beat it.village1diothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10418231742234754022noreply@blogger.com0