Going Off Grid in East Tennessee; The Story and Chat Thread (to eat, expense)

[PaulNKS]

There are plants poisonous to grazing animals. However, cattle aren't bothered by it as much as some animals such as horses. Cattle primarily graze grass but...... Also, it is dependent on location.

Cattle will lie wrong on occasion... not just at birthing. Instinct tells a cow to lie with her head pointed uphill or across the hill but not downhill. However, I have seen them lie down in the wrong position.. only a couple times with me.

[JoshB]

Great Update and sunset picture, Lisa!

[Suzanne45]

Loved the sunset photo. Thanks for sharing. Yes, we've had cows bloat on the farm. Usually happened during the first pasture in spring. They would eat far too much new grass and bloat.

[sienna]

Lisa,
Concrete cures not dries. It must be kept damp and warm for a strong cure. Concrete actually gets stronger year by year BUT if the initial cure , which is a crystalization process, is not done correctly you will have crumbly concrete. It should be above 50 and below 80 for optimal cure. Once the crystalization begins to slow it cannot be revived. Keep it damp and warm this time of year youcan cover it with plastic with straw on top of that.

One of my hobbies is making cement and hypertufa sculptures for garden and patio. When I cannot be around to tend to the curing I will submerse the object in a wading pool or water trough of water ( if it fits). It can be left for weeks like this as it will continue to cure under water.

Just remember not to let it dry out. Making sure concrete cures properly costs little and is easy to do. And yet it is often overlooked, even by professional builders.

For concrete to cure properly, you must watch two factors carefully: moisture and temperature.

Concrete does not dry. Instead, it cures or hardens due to a chemical reaction between cement and water. If concrete that is curing begins losing moisture to evaporation, it causes the concrete to shrink, creates stress and can lead to cracking on the concrete's surfaces.

To cure poured and finished concrete, cover the exposed surface and keep it moist, preferably for 10 days but for a minimum of three days.

Common curing methods include covering concrete with plastic sheets, applying curing compounds to the surface, or wetting the surface with hoses or sprinklers.

Low-cost materials can also be used to cover and cure concrete if they are kept moist. These include sand or soil, burlap bags, hay or straw, old carpeting and even old newspapers.

For small slabs like you are making , you can build dikes around the perimeter and then flood the surface with water. Lawn sprinklers work well in keeping flat surfaces wet, and soaker hoses often are used on vertical surfaces.


If the temperature drops below 40° to the point of freezing, the chemical reaction that gives concrete its strength comes to a halt. It's best to plan concrete work for times when temperatures are likely to stay above 50°.

In short, curing is the one thing you can do to make concrete as solid as you want it to be.

HTH, sienna

[KatSpradley]

Now that is some good info on concrete...I learned a lot. Thank you!

[sienna]

YOU R Welcome

[ylisa7]

Yes sienna thank you for the terrific information about concrete. I'm sure you helped a lot of people not just me.

[FarmerGreen]

We are fixing to pour a concrete slab for our off-grid house, so that info will sure come in handy. Thanks!

[piperspal]

younglisa7, I'm just hearing reports of the tornadoes in TN. I sure hope you all are safe. Keeping our friends in the southeast in our prayers this weekend.

[ylisa7]

JeremiaJohnson

Thank you so much for writing in. It is wonderful to hear from everyone who reads our story. I am so glad you enjoy it. You and some others use our pictures as screen savers. Now if I could just figure out how to do that for my computer, lol.

Thank you for John's blog address. Mike and I love to see what and how other people are doing things. Unfortunately most sites don't have many with details. That's why I try to give as many details as I can.

Thank you again for posting and have a great Sunday and a Happy Easter.

Lisa