Protected culture

I have always been interested in cultures. In the past, I travelled a lot, and contributed an inordinate abount of carbon to our common atmosphere. Everywhere I came, I tried to learn some language, customs, traditions, norms and values. In some respects, people are people everywhere, but there are intriguing differences in how we see the world and our mythologies. Meaning of life.

These days, my interests have narrowed to the place I live and the soil I steward. Maybe I look a bit further than the length of my nose, but not much.

Growing stuff is the main culture I practice, and one specific branch is "protected culture", i.e. growing with weather protection in greenhouses and tunnels.

In August, I started the dialogue with our municipality to get a green light to raise two high-tunnels (Rovero ECO600) for veggies and trees. However, the building department was internally conflicted, whether or not these were buildings, but this week Thursday I had a breakthrough. The friendly and creative lady I got hold of had managed to navigate my application past the other bureacrats by calling the structures "Growing Tents". For which no permit is needed.

The weather is strangely mild, so the soil has thawed and we started right away to make holes and fix the anchors.

M is making holes and then screwing the anchors deep in the ground.

Today, our new friend P came over to help us to assemble the big-boys-meccano structure. We sorted out the right beams and bows and pored over assembly instructions, like boys who had received a mega-box of LEGO. This time the tast was to assemble a 6x20m structure.

M and P celebrate the first side standing.

It is important to celebrate the small wins, so we took a photo to celebrate the raising of the first gable/side face.

I am very happy with my new friend P.

We have a lot in common with P, who lives on the other side of our town. They are 15 years further in their homesteading journey, so we can learn a lot from them. P was also an organic farmer in the 1990s, so he has quite some experience to share about cultures, both protected and in the open.

The skeleton is standing and it is plumb, level and square.

Another couple of work days are needed to finish the build. We need to wrap the plastic cover, assemble and mount the doors and arrange ventilation windows. It is great fun to build and I really hope it will survive the storms here.