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A Break in the Texas Drought — Nature’s Resiliency

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 9, 2023 by JimOctober 9, 2023
photo of a Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) butterfly

It’s been a tough couple of years. The last two years have seen below-normal rainfall. While not unusual in the Hill Country, they have been remarkable for the depth and severity of the Texas drought. During the years ending September 2022 and 2023 we measured just 11.75 and 10.65 inches respectively. That compares with an average rainfall of between 30 and 35 inches.

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Posted in Gardening | Tagged glaucus, hill country, homesteading, howto, Leucophyllum frutescens, papilio, polyxenes, sage, swallowtail, Texas, texas hill country, tiger

Discovering Square Foot Gardening

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 22, 2020 by Marilyn McCrayAugust 22, 2020
photo of My Square Foot Garden

I have been interested in gardening since I was a child and spent time with my great grandparents who were gardeners. The Square Foot Gardening method was developed in 1976 as a simple alternative to labor intensive and inefficient row gardening. Explore the possibilities . . .

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Posted in Gardening, Food, Projects | Tagged Belton, canning, DIY, fair, hill country, homesteading, how to, howto, ih, international harvester, lee Klancher, mel's mix, Mother Earth News, octane press, red power roundup, square foot gardening, Texas, texas hill country

Farming Bluebonnets is Easy

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 6, 2019 by JimDecember 2, 2019
photo of Our backyard filled with Bluebonnets

For the last ten years, we’ve been farming bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) around the place. It started when I planted a few seeds and gradually, they’ve bloomed and spread. Because I’m impatient, I also helped them along by mowing the plants after they had gone to seed and spreading the clippings to other parts of the ranch.

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Posted in Gardening, Greenhouse, machinery, Rainwater | Tagged back to the earth, Bearcat, bluebonnet, bluebonnets, chipper, equipment, farming, ferguson, harvest, hill country, how to, howto, Lupinus texensis, Massey, model 65, Mother Earth News, saving seeds, scythe, shredder, snathe, Texas, texas hill country, wildflowers

Solar Powered Rainwater Project – Completed?

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 15, 2017 by JimNovember 15, 2017
photo of Completed Solar Powered Rainwater System

The Solar Powered Rainwater Project began about eight months ago, although one might argue it is the culmination of my rainwater system dreams beginning in 2002.

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Posted in Central Texas, Gardening, Greenhouse, maker, Projects, Rainwater, solar | Tagged amateur, ampere-hours, battery bank capacity, build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, mppt, off-grid, panel, panel wattage, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, solar panel wattage, storage, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc

Solar Powered Rainwater Project – Solar Panels Installed!

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on April 11, 2017 by JimMay 7, 2020
photo of The panel un-boxing

The new 250-watt solar panels arrived very quickly. I was eager to install them, but they were just a bit larger than I could handle safely on the garden shed roof. Fortunately, I didn’t have too wait long, and my neighbor Jason was available a few days later.

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Posted in Gardening, maker, Projects, Rainwater, solar | Tagged build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, hill country, homesteading, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, panel, rainwater, renogy, solar, Texas, texas hill country

Solar Power Rainwater Project – Panels and Angles

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on March 23, 2017 by JimJuly 14, 2017
photo of the Spring Garden Shed

Major equipment purchase done, it’s time to think about the installation. The solar panels will be arriving in a day or two, and I plan to install them right away. Solar panels produce maximum power when the sun is perpendicular to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Central Texas, Gardening, maker, Projects, Rainwater, solar | Tagged amateur, build, charge, charge controller, compass, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, framing square, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, inclinometer, Interstate, inverter, iphone, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, mppt, off-grid, panel, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, speed square, storage, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc

Solar Powered Rainwater Project – to Grid-Tie, or not to Grid-Tie. (that is the question)

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on March 22, 2017 by JimJuly 14, 2017

Previously, we discussed the amount of power needed, and how that determines the size of the solar array. We also mentioned Days of Autonomy and how that informs battery storage. Now for Charge Controllers and Inverters — the brains that tie everything together. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Central Texas, Gardening, maker, Projects, Rainwater, solar | Tagged amateur, build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, maximum power point transfer, mppt, off-grid, panel, pulse width modulation, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, storage, Sun Gold Power, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc

Solar Powered Rainwater Project – Panels, Batteries and Inverters — Oh My!

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on March 21, 2017 by JimJuly 14, 2017
photo of Well House and Garden Shed

In a previous Project post, we determined our power needs – 1300 watt-hours per day to pump water. Now we can calculate the battery bank capacity,  solar panel wattage, and inverter capacity needed for our installation. Let’s start with the panel … Continue reading →

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Posted in Central Texas, Gardening, maker, Projects, Rainwater, solar | Tagged amateur, ampere-hours, battery bank capacity, build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, mppt, off-grid, panel, panel wattage, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, solar panel wattage, storage, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc

Solar Powered Rainwater Project

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on March 1, 2017 by JimJuly 14, 2017
photo of the Greenhouse and Rainwater System

If you’ve been following along, you’ve noticed several solar-powered projects here at Roy Creek Ranch. From a simple system to “top-up” the storage battery in the Teardrop trailer and upgrading it to make an off-grid camper, to powering my amateur radio … Continue reading →

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Posted in Central Texas, Gardening, maker, Projects, Rainwater, solar | Tagged amateur, build, charge, controller, deep cycle, DIY, equipment, Grid-assist, grid-tie, ham radio, how to, howto, Interstate, inverter, kill-a-watt, kilowatt, kilowatt-hours, kWh, marine, mppt, off-grid, panel, pwm, rainwater, renogy, solar, storage, teardrop, trailer, wb0mmc

A New Well Pump

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on November 21, 2011 by JimFebruary 5, 2017
photo of Lowering the new pump

We moved to the Ranch in December of 1996. Everything was brand new and shiny. The well had gone in a few months before as part of building the house, so by now it was about 15 years old. Most … Continue reading →

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Posted in Central Texas, Gardening, Rainwater, repairs | Tagged aquafer, homesteading, pump, rainwater, Trinity River, well

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