SNOW IS MELTING SO FAST! WILL MY PONDS HOLD ONTO THE WATER?
This Video is from the Youtube channel: “Off-Grid with Curtis Stone”.
About Curtis Stone:
Curtis is one of the world’s most highly sought-after small farming educators. His book, The Urban Farmer, offers a new way to think about farming𑁋 one where quality of life and profitability coexist. Today, Curtis spends most of his time building his 40-acre off-grid homestead in British Columbia. He leverages his relationships with other experts to bring diverse content into the homes of gardeners and aspiring small farmers from around the world. Learn more at FromTheField.TV.
What a winter in Canada, low snow maintenance. Great idea with your ponds. At more for all your water needs. Thanks Curtis 😁
Love the melting season in the mountains. Let’s you see the ground flows in a new light. Thank for sharing you process.
One question I had about sealing the pond. Would duck’s and or other plants like cat tails be helpful in your process? Duck poop I heard has a sealing affect. I haven’t heard you decuss that option and I assume it because of your use of the water on the homestead.
That’s what I was saying before about your top pond.. If you can’t get it to hold water, at least it’s small enough where you can line it with plastic if you have to and that will make it hold the water.. You can always dump another layer of dirt over the plastic for wild life to live and feed on, etc. But then that pond would always stay full. I think you’ll probably experiment for a couple more seasons before you take that leap. But it’s not a bad option; just as a last resort.
The perfect time to spread bentonite clay on a pond is now. You can spread it across the entire pond equally walking and spreading on the ice. As it melts down it goes. Over time silt will plug the fractures most likely not in your lifetime. Pond building is an art, once you feel bedrock leave a foot of material on top. Lets hope for the best👍
Clay or manure, both work well. A other thing Will be to send Kids with rakes in summer to mix the particles ať bottom. Like hogs do with their ponds.
Might be a bit sketchy on the ice right now but if we get another freeze that would be sweet.
Thanks for sharing your ponds. Glad it’s working out for you.
We got 5 inches of rain last week a little at a time but it never stopped and my pond which I keep raising but I found a leak coming out of the bottom and it drives me crazy. I’ve been out there with the excavator all day, adding to my damn and compacting. I noticed the minnows are feeling frisky all around the shoreline I really like my pond to so do the grandkids, put a life jacket on and let them go
This winter is a worst case scenario for new earthworks… deep freeze followed by a impressive melt
Hi Curtis, please read the book The great controversy, it will explain everything. God bless
Love it
Beautiful set up you building there.
I would cut those trees in and around the lower part of the dam wall. Roots will still be an hazzard for a bunch of years to come.
lol the frown at the beginning
Thanks for the very special Skyrim tour. What MODS do you use?
What you are describing is the same in New Brunswick, winter came late and was mild with really low precipitation. We have 6-7 inches of snow on the ground when we would normally have 3 or 4 feet.
Nice! A lot of work for sure. I can’t help but think that as the ponds fill, the sediment will cause those fractures to seal and stop the leaking. The bentonite clay will do the same thing for sure.
Damn, that climate is so cool… Not that you would need this but would be really cool to see some kind of air water catchment experiment on days like that – getting water out of clouds like they do in some places in Africa and South America, I think. And the soggy places would be amazing for elderberry, they would grow like crazy!
It’s one of those things where the cost and time of doing that, based on the return. Not the right context here.
Unless we get June monsoons, no,Curtis, your pond may not hold water.
When we dug ours (in the same CONTEXT (soil textures/ rock) as you, it took a year of silt settling before it sealed itself solid enough that it didn’t go all the way dry!
Cheers, and let’s pray for rain this summer, my friend
…Kyler
Wish we could see you in Acupulco! It’s a ways to drive from Puerto Vallarta..
@00:49 a glitch in the Matrix 😮
Your voice and content are ASMR. When I need to relax end of day, I listen to you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Very interesting, Curtis – thanks! Is the water all used for irrigation? Do you drink it? Anyway, you’re a natural educator, glad you’re out there!