(F series -canceled) Vesta build with side lighting

[unkle_psycho]

Then I cut two pieces of wood to hold the heatsinks, and since I was flowering, and wanted to test the light, I only added the 3 drivers for 2700k.
Without the drivers it was really nice and light, and 3 drivers already made it a little harder to handle at height, or even moving around with so many protruding parts.

[unkle_psycho]

As a material wood surely offers some potential, being practically free here. I must admit to have made the build ultra ghetto, and as later photos will show, I already took it apart to rebuild it. There are some pieces of tape in some of the photos, they were temporary.

[unkle_psycho]

Here are a few more photos of the hanging mechanism, how the driver was attached and a closeup of strips,

[unkle_psycho]

Then I decided to rebuild it. I wanted to get the drivers separate, to allow me to attach all 6, and to reduce weight. I cleaned a piece of wood which in hindsight could have been a lot lighter. Then I put some varnish on it and the pieces of frame. I'm not a fan of varnishing wood, and quite selective if I do. All I could find here was a spray can, so even my attempt to rebuild seems to stay ghetto
3 Drivers are already attached.

[unkle_psycho]

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[unkle_psycho]

Today we got the first rain in 6 weeks. I gained 5kg of weight this spring, I think mainly carrying water for my plants, but also preparing a couple of years fire wood for my parents.
Delays have not been due to procrastination.

Now we are getting our first strawberries, chilies and tomatoes, a few weeks ahead of schedule. I'm quite exited that a lot of the herbs I planted last year made it over the winter, and are now flowering. Also looks like we should get a record berry year. I put a picture of the rose bush I placed my greenhouse next to. Seems to be attracting pollinators, you can hear the rose bush about 50m away.

Anyway, lazy to divide photos to multiple posts.

[unkle_psycho]

Firewood

[unkle_psycho]

I've spent a couple of summers at my parents house, and its been great fun in the garden. My mother is mostly interested in flowers, berries, and collecting mushrooms. They eat berries every morning around the year, and never seem to run out. Now that I have been here, she is finally starting to warm up to the idea of growing food. Last year we did all kinds of root vegetables, which stored well and took little care. This year we added tomatoes.
Our project for next year is building an irrigation system, where a solar panel powered pump lifts water into large containers, and gravity leads that to where needed. I already found some pretty convincing suppliers on alibaba.

My mothers immediate garden is a couple of hectares, so without irrigation she has mainly been planting flowers that are hardy, and can handle what Scandinavia throws at them. Irrigation should allow her to add plants that can't handle drought.

Every week my mom collects flowers from her garden, and takes them to her church. The vase pictured was a couple of weeks back.

[tazztone]

Our project for next year is building an irrigation system, where a solar panel powered pump lifts water into large containers, and gravity leads that to where needed. I already found some pretty convincing suppliers on alibaba.

just make sure it's not PVC with these nasty chemicals that your plants will take up and store all over them.
also, maybe instead of using a pump you could collect rain water at a higher level and use gravity to irrigate your plants.
i will move in 1 week and there i'll have a large patio where i plan to do the same.

[unkle_psycho]

Our project for next year is building an irrigation system, where a solar panel powered pump lifts water into large containers, and gravity leads that to where needed. I already found some pretty convincing suppliers on alibaba.

just make sure it's not PVC with these nasty chemicals that your plants will take up and store all over them.
also, maybe instead of using a pump you could collect rain water at a higher level and use gravity to irrigate your plants.
i will move in 1 week and there i'll have a large patio where i plan to do the same.

We already collect quite a bit of rainwater. Pretty much all the large ceilings have gutters. Thats how we normally handle things. We are thinking of the solar pump system as a backup when it does not rain for weeks. We have our own well and a connection to the municipal water. So with the irrigation coming from tanks, they could be filled with rainwater, river water, or well water - which should stand a while warming up before touching plants.

This spring the pressure valve from our water pump blew, so we kinda realized that whole system depends on energy and spare parts etc, so having an alternative is always good. We mostly heat the house without electricity too. The idea about the solar powered pump is from the Thai kings self sufficiency program, its a very cheap and effective solution. The old piping from the river to the main complex is still intact underground.

Next year we will plant a much larger area, if we get the irrigation done.