If you look at SteveU’s post #28 you can see that his bins are lined up with a space between several of them. Easy to drive pipes into the ground outside the bins and connect PVC or top rail hoops over them for a hoop house. Outside of an actual freeze, plants are more dependent of the soil temp that air temp. Loops of PEX a foot under the top of those beds with hot water pumped thought them would be a very effective way to grow early and late.
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I would start with geothermal if you are just trying to keep the plants from freezing.
Thanks for noticing TomH.
Our beds spacing was set up by the previous owners low bed spacing. Had enough space in between for trundle along walkers and later a wheelchair to work from.
I did set up a few and watch closely the shading lines created in early Spring and especially late Summer/Fall before locking in.
Tall containers and you can lose sides gains sun warming by shading yourself.
S.U.
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Got a new member of the family last night, wife and kids wore him out enough for a nap and i could get a picture
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Just maybe. Bentonite is like grease after it rains. Its swells as it absorbs water, so sidewalks, driveways, roads & etc go all squirly after a few years. I’d say the environment in general is fairly hostile to food production, because droughts, hail, 100mph winds, short growing season at a mile above sea level. But I figured if bison used to live here the place should at least grow grass. And yup, it does.
BTW, the local soil here can be used as a binder for green sand molds used in foundry, and also for kitty litter.
Rindert
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I was supposed to tell you @Norman89 needs a few buckets of your prime lawn dirt now after last nights activities and he is on his way. 
I know bentonite expands with water like 10x, but your description makes it sound like you have healthy mycorrhizal fungi, because they give that spongy feeling, soak up water, and essentially expand plants roots systems by 20x.
The leaves, grass etc probably had some ‘spores’ that you basically spread out (along with bacteria) and food for them.
It would be interesting to know if the azospirillium bacteria could infuse and overwinter in your grass in that climate. The Azo fixes nitrogen similar to what happens on legumes.
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Cold and dumping rain today, time to learn the wood stove a little more
Cheese quesadillas. Plenty of heat with a regular frying pan, means cast iron will work plenty well. Was a little concerned the top would be to cold it seems pretty well insulated. Kids get a snack wife gets a warm house and i get play with fire everybody wins. Oh and cloths are getting dried on a rack nearby, saving power bill too
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Man lm jelous. Those look so tasty.
Can you not freeze them whole? Or even raw?
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I used to make a bunch and freeze them then just a quick warm up but kinda feels like the cheese looses a little something after being frozen. Maybe the tortilla just drinks up some flavor im not sure?
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A microwave crisper dish would go a long way with reheating quesadillas.
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Thinking about Normans extra non-owned grow area. Seems like straw bales would be a really good choice. I have investigated it but never used them. I already have more beds than I currently use and straw is not readily available here and it is pricey. Not a lot of wheat grown in these parts. There are a lot of videos and web info on it. I like the idea of it breaking down into compost. I just sticking one video here for example.
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You can use grass hay and that is grown around you, but it might be pricey as well. Grass doesn’t even grow that well up there because of the sandy soil.
however, I think dried grass clippings would be similar and they irrigate all those grapes and mow between them. You just need to ask if you can mow their vineyard and keep the clippings. 
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Do you mean leave my property Sean? 
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Beware that a lot of hay, straw is sprayed with grazeon or like chemicals. It remains in the hay, and manure, it won’t compost out either, and will kill all broad leaf plants. Manure Can DESTROY Your Garden: Here's How! - YouTube
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Goodness no! Absolutely NOT. I can’t imagine you leaving your property!! I meant be a great landlord and help out your neighbors whom are renting your property.
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The bi polar weather yesterday on the way home stopped to get Dino squeezing in the geo beauty blue bird sky’s down the valley near work
Black clouds and lightning on the foothills towards home. Have a project going this weekend I have been looking forward to a small shed. I framed the floor 2 years ago and have just been packing it around waiting to have a spot to put together. Intentions were for it to be my fur processing shed and some extra dry storage 7x10’ layout. It will now be morphing into a shed with double attached lean to one out back that will be a small greenhouse for starting plants and possible wintertime food growing the second lean to will be a slated siding open air woodshed. Those two attachments will come later just working on framing out the walls today. Once again plan as always minimal cash money inputs to the project, piles of 16 penny green vinyl sinkers found all over the interior and flatbeds of trucks at work I have been stashing away
the lumber pile of what I would consider to be #3 stud wood from pallets at work, most come in the 8 and 10’ 2x4 flavors
Some windows I picked up never installed second hand 2 years ago nice vinyl frame one slider 3 solids
A used front door needs some love on the frame from a remodel job years ago
It’s a pretty warm sunny day, bout time to trade in the hot coffee for some iced hear pretty quick
Any chance I have to production layout and production cut, those little tricks I learned years ago working for a senior framer are all coming back to me. Kinda forgot how much I enjoyed framing
Front wall will have the door of course and the opening window, all framed out. There will be a short pony wall on top to create the pitch of the roof and house the upper solid windows, plan is all natural evening light facing west for passive sun light heating
and it was not even on my mind to to find trim for the doors and windows, but the lord works in mysterious ways as I drive past arrow lumber on the way home I spied the free wood bin out front and the geo became heavy loaded the way home with white wood trim and pressure treated 2x4 scraps and a pair of concrete saddle pads, perfect for the green house extension. Didn’t know you could fit 8’ boards in a geo metro but now I do
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Awesome findings Marcus, you have had a plan for quite some time it seems 
It sure is fun to look at scrap and think ’what can that be used for’ and it does not need to be used as the original intention was. I noticed that the mind get honed after many years of that kind of stuff to see stuff passing in the corner of my eye and still get registered as useful stuff, just as you did with the trimmings 
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I have been collecting components for a long time I also have a breaker box complete with breakers with built in generator cord from a job shack I demolished years ago to power it, which now I will tie that into the solar battery bank as well. I have some loose plans if creek spring water air conditioning as well…
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