taxes and the best place to vegetable garden?

[Dioclese]

Good for you. But, that doesn't mean the added square footage is the factor. No, its what they value your property at, irregardless square footage. That is, the improvement adding to your property value, irregardless the square footage added, is the factor. Contesting their assessment is always a good idea if it increases as a result of some improvement.

You forgot views. A view of the surrounding area from your property is also taxable. No, I'm not kidding.

School district?

I refuse, and continue to refuse to use any "online" form of banking. I do continue to use a personal computer without internet access to keep track of my banking/investments.

[Katey Didd]

I had a relative just south of Atlanta GA that gardened almost year round. Taxes are low and houses modestly priced outside the cities and towns.

[Katey Didd]

What kind of soil or soil mix do you use in the raised beds and containers?

[Omelet]

You wish! They tried to raise my taxes on me when I built the sun porch! I went down and disputed it, telling them it was only a bloody PORCH and not an addition to the house.

I won. ;-)

They told me they made the raise based on the additional square foot value. I'll let you take it up with my local tax ass-essor.

I ain't got no view. :-( Just the street and neighbors yards, thankfully now blocked on two sides by privacy fencing. The world can see IN to my front yard.

Hays county. Can't recall the SA county at the moment. But, even Comal charges more.

It works. :-)

[Omelet]

A mix of local dirt I dig out of what used to be my emu and chicken pens mixed with mulch and limestone sand. I occasionally add commercial topsoil as needed.

In some of the containers, I'm just using what I'm digging out of the old emu pen. I had lined them generously with sand at one time to keep the mess under control. The pens no longer exist but the soil is rich with composted manure in the sand I bought from the quarry.

It's working well in the pots when I mix it with some commercial mulch from Lowe's.

[Katey Didd]

Thanks. :-)

[Omelet]

Cheers! :-)

[Dioclese]

The "view" that I was referring is for instance a hilltop or near hilltop home with view of countryside. Not related directly to you.

The tax assessor's rep at the contested property tax says their basis is the added square footage. That's their basis for the increase. If they had been successful, the value of the property would have gone up as a result. And, as a result, so would your taxes. The basis for taxing the property, the value would have increased. That is my point. Again, I'm glad you were successful in contesting their proposed property value increase.

Back to the view thing. They showed a proposed tax increase on my property due to what they thought was a view in the preliminary tax papers. Apparently, they "chickened out" as it did not show in my actual property tax breakdown. I don't really have any real view of the countryside due to the trees. Have to go up to the street to see that. I can see Austin and New Braunfels/San Antonio lighting the sky on most nights. Directly overhead, dark and good night sky/stars.

[Omelet]

Got it.

I envy you that. :-) Too much light here to see starscapes, but they are taxing you on the OVERHEAD view???

Try Kombucha.

[Billy]

Try Kombucha? Kombucha for Parkinson's? Knew it was good for detox. Can you amplify your statement?

[Omelet]

Kombucha, especially if you eat the critter itself, has shown some positive effects for autoimmune diseases.

Need a critter? We have plenty. Dad's been brewing and drinking it for years.

[Billy]

Your dad worked for Google? The "critter" as I understand it is a vinegar "mother". Thanks for the reference.

[Omelet]

Uh, no...

Pretty much. :-) It makes a very fine red wine vinegar! It has uses other than brewing green tea Kombucha.

[Billy]

Seems like Kombucha is going main stream (or is that Main Street?) with different flavorings. Wish I had time to fiddle with it, maybe this winter. What do you find to be the benefits of it? Is it a broad spectrum kind of thing or do you have particular applications for it? For example, Noilly Pratt sweet (red) vermouth has many different herbs in it (usually used as an aperitif) but I find a small glass of it is very effective for cooling hot stomachs (as happens when you've had one too many cups of coffee in the afternoon, and friends who have hot stomach reactions to tomato paste tell me that it takes the burn away as well). The herbs I would describe as wide spectrum, fudge factors (who knows what they do), whereas the hot stomach is a specific application. Is Kombucha more like the former or the later?

[Omelet]

It's.... mixed. Dad has shown some interesting results using beneficial herbs in the teas, not just straight green tea. Things like dandilion and Matte'. The brewing process with the kombucha critter seems to enhance the effects.

You can tailor your tea mix to what you are trying to treat.

[Billy]

Dandelion is OK but yerba mate is nasty tasting stuff. Hmmm. I wonder if you could make a "single malt" flavored kombucha? Maybe that's what Charlie is up to out in the "skunk works". He say he be brewing compost tea but he may be funnin' us;o)

[Omelet]

The nice thing is that, like with any tea, you can add herbs for flavor as well as medical efficacy. :-)

Fruit juices too.

Manure and compost tea seem to be good for a quicker fertilizer without burning plants? I've never tried it but dumping the poopy duck ponds we used to have (kiddy pools emptied by mostly bailing) seemed to be well loved by the plants.

Duck poop tea.