Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hmmm ...
Can't get the hummingbird that I saw at Earth Tone Natives off my mind. It was stunning. A female Ruby-Throated I think. I would love to do a small hummingbird garden but am concerned with the low fragrance of flowers they like that the deer would just eat their way through them all.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Productive weekend
Good stuff. Yesterday I got all my projects done so that I could start the project that I intended to be doing!
- Rotated my compost stackers and transferred the finished compost to the new compost corral - might be my best crop this year!
- Then I could restack the stackers and move the side compost pile into the stackers in my effort to tidy, reorganize and plant the side yard.
- Then I dug up my raspberries and blackberries from the side yard to move to the other side yard (too much shade, planted them there when I knew nothing about gardening).
- Cut the grass on the other side of the house really short so that it was easy to dig and plant the berry bushes.
- Cut back the existing blackberry bush, so that is all sorted, all my berry bushes are together in one spot in the sun.
- I kept 6 raspberry divisions back so that I can take them to "Skippy's Garden" Plant/Seed swap, Oct 3rd.
- Laid brick down on part of the side yard border and assembled "The Earth Machine" compost bin that I got at reduced cost through the town of Ridgefield, CT. This bin will be for kitchen compost so it's right by the side door. Have not personally composted food waste, only garden waste, will be interesting to see how it goes.
In the veg plot, noticed that the carrots are coming up, the zuccini is trying to stage a post-mildew comeback with new fruits and the eggplant has flowers again. So far they have all fallen off so, after a quick google, I have been out with a paintbrush trying to ensure that they get pollinated.
Today I treated myself to a trip to Earth Tone Natives, a garden nursery that sells only natives, based in Woodbury, CT. Much better to visit and see what they have in person. Unbelievable amount of bees and insects on the plants. I also heard a fast whirring and looked over in time to see a hummingbird. As if to say "why, yes, I am a hummingbird" he flew over and sat on a branch right by me. Very beautiful and shiny and TINY! I don;'t think I have seen one before, closest thing in the UK was a kingfisher.
Got some great plant ideas at Earth Tone Natives - for the deep shade of the side yard: wood iris, jack in the pulpit, variegated solomon's seal, and 2 others I forget were top of the list for there. I don't think I need a huge amount of stuff down there, just enough to make it productive for insects etc, make it attractive to me and functional.
- Rotated my compost stackers and transferred the finished compost to the new compost corral - might be my best crop this year!
- Then I could restack the stackers and move the side compost pile into the stackers in my effort to tidy, reorganize and plant the side yard.
- Then I dug up my raspberries and blackberries from the side yard to move to the other side yard (too much shade, planted them there when I knew nothing about gardening).
- Cut the grass on the other side of the house really short so that it was easy to dig and plant the berry bushes.
- Cut back the existing blackberry bush, so that is all sorted, all my berry bushes are together in one spot in the sun.
- I kept 6 raspberry divisions back so that I can take them to "Skippy's Garden" Plant/Seed swap, Oct 3rd.
- Laid brick down on part of the side yard border and assembled "The Earth Machine" compost bin that I got at reduced cost through the town of Ridgefield, CT. This bin will be for kitchen compost so it's right by the side door. Have not personally composted food waste, only garden waste, will be interesting to see how it goes.
In the veg plot, noticed that the carrots are coming up, the zuccini is trying to stage a post-mildew comeback with new fruits and the eggplant has flowers again. So far they have all fallen off so, after a quick google, I have been out with a paintbrush trying to ensure that they get pollinated.
Today I treated myself to a trip to Earth Tone Natives, a garden nursery that sells only natives, based in Woodbury, CT. Much better to visit and see what they have in person. Unbelievable amount of bees and insects on the plants. I also heard a fast whirring and looked over in time to see a hummingbird. As if to say "why, yes, I am a hummingbird" he flew over and sat on a branch right by me. Very beautiful and shiny and TINY! I don;'t think I have seen one before, closest thing in the UK was a kingfisher.
Got some great plant ideas at Earth Tone Natives - for the deep shade of the side yard: wood iris, jack in the pulpit, variegated solomon's seal, and 2 others I forget were top of the list for there. I don't think I need a huge amount of stuff down there, just enough to make it productive for insects etc, make it attractive to me and functional.
Monday, September 07, 2009
the rear porch platform ...
The house has a large rear screened-in porch: at least 15' x 28'. However it was rendered mostly unusable by the previous owners. This was mainly because to cover a set of basement (access/egress) stairs they had built a 10'x10' platform which occupied the center of the porch rendering almost all of the surrounding space non-functional.
Here's how it looked on the day of viewing:
The space on the far side of the platform didn't get used because of this abomination:
Clearly intended to be "a fountain", and I use that term generously, it was a pile of rubble held together with cement and various colours of paint. I intended to demolish it soon after moving in, this got moved up the list when my cats decided it was the biggest cat litter tray they had ever found! When I took the sledge hammer to it, I couldn't believe how much stone came out of that pile. It was cathartic however and I got to use a cement mixer and heave 80lb bags of ready mix, surely any girls idea of fun.
But I digress. So you saw how it was before. I had looked up under the platform from the basement (the door leaks water in when it rains, has to be coming from under the ground). The porch had originally just been dirt and then they had poured a concrete slab and not really squared off the edges so the lip to place a door was not the greatest.
I decided last weekend that enough was enough and it was the weekend when the platform had to go. Plan was to take the platform apart, look at the situation and use the lumber from the platform to make a door.
Halfway through taking it apart it looked like this:
The platform was built "sturdily". 10ft 2'x6's every 16 on center gave me more lumber than I knew what to do with. I had wanted to do a hatch door with a continuous hinge mounted into the concrete but I didn't like the state of the the cement and decided on a drop-in door. Two actually, to keep them reasonable to lift.
I lucked out as the drop from the "floor" level of the concrete to the usable part of the lip was approx 6". Looked like I could get away with reusing the 2"x6"s. So I built a frame with 2x6s and topped it with the plywood that had been part of the floor of the platform.
About 3/4s of the way through it looked like this:
So far, so good and going smoothly. Just had to cut in some recessed handles ($4 each from HD or Lowes), add some rubber feet (2-pack for 78c x 4) and then paint them. I chose to paint with some texture as the porch can collect some moisture. Paint: $11.98 for a quart of exterior satin latex and $4.98 for some sand/texture (quartz). The quartz makes the paint into slurry so after a coat of primer, I just managed to get one coat and a touch up out of a quart!
Looks pretty good, me thinks and totally opens up the whole porch area, just need to arrange the furniture:
So much water had leaked into the stairwell that the sill in the door well had almost totally rotted away over the 58 years since the house was built. The previous (also the original) owner's approach was to slap on cement and make cement dams, really to no avail. Extending the downspouts away from the house and installing a 28' run of gutter on the back of the porch roof helped immensely. So I lifted the remnants of the sill out and then dug out some perfect humus to reveal a nice 5-3/4"-wide channel. So new on the project list is installing a new sill, looks like "2"x 5-3/4" will do it. Just wondering how to customize it for run off - don't want the runoff to just trickle underneath the sill as before, would rather ti was encouraged to run towards a near by drain to the sump pump.
More chores but all good progress and finally getting to use the WHOLE of the porch is very exciting (and relaxing). The porch has really had an upgrade this summer with the platform removed and the screened walls painted and installed with new screening.
Here's how it looked on the day of viewing:
The space on the far side of the platform didn't get used because of this abomination:
Clearly intended to be "a fountain", and I use that term generously, it was a pile of rubble held together with cement and various colours of paint. I intended to demolish it soon after moving in, this got moved up the list when my cats decided it was the biggest cat litter tray they had ever found! When I took the sledge hammer to it, I couldn't believe how much stone came out of that pile. It was cathartic however and I got to use a cement mixer and heave 80lb bags of ready mix, surely any girls idea of fun.
But I digress. So you saw how it was before. I had looked up under the platform from the basement (the door leaks water in when it rains, has to be coming from under the ground). The porch had originally just been dirt and then they had poured a concrete slab and not really squared off the edges so the lip to place a door was not the greatest.
I decided last weekend that enough was enough and it was the weekend when the platform had to go. Plan was to take the platform apart, look at the situation and use the lumber from the platform to make a door.
Halfway through taking it apart it looked like this:
The platform was built "sturdily". 10ft 2'x6's every 16 on center gave me more lumber than I knew what to do with. I had wanted to do a hatch door with a continuous hinge mounted into the concrete but I didn't like the state of the the cement and decided on a drop-in door. Two actually, to keep them reasonable to lift.
I lucked out as the drop from the "floor" level of the concrete to the usable part of the lip was approx 6". Looked like I could get away with reusing the 2"x6"s. So I built a frame with 2x6s and topped it with the plywood that had been part of the floor of the platform.
About 3/4s of the way through it looked like this:
So far, so good and going smoothly. Just had to cut in some recessed handles ($4 each from HD or Lowes), add some rubber feet (2-pack for 78c x 4) and then paint them. I chose to paint with some texture as the porch can collect some moisture. Paint: $11.98 for a quart of exterior satin latex and $4.98 for some sand/texture (quartz). The quartz makes the paint into slurry so after a coat of primer, I just managed to get one coat and a touch up out of a quart!
Looks pretty good, me thinks and totally opens up the whole porch area, just need to arrange the furniture:
So much water had leaked into the stairwell that the sill in the door well had almost totally rotted away over the 58 years since the house was built. The previous (also the original) owner's approach was to slap on cement and make cement dams, really to no avail. Extending the downspouts away from the house and installing a 28' run of gutter on the back of the porch roof helped immensely. So I lifted the remnants of the sill out and then dug out some perfect humus to reveal a nice 5-3/4"-wide channel. So new on the project list is installing a new sill, looks like "2"x 5-3/4" will do it. Just wondering how to customize it for run off - don't want the runoff to just trickle underneath the sill as before, would rather ti was encouraged to run towards a near by drain to the sump pump.
More chores but all good progress and finally getting to use the WHOLE of the porch is very exciting (and relaxing). The porch has really had an upgrade this summer with the platform removed and the screened walls painted and installed with new screening.
Can't get to the real project ...
The "Work Bench"
So one of the projects for this weekend was to blitz the side yard. Disheveled and untidy, I wanted to move some plants, clean it up and install a compost bin for kitchen waste. First of all it got delayed as with the great weather I decided to take advantage and paint the garage door.
Then as ever I realized that to move the berry bushes out of the side yard (too shady) I needed to make room where I intended to plant them which meant I had to trim two huge bushes. So trimmed those bushes yesterday evening (still not sure what they are - an Ilex of some type I presume, maybe needing a male/female as have green berries and I've never seen them develop).
Then to be able to move the compost heap from the sideyard I needed to sort out my compost area. I use homemade compost stackers - I made them out of some barn board that the previous owners had installed in the wall of one bedroom(!). However, I wanted to keep the stackers for making compost (and accommodate the sideyard compost heap) and needed an area to store my finished compost.
So seeing as last week I dismantled the totally dysfunctional 10' x 9' platform that the previous owners had installed on the rear screened in porch, I had more 2"x6"s than anyone would ever need. Not treated but perfect to make a compost corral. So this morning I put the miter saw out on the bench we made from part of the 90ft oak and made up a nice compost corral. I only paid for 6 joist holders (< $4) and that way I can take it apart and move it if needed.
Then this evening I bagged up the cuttings from trimming the bushes and I think now, next weekend, I am ready to tackle the side yard!
I also found a few extra pieces of barn board and made up one more compost stacker to augment the "stack".
The New Compost Corral (foreground) with compost stackers from scrap wood in background
Where the wood for the compost stackers came from (!) (Piece of paper behind these boards said installed 1971.)
Contrast
Before (day of viewing)
After
First good painting weekend of the summer so the bland green garage door of the previous owner's had to go. Primer Friday night (the last panel by headlamp), 2 coats of exterior satin latex Saturday, final coat Sunday a.m. The "no contrast anywhere" style of decor of the previous owner's has driven me crazy. Green lawn blended into green bushes, blended into green siding, blended into green trees. Slowly we are creating a bit of contrast. New siding in the next couple of years hopefully. (Oh and we changed the dirt to grass (it's green, I know, goes against the anti-green thing.)
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