It rained all day long yesterday, soaking the newly composted half of the garden and overflowing the rain barrel. I may have to make an overflow valve at some point to divert water once the barrel is full so that the overflow doesn't degrade the soil directly beneath the barrel. I bought another 8 bags of compost to finish off the remainder of the garden, but that will have to wait for a sunny day, or at least a dry one.
Kept busy this afternoon transplanting some heirloom and cherry tomatoes into bigger pots. Looks like we'll be needing more windowsills and grow lights to accommodate all the plants we've sprouted. Also I moved the tray of oak leaf lettuce that Nathan sowed several weeks ago into the cold frame to begin adjusting to the cooler outside temps. As soon as the garden is fully composted I will be planting the broccoli seedlings, the lettuce, as well as direct sowing beans, peas and spinach. I re-planted the artichokes that I grew last year (but dug up before we roto-tilled) to the northwest corner of the garden. Here's hoping tomorrow's good for laying down some compost.
Showing posts with label rain barrel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rain barrel. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sunny days soothe the soul
Well the sun finally decided to deliver some beautiful spring weather today so I took the opportunity to move the rest of the compost and grade the new grow space. I have yet to turn the soil in last year's garden, but tomorrow is supposed to be a repeat of today if not better.
David installed the rain barrel today. The barrel sits on two cinder blocks dug level into the dirt. I read online that a full barrel can weigh up to 400 pounds (though I'm sure we'll be using the water often enough for it to hardly stay full), so making sure it rests on a solid base is an important consideration.
The downspout is cut with a hacksaw (though if you have them I'd recommend using tin snips) so that it feeds into the screened pot.
Top: The old compost pile (overflowing)
Bottom: Where the new heap will go
The new compost heap. To make the decomposition go faster, it helps to cover the heap with black plastic or an old tarp you have lying around. This will allow it to achieve a higher temperature faster. Just make sure you leave a little space at the bottom to allow some airflow. If you're able you'll want to turn the heap once a week to also speed along the process.
Bugs-eye view of the newly-graded grow space.
David installed the rain barrel today. The barrel sits on two cinder blocks dug level into the dirt. I read online that a full barrel can weigh up to 400 pounds (though I'm sure we'll be using the water often enough for it to hardly stay full), so making sure it rests on a solid base is an important consideration.
The downspout is cut with a hacksaw (though if you have them I'd recommend using tin snips) so that it feeds into the screened pot.
Top: The old compost pile (overflowing)
Bottom: Where the new heap will go
The new compost heap. To make the decomposition go faster, it helps to cover the heap with black plastic or an old tarp you have lying around. This will allow it to achieve a higher temperature faster. Just make sure you leave a little space at the bottom to allow some airflow. If you're able you'll want to turn the heap once a week to also speed along the process.
Bugs-eye view of the newly-graded grow space.
(Actual) spring weather
On Thursday I rigged up the first rain barrel with some help from David. I loosely followed some instructions I found on instructables.com. Here's the finished product:
Besides the barrel, the hardware required is as follows: a 9" screened pot (to keep sediment and mosquitoes out of the reservoir), 4 screws to hold the pot in place, a 3/4" bulkhead fitting, a 3/4" faucet that screws into the bulkhead fitting, and some Teflon tape. Assuming you can get the barrel for free, all that should run you about $25 or less. All that's left to do is cut the downspout and place the barrel underneath it to start collecting free water. (I probably should check with the landlord first to make sure it's alright)
The sun in actually shining today and it's starting to warm up, so I plan on moving the compost heap and grading the dug-up growing space to begin prepping it for the addition of compost and lime that will ideally increase the nutritional content of the soil.
Besides the barrel, the hardware required is as follows: a 9" screened pot (to keep sediment and mosquitoes out of the reservoir), 4 screws to hold the pot in place, a 3/4" bulkhead fitting, a 3/4" faucet that screws into the bulkhead fitting, and some Teflon tape. Assuming you can get the barrel for free, all that should run you about $25 or less. All that's left to do is cut the downspout and place the barrel underneath it to start collecting free water. (I probably should check with the landlord first to make sure it's alright)
The sun in actually shining today and it's starting to warm up, so I plan on moving the compost heap and grading the dug-up growing space to begin prepping it for the addition of compost and lime that will ideally increase the nutritional content of the soil.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Rain Barrels
Today I acquired a couple of 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels that I'll convert into rain barrels to collect some free water.
A good place to look for similar barrels might be a soda bottling plant, or you can do like I did and just cruise the industrial area of your city and hope to get lucky. Thanks to Leslie for letting me borrow her car to pick them up. A quick trip to the hardware store for parts and we'll be in business.
So stoic they seemed in the basement's morning light.
A good place to look for similar barrels might be a soda bottling plant, or you can do like I did and just cruise the industrial area of your city and hope to get lucky. Thanks to Leslie for letting me borrow her car to pick them up. A quick trip to the hardware store for parts and we'll be in business.
So stoic they seemed in the basement's morning light.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)