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building things
Apr. 12th, 2015 07:15 amLast week, Mike built most of my greenhouse. It looks wonderful and he's really pissed because he didn't want to have to build the greenhouse. But he thought I was doing it wrong and it drove him crazy, so he built it, except for the roof which is all laid out to go.
Today I'm going to put on the roof, and then I'm going to go across the street to the guerrilla garden and work on my planter-thing. I've been thinking about this planter-thing for over a year and thanks to a dear friend who threw me some cash, I'm gonna start building it today.
I'm also gonna get what I need for my aquaponics tank, but I'm not going to start on that until I get the planter-thing done. I've got to get the aquaponic beds made, and that's gonna be a ton of work too. Cheap though -- I just need 1x6s, plastic and pea gravel. I'll probably do that next week.
The planter-thing will be -- hm, how to describe? Ok, imagine a simple structure, about 4' by 20', long and thin. There are no walls, just a roof held up by 4x4s. Now, replace the 4x4s at the corners of the roof with one large pylon. Now, make that pylon out of earth, with things growing out of it. Make the roof of this structure out of some of that clear corrugated roofing stuff. More plants will be hanging from the rafters of the roof, grapes eventually, and flowers. Put a lounger under there, maybe a hammock, and a little table.
I'm still thinking about what to plant in the columns -- strawberries, lettuces, tomatoes (I have a cool idea for the tomatoes -- weave them through the supporting wire so that they root in several places along the stem)
I'm going to make scissor trusses for the roof (it'll look like this) -- I need to do the math to find the lengths I'll need.
I'm trying to decide what kind of mix to fill the pylons -- a peat moss, vermiculite, garden loam mix. I don't want it to be too heavy, but I want it to retain enough water that I don't have to water it every day. The column will be about four feet wide and five feet tall, so about 60-65 cubic feet. Half peat? Hmm. Suggestions welcome.
First, I gotta take a pill for this migraine that wants to happen. Then get the boys dressed and off we go. John, wish you could be here! You could help me wrangle the preschoolers.
Today I'm going to put on the roof, and then I'm going to go across the street to the guerrilla garden and work on my planter-thing. I've been thinking about this planter-thing for over a year and thanks to a dear friend who threw me some cash, I'm gonna start building it today.
I'm also gonna get what I need for my aquaponics tank, but I'm not going to start on that until I get the planter-thing done. I've got to get the aquaponic beds made, and that's gonna be a ton of work too. Cheap though -- I just need 1x6s, plastic and pea gravel. I'll probably do that next week.
The planter-thing will be -- hm, how to describe? Ok, imagine a simple structure, about 4' by 20', long and thin. There are no walls, just a roof held up by 4x4s. Now, replace the 4x4s at the corners of the roof with one large pylon. Now, make that pylon out of earth, with things growing out of it. Make the roof of this structure out of some of that clear corrugated roofing stuff. More plants will be hanging from the rafters of the roof, grapes eventually, and flowers. Put a lounger under there, maybe a hammock, and a little table.
I'm still thinking about what to plant in the columns -- strawberries, lettuces, tomatoes (I have a cool idea for the tomatoes -- weave them through the supporting wire so that they root in several places along the stem)
I'm going to make scissor trusses for the roof (it'll look like this) -- I need to do the math to find the lengths I'll need.
I'm trying to decide what kind of mix to fill the pylons -- a peat moss, vermiculite, garden loam mix. I don't want it to be too heavy, but I want it to retain enough water that I don't have to water it every day. The column will be about four feet wide and five feet tall, so about 60-65 cubic feet. Half peat? Hmm. Suggestions welcome.
First, I gotta take a pill for this migraine that wants to happen. Then get the boys dressed and off we go. John, wish you could be here! You could help me wrangle the preschoolers.