tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35995959709932606072024-03-13T01:23:35.323-04:00Eco-Ranch in the MidwestOne ordinary family's quest to "green" their 1950s ranch house in a part of the country where green technology and green products aren't easy to come by.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-82489608561923608302012-04-15T09:55:00.001-04:002012-04-15T09:56:17.607-04:00Electricity use for the yearI just got my electricity bill-- the one that finally marks one year in the new eco-ranch, ergo, all of the usage shown on our bill is for the time we actually lived here. The moment of truth: Our usage for last year was 9935 KwH. Now, to improve!DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-18991610311035671932011-10-02T16:34:00.002-04:002011-10-02T16:40:15.546-04:00So much has changed!It was a heartbreaking decision, but hubby and I sold the eco-ranch. We took a significant loss : about $60,000 on all the improvements and upgrades we made. Sadly, it was an issue of school quality. We now have two toddlers: one 22 months, the other 3 and a half years, and we live in a terrible urban school district. That, and the house seemed gigantic when we bought it. But with the prospect of two giant teenage boys one day living there. Well, that wasn't going to work. So, we crunched some numbers and determined it was more economical to move to a new neighborhood with good schools. Of course, we picked another 1957 ranch house! A new eco-project, so to speak. <br /><br />Our first order of business was to install a new high efficiency gas furnace and a new air conditioner. Project done. Then, we discovered we had a measley one inch!! of insulation in the attic. I was set to hire someone to add more (R 38 or R65? still up for debate) when someone told me I could get a $50 energy audit from our local gas company. Then, the company would give us rebates to have the insulation work done.<br /><br />I got on the waiting list, and my number finally came up last week. I'm so happy we waited! We'll be getting rebates of about 60 cents per square foot of insulation, plus a discount on weather sealing. It's going to save us serious money. And, it will make our house probably even more energy efficient than the first eco-ranch. <br /><br />So there are some exciting things on the horizon. I also have some interesting organic gardening projects underway, and I will update you on those soon.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-13057885422682122772010-10-03T18:44:00.004-04:002010-10-03T18:55:20.762-04:00It's been a hard year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19_c-lk6nA8vazpaWXl7slXCuErx1SCDNtVdh5VpnIt2LS8ugQga3bbFqVJyE9n7GOMnQknU3nxA96k5ZD_XbSYJCp1KRG97c8yhEIpmLOgM2Tw7ys3J06_puRTZUQwK5Su25U6kIDUO6/s1600/canning.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19_c-lk6nA8vazpaWXl7slXCuErx1SCDNtVdh5VpnIt2LS8ugQga3bbFqVJyE9n7GOMnQknU3nxA96k5ZD_XbSYJCp1KRG97c8yhEIpmLOgM2Tw7ys3J06_puRTZUQwK5Su25U6kIDUO6/s320/canning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523956883068922466" /></a><br />Wow, that second baby really derailed the whole blog thing. I'm sure all of my former readers have fled to sunnier internet climes. But, I'm happy to write for just me. <br /><br />Here's a run-down of what we did and didn't do this year:<br />First, the garden. We planted green and jalapeno peppers, slim red cayenne peppers and roma tomatoes. The peppers were a spectacular failure. We got mostly nothing, although we did manage to pick a small bucket of slim red cayennes, which makes hubby very happy. We dry them and eat them all winter long. Okay, HE eats them...<br /><br />We had really weird weather this year, so I feel lucky we got anything. It was either super super hot and dry or weeks of monsoon-style rain. A garden disaster!<br /><br />Except: We planted 18 roma tomato plants this year. It cost us $6 for all of them. We bought them through a school fund raiser. Those tomatoes turned into 50 pints and 33 quarts of salsa, pasta sauce, and stewed tomatoes now safely canned in the basement. It was amazing. I actually was out of jars and tired of canning, so I left some to rot on the vine. (after I snuck tomatoes to everyone I could think of...)<br /><br />We also did get the ceiling fans in. The side effect: we realized there was zero insulation over one of the baby's bedrooms, and that we really should reinsulate the attic. So, I will be pricing that out in the next couple of weeks. <br /><br />The kitchen doors have yet to be replaced. I did insulate the door between the kitchen and garage, and install a new, more energy friendly pet door. <br /><br />We also converted our old 1957 electric cooktop to a new, gas cooktop. It's fabulous, and likely more energy efficient. Although, cook tops do not have energy star ratings.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-19259638347543771222009-10-15T00:21:00.003-04:002009-10-15T00:34:56.731-04:00Life got in the wayWow, it's been a long time since I have posted to Ecoranch. Sorry, I mean, if there is even anybody out there reading. The big news is we are having our second-and last baby. Another boy. I am due Nov. 22. That pregnancy, a little earlier than planned, set me back on a lot of the projects I was planning to do this year. Half the garden didn't get planted or turned, due to morning sickness and exhaustion, and many home improvement projects are still left undone. Sigh. And, I know how impossible it is to get anything done once a new baby comes, so we'll see if we make any progress ever again. <br /><br />Just to update:<br /><br />The Garden<br />We grew about 54 pounds of veggies in our garden this year, just over half of our goal of 100 pounds. Not too shabby, considering some beds didn't get dug due to pregnancy and work, our asparagus patch died a horrible death due to a deluge from a clogged gutter, and all of the raspberry plants were dead on arrival. There is always next year. Here is how it broke down:<br /><br />.50 lbs of basil-- turned into 2 batches of pesto,<br />17.1 lbs zucchini-- all from 2 plants<br />3.4 lbs. beets<br />2.7 lbs hot wax and banana peppers (8 peppers)<br />3.8 lbs green peppers<br />21.32 lbs tomatoes-- roma, cherry and mortgage lifter heirloom<br />.62 lbs. potatoes<br />4.1 lbs butternut squash<br /><br />Ceiling fans<br />We are in the process of converting the original 1950s light fixtures in the kitchen and in the two baby bedrooms into ceiling fans w/ lights. The original fixtures were recessed, basically just little metal domes housing a single light bulb. They put off very little light and were no help with climate control. The fans, although they will use more energy, will help keep those rooms more comfy in the summer and in spring and fall when it's not quite warm enough for AC, and will put more light into those very dim rooms. I say we are in process because the junction boxes are installed, but the fans we bought hung too low so had to be returned. I haven't quite found anything I love to replace them, but have to get something soon because I am staring at my attic insulation through the holes where the old fixture used to be!<br /><br />Kitchen doors<br />After the fans are installed, I am dragging hubby to the store to buy two new interior kitchen doors, both solid core, to replace to damaged hollow core doors. One is between the kitchen and garage and is a source of much cold air poring into the kitchen in winter. Hopefully a solid wood door will be a bit more of a barrier. Also, I am looking for an efficient kitty door for this door, something that will leak less.<br /><br />Our 2009 goals<br /><br />We did meet some of our goals. We did install the three additional rain barrels, bringing our total to five. That free water does come in handy. <br /><br />The low-flow toilet we installed in our main bath has really reduced our water use. I don't have an exact tally in front of me, but it has made a dent. <br /><br />This summer, we did manage to reduce our electricity usage, mainly by turning off and draining the hot tub. Sigh. We don't want to give up all luxury though, so since it is fall, we have turned it back on. We'll see if there is a clever way to reduce the impact of the tub without getting rid of it all together. <br /><br />On the laundry front, we still have our not energy star washer. I am trying to make it greener by running loads on the short cycle when it makes sense, using the lowest water setting possible for each load, and by washing in cold unless it's diapers or hubby's gym clothes.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-86897398761928924622009-03-22T21:29:00.002-04:002009-03-22T21:38:21.659-04:00The garden is in the works!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWhdSwrg7me9wjw2Y1Krn0H6T3fd8XnUhSmutk899o_x31yjlfYRS_2t9F0NQOI-A0AGME_RlNwq7f9Tga-VgoPc1gRmEa4wNa7mx1skeCtyZG08xrcibMQ0BfXqBo1s6eH07tVvRWirv/s1600-h/seedlings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWhdSwrg7me9wjw2Y1Krn0H6T3fd8XnUhSmutk899o_x31yjlfYRS_2t9F0NQOI-A0AGME_RlNwq7f9Tga-VgoPc1gRmEa4wNa7mx1skeCtyZG08xrcibMQ0BfXqBo1s6eH07tVvRWirv/s400/seedlings.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316191511435508370" /></a><br />I have an ambitious garden plan and April is fast approaching. We have a lot of work to do in order to transform my typical, 1950s in the city yet suburban style lot into the veggie and fruit growing powerhouse of my dreams. The seeds arrived in January and most of them have sprouted quite nicely in my sunny window. We started two varieties of green beans, butternut squash, luffa, four varieties of hot pepper, oregano, basil, cilantro, cosmos flowers, butterfly bush, lavender, and dill this year. <br /><br />In May, my shipment of strawberries, asparagus, lingonberries, raspberry and blackberry bushes, and hot peppers should arrive. May is also the month I pick up my green peppers, roma tomatoes, zucchini, and flowers from my mom's school, which sells fantastic plants as an annual fundraiser. Their plants have never let me down.<br /><br />April will be a month of hard labor. I started cleaning leaves and roots out of the garden beds this weekend, but we still need to rent a sod cutter and a tiller to dig three or four new garden beds. We will then have about 6 cubic yards (!) of compost and mulch delivered. Then begins the real work of spreading the soil additives and planting all of the flowers and veggies. It's work that will really pay off come August and September. I can almost taste the tomatoes now.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-87461239997295032962009-02-28T23:34:00.001-05:002009-02-28T23:40:03.025-05:00Replaced the not-quite-last water hogI finally got around to replacing the old old old water-hog toilet in our main bathroom. Frankly, given that it probably used 5 gallons a flush, I am ashamed it took me so long to do it. I guess it dropped down on the priority list behind work, babies, life and just about everything else. <br /><br />But, it's finally done. I replaced it with a Kohler Cimarron, 1.6 gallon. I had to tell you the model number because the names companies come up with for toilets cracks me up. Just take a walk down the toilet isle at your local hardware store and see if the names don't make you smile. <br /><br />I installed a Wellworth in my other bathroom. : )<br /><br />Now I have one more big water hog to knock off my eco-friendlier makeover list: the washing machine. I just discovered that our washer is not Energy Star. Ugh. It's a kilowatt pig and probably uses a lot more water than necessary. I tried to talk hubby into shopping for Energy Star front-loading machines, but he made it clear that buying a new washer is not on the list of priorities. Ugh. I feel kilowatt guilt now every time I wash the jammies. <br /><br />I can attribute this oversight to the appliance deluge that accompanies every house purchase. When we bought our house, we had to buy a washer, dryer, and fridge all at once. We wiped out our savings putting down a down payment, and were still paying the note on our house in New Orleans. Spending extra for an energy star model wasn't in the cards. Now we are paying for it, literally.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-36695776385505668062009-02-16T11:17:00.002-05:002009-02-16T11:37:56.126-05:00Smart power stripsIn hopes of meeting my goal to reduce our household electricity use, I just bought a Smart Strip LCG3 power strip. At $40, this is not cheap. But, it seems like it's worth trying. It is supposed to actually turn off your computer and electronics if they are idle for more than 1 hour. <br /><br />After some careful thought, I decided to start with only one of these. My hubby has a computer, monitor, playstation, big screen TV, and speaker set-up in the basement that I suspect is a huge electricity vampire. Even when they are "off" these items are never really off, they are on standby. So, I plan to install one of these smart strips in this area. If it works well, I may buy one for the stereo system upstairs and possibly a smaller version that I can plug all of the small kitchen appliances into.<br /><br />I know that reducing electricity usage to a manageable level is going to be very difficult now that our furnace is an electric heat pump (even though it's geothermal). This is what I hope will be one step in the right direction.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-74548303795574500992009-01-17T23:15:00.001-05:002009-01-17T23:19:51.373-05:00the furnace, the killowatt eating monsterWell, it turns out our furnace is using much more electricity than it should be. We apparently had some sort of malfunction that we only caught because the temp here went below zero this week, and despite the furnace running constantly, the house never made it above 56 degrees. Frustrating to say the least. <br /><br />It turns out the thermostat was not telling the furnace to turn on the auxilliary heat when the geothermal couldn't keep up, even though the thermostat sad the auxilliary heat is running. So, after about two hours of work, we finally got the furnace and the thermostat to talk to each other today. One problem solved. <br /><br />I think this will help with the furnace's electric usage, because even though it's still near zero out, the house is warm AND the furnace actually has cycled off a few times. Before, it was running constantly and the house was still freezing. I hope this cuts its electric use significantly, but I am trying not to hold my breath.<br /><br />Guess I got more than I bargained for for that service call.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-7955921659255587692009-01-17T12:21:00.000-05:002009-01-17T12:22:49.579-05:00Reducing home energy use 101Earlier, I outlined my plan to reduce our home electricity use by 10 to 20 percent by the end of the year. In a house already filled with compact fluorescent bulbs, this will be no easy task.<br /><br />My most recent electricity bill arrived in the mail this week, so I now have my benchmark kilowatt numbers. It's enough to make me queasy. <br /><br />We used a total of 19405 KwH in the past 12 months. The average U.S. family uses 10,656 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, or about 888 kwh per month. We were well below average before we installed our new furnace.<br /><br />Our highest usage months were March, at 4,801 KwH (I think this is because our previous two bills were estimated, and didn't take into account our new furnace), December 2008 at 2,289 KwH, and August, at 1,520.<br /><br />Our electricity usage has skyrocketed in the past year. I know what the culprit is.<br /><br />In September 2007, we replaced our 1957 gas furnace with an electric heat pump. Electricity is not my first choice for home heating and cooling. But, we really wanted a geothermal system, which is supposed to be as earth-friendly as you can get. every month where we really needed heat or air conditioning sends our Kilowatt hours through the roof. Even our lowest use month is still twice what it was before we installed the new furnace.<br /><br />Except for the huge amount of electricity it uses, the furnace has been great. I assume it's also more efficient than our old furnace, which at 50 plus years old was not the model of Energy Star efficiency. Although, I am not skeptical of geothermal's claim to reduce CO2 emissions and instantly turn your home into an Energy Star house. That electricity has to come from somewhere, and where we live, 78 percent of it comes from coal fired plants. But, we'll just have to deal with it and try to reduce our use in other ways. We aren't replacing it again.<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure I must admit we have another electricity loving vice: a hot tub. Not the model of efficient use of natural resources, I know. But we are clumsy and tend to get injured a lot playing sports, so we consider it therapeutic. We run the tub from September to July.<br /><br />So, numbers in hand, our goal is to reduce our usage by 1,940 to 3,881 kilowatt hours a year. Our monthly average use is 1,617 kilowatt hours. Our monthly goal is to reduce usage by 161 to 323 kilowatt hours a month.<br /><br />These are big numbers. As I said in my earlier post, we are planning to tackle this with a combination of upgrades large and small.<br /><br />This month, We have already managed to implement part of our plan to reduce our kilowatt addiction.<br /><br /> * We installed the final three Energy Star windows in our house. We began this project last year, but because we are old fashioned, we only do what we can pay for out of pocket. We couldn't afford to do all of the windows at once, so we put off the last three (which we deemed to have less impact on our home's leakiness). Now, all of the windows are finished. The company also came out today to repair some window locks on the first set, so all of the windows should now be securely closed against the freezing outside air. This was our most expensive project, at $1,633.<br /> * We have ordered the new doors for the kitchen. This doesn't sound like an energy issue, but it is. The door between our frozen garage and the kitchen is hollow and lets all that cold air right into the house. This is the second-most expensive project on our list, at $600. It is a close tie with another project slated for the laundry room.<br /> * We have one final task: to find an energy efficient cat door. Put gingerly, the new thick door will cut off access to the "kitty loo", so we need to put a door in it. Hopefully we can find one that doesn't leak. Is there such a thing as an Energy Star cat door? I'm about to find out.<br /><br />Considering we are midway through out first month, I think we are making a decent bit of progress. It's going to become more of a challenge once the big projects are out of the way, as it will be harder to find places that we can cut. <br /><br />On the agenda for this year, to help with this goal,<br /><br /> * We hope to purchase a front-loading Energy Star washer.These are a good bet all around, and should be much more efficient than the top-loading model we bought when we moved into this house. I will do some research on brands and post my findings here.<br /> * Invest in some LED lights, to replace some of the much-used CFLs we have around the house.<br /><br />Who knows what we will need to do. It seems like every project we do leads to another project we hadn't even thought of before. It seems our house is an onion.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-69713497795253834892009-01-13T12:38:00.001-05:002009-01-13T12:41:00.030-05:00Food gardens that pay dividends<span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;">I wrote this post originally for</span> <a href="http://www.middlepathfinance.com">"Middle Path Finance"</a> but thought you might enjoy it as well.</span><br /><br />Last August, I drew out a plan of what I wanted the gardens on our half-acre lot, surrounding our 1957 ranch house, to be like. I live in the city, on a typical used-to-be-suburbs but now I'm in the city limits lot. I grew up in the country, in wide open spaces with plenty of sunny room for a garden. Not so here, but despite its limitations, I am determined to convert as much of our land to agriculture as possible.<br /><br />I was discussing this last night with a friend who has never had a yard. He grew up in a condo, with no grass, and said he didn't understand why he felt compelled to grow things. He dreamed often of farming. It makes perfect sense to me. For thousands of years, people grew food. It's only the last two generations or so who have been so far removed from where dinner comes from. You can't breed such an important trait out of a species in only two generations.<br /><br />So yes, our plan is ambitious. I dug about half of the new beds in September. With a shovel. Every night when hubby would come home, I would hand him the baby and head outside to dig beds. Our first two summers in this house we had only one row of tomatoes on the right side of the house, and a small bed that holds Peonies and sage that is hemmed in by a concrete sidewalk. Considering how many beds I have left to dig, I have made the executive decision to rent a sod cutter in April to clear the rest.<br /><br />The real question now has become: How do I make the most of the garden? I can only make the beds so big, because I have to consider the neighbors. It has to be pretty and feed us. Our backyard is pure shade, thanks to two beautiful silver maple trees that keep spitting out saplings faster than I can dig them up and post them on freecycle. (Three silver maples have gone to new homes thanks to the local freecyclers.) The backyard garden is out, unless something unfortunate happens to my trees.<br /><br />Now, with seed catalogs in hand, I must decide what to plant. Our system may help you make the most use out of your limited growing space as well.<br /><br />My first stop is Bankrate.com. They have a handy article about home gardening and a list of what fruits and veggies cost the most at the grocery store.<br /><br />This list is quite handy if your primary goal is to lower your grocery bill.Here are the spendy veggies and fruits.<br /><br /><br />• Mushrooms. • Blackberries.<br />• Collard greens. • Raspberries.<br />• Cherry tomatoes. • Cherries.<br />• Green peas. • Blueberries.<br />• Okra. • Apricots.<br />• Turnip greens. • Strawberries.<br />• Asparagus. • Pineapple.<br />• Mustard greens. • Grapes.<br />• Kale. • Plums.<br />• Cauliflower. • Avocados.<br /><br />Of course, there is no sense growing foods your family doesn't love, no matter how much they cost in the store. But the list is a handy guideline. Several of the things we'd like to plant this year are on the list, which simply reinforces our decisions.<br /><br />How do you grow a garden that will pay you dividends?<br /><br /> * Plant the foods that will save you the most money, or will provide you with a food that you like but normally don't purchase because it is too expensive. Growing foods that can be preserved for winter use, such as hot peppers, potatoes and tomatoes, can help you stretch your grocery budget well past the summer season. Plant foods that can be frozen or canned, and don't waste anything that your garden produces. By mid-September, it can be tempting to let those last green Roma tomatoes rot on the vine. That is not the way to make your garden pay off.<br /><br />If you, like me, are just starting your food garden, remember that some foods take a long time to pay off. For instance, fruit. Raspberries and blackberries can be faithful fruits for small backyards, but generally take at least a year to bear fruit. If you plant a fruit tree, it can take three years or more for you to collect your first juicy dividend.<br /><br />Asparagus is another patience-tester. Asparagus can take two to three years to produce a decent crop, but once established, that bed will produce for another 20 years. Strawberries take two years to produce a good crop.Fill in the wait by planting a variety of annuals that will provide a good harvest this summer, like peppers and tomatoes. <br /><br />It is important to remember<br /><br /> * The garden is a work in progress. You probably won't be able to accomplish everything in the first year, nor will you necessarily be happy with the choices you make in the first year. Through the seasons, you will learn what grows best on different parts of your property. For instance, we grow tomatoes on the right side of the house. When we tried green peppers in that spot, they didn't do well. It's almost as if they got too much sun. When we moved them to the less sunny left side of the house, the peppers did very well. The beauty of the home garden is that every spring is a chance to start fresh.<br /> * You must mix instant gratification with long-term production. Annuals can be great if you like replanting your entire garden every year (and paying for plants every year). Me? Not so much. So I am mixing annuals with perennials and longer-term plants like fruit trees, because in 5 years I hope to have a varied harvest, and a garden where something new ripens every couple of weeks.<br /> * Don't spend a fortune on your garden if you plan to move, or if your main goal is to save money. Don't skimp on bargain seeds. Buy good ones, yes. But don't go crazy and spend $500 or more on tools and gizmos. That can get out of hand quickly, and eat up your profits.<br /> * And when you are picking what to plant, don't discount something just because it's very cheap at the store. Cheaper foods like potatoes can be worth growing. Chances are anything you grow at home will taste a lot better and be more nutritious than what you can buy at a grocery store. And, you can choose to grow pesticide-free as well, an added health bonus.It all depends on why you want a garden and what you hope to accomplish.<br /> * Be creative in your use of space. The aforementioned potatoes can be grown in a space saving trash can, if you don't have room for a long row of them.<br /> * If you are going to do this well, you have to visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation web site. If you grow anything that you hope to eat after summer is over, it helps to know how best to preserve it. Freezing isn't always as simple as just tossing stuff in a Ziploc and putting it into the freezer.<br /> * Make room for animals and insects in your habitat. It's always good to plant something for the honey bees, the butterflies, and other denizens of your habitat. The goal should be to tread lightly. You may also want to refrain from using pesticides. You might be surprised at how well your garden does without chemical assistance.<br /><br /><br />Now that I have said all of that, I'll tell you what I am going to plant on my modest lot, in the flower beds I have reclaimed from lawn.<br /><br />Asparagus<br /><br /> * Mary Washington asparagus. An heirloom variety, to establish a bed.<br /> * a hot pepper garden, so that we can dry them and use them to flavor our food all year long. We have chosen to grow Kung Pao hybrid, long red slim cayenne, false alarm hybrids and hot lemon heirloom peppers. We'll also plant one or two green pepper plants.<br /> * five each of heritage everbearing red raspberries and royalty standard purple raspberries.<br /> * red pontiac potatoes. We will be 'forcing' these in a trash can, like my grandpa used to do. By stressing the plant you can get great yields without wasting precious space.<br /> * six Roma tomato and six cherry tomato plants. I don't know what variety, as we buy these from my former grade school every year during their plant sale fundraiser. They have always been good producers.<br /> * the herb garden will consist of cilantro,pesto perpetuo basil,and Greek oregano.<br /> * a patch of Ozark beauty everbearing strawberries.<br /> * bloomsdale spinach and nantes carrots, for my raised bed and fall coldframe. I use these to extend the growing season. This will be my first year trying to extend the fall harvest into winter with the coldframe.<br /> * green beans of a yet undetermined variety, at the request of hubby, who could live on these alone.<br /> * the obligatory zucchini plant, also from the school fundraiser. I may get ambitious and plant two, even though I know I'll be up to my neck in zucchini. I have two new recipes for zucchini, and it always makes a great extender for sauces and such, so maybe I can keep up.Echinacea<br /> * A butterfly garden, including five varieties of echinacea, two types of bee balm, and some butterfly weed. I will frame this flowerbed with butterfly-friendly annuals, and maybe with lingonberries, which are delicious on Swedish pancakes, unusual, and look like an ornamental plant.<br /> * Luffa. Yes, the luffa sponge is a squash, not something that is plucked from the ocean. This will be a fun experiment. They grow as a vine, so with staking shouldn't take up too much space in the garden.<br /> * English lavender, for its aromatherapy qualities.<br /><br />Of course, the seeds aren't ordered yet so this could change. It is overly ambitious, I know, and I haven't even included the two sweet dwarf cherry trees I'd like to plant. But through clever use of space, we hope to grow all of these things in abundance in our small garden, in plain view of the neighbors, without raising their ire.<br /><br />No discussion of an economical garden would be complete without suggesting ways to save money in the garden.<br /><br /> * We use rain barrels to collect water for our plants. It saves money and the collected water is better for the plants because it doesn't contain the chemicals in treated water.<br /> * We compost. You don't need an expensive set up, but you do need patience. It can take a year or two to turn waste into rich compost, but when it is ready, your garden will pay you back with lots of love, disease resistance, and delicious fruits.<br /> * Save seeds, or at least let a few veggies and fruits fall into the dirt. This netted us some lovely volunteer cherry tomato plants that sprung up and gave us tomatoes just like the plants we bought every year. <br /> * Skip the pesticides and fertilizer. We have never once used either in our garden. Instead, we try to take good care of our dirt via mulch and compost, and we don't get too upset if a slug eats a tomato or two. There is enough for everyone.<br /> * Don't waste a single veggie or fruit. Last year, I had two marathon sessions turning Roma tomatoes and green peppers into pasta sauce. I froze about a dozen bags of it, which will feed my family all winter. You will have to have some marathons too, whether you are in the mood or not, to get the most pay off from your money-saving garden.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-43874197435723562252008-12-26T12:26:00.003-05:002008-12-26T12:38:45.047-05:00Green wishes do come trueA couple of posts ago I mentioned that one of my goals was to build a coldframe. <br />Well, my farmer, Brian -- from the family that grows the food for the food co-op I belong to <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M15746">"Paige's produce"</a>-- called a few days later to say he read the post and that he had a cold frame that was too small for the farm to use. I could have it if I wanted it. Someone had given it to him, and he would be happy to give it to me. <br /><br />Sigh. Sometimes wishes do come true. I am so thankful for this opportunity.<br /><br />Inspired by this new-found coldframe, I picked up the book <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/ecoranch-20/detail/1890132276">"Four Season Harvest"</a>, by Eliot Coleman. It is fantastic. While I am not foolish enough to think I can grow enough food to feed my family even in winter, it did give me some ideas on how to make the most of the coldframe for seed starting and for growing cold-hardy veggies like spinach and carrots later into the season.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-3254961431582413642008-12-11T12:19:00.000-05:002008-12-11T12:23:15.572-05:00Energy project No. 1: Garage door insulationAll right. I am gearing up for my first energy-efficiency project for the new year. As I mentioned, we want to reduce our annual electricity consumption by 20 percent next year. <br /><br />Now that the weather is cold, it's become clearer where our heating and cooling Achilles' heels are, and right now, it's the kitchen. Our kitchen is freezing, and it's obvious that the garage is the culprit. Our kitchen is separated from our very cold garage by one measly hollow-core door. <br /><br />So, first we are going to insulate our garage door. Lowe's sells a kit by Owens Corning that will cost us about $65. The walls of our garage are actually pretty thick, so the garage door itself is likely the biggest culprit for heat transfer. <br /><br />Second, we are going to replace the hollow-core door leading to the kitchen with a solid one. Cost? Not sure yet. We just started shopping. <br /><br />I hope to have supplies in hand right after Christmas, and have these projects finished by early in the new year. Have to get those resolutions off to a good start, don't I?DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-75413859292297885242008-11-19T10:37:00.010-05:002008-11-19T11:00:37.228-05:002009 eco-goalsHubby and I discussed it and if we are serious about getting solar and getting the most for our money, we need to seriously make the ranch much more energy efficient. <br /><br />Electricity:<br />When we get our next bill, I will post our annual KWH usage. I know it's high. Our new geothermal furnace, while efficient, uses electricity. And, until last month, we hosted a back-up data system with multiple servers in our basement. <br /><br />The goal is to reduce our electricity use by 10 percent by June and 20 percent overall by December. The long-term goal is to cut use by 30 percent.<br /><br />We will go room by room making efficiency improvements. We may switch from compact fluorescent to LED lights where practical. This may mean a new refrigerator and a new washing machine. We'll see. <br /><br />We will ask the solar installer to come out, do an energy audit, and assess our lot for solar appropriateness. I will call in January. I wouldn't want to get my hopes up only to be told solar wouldn't work for us. Plus, this may yield some handy tips on efficiency.<br /><br />Insulation:<br />Our kitchen is not well insulated. We plan to replace the window over the sink with a double-paned Energy Star window, replace the door between the kitchen and the garage with a solid, insulated door. And, insulate the garage door itself to solve this problem. Replace both bathroom windows with Energy Star windows. <br /><br />Garden Goals:<br />Produce 150 pounds of veggies and fruit. Plant dwarf sweet cherry or apple trees for future fruit production. Build planter boxes for the front porch, which will be used for a kitchen herb garden. My goals is also to preserve or freeze everything we grow this year. No waste. This will mean I have to learn some new skills, but it should be interesting. <br /><br />Plant a row for the hungry. I will plant extra veggies and donate it to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. I also hope to get my neighbors involved, by asking everyone in my neighborhood to drop off excess produce at my house twice a week, and I will then drive it to the food bank. I don't know if they will be willing, but it can't hurt to ask. <br /><br />Add three more rain barrels. If I can find food-grade barrels at low cost, I will attempt to make these myself. If not, I will buy them. Water rates are rising 10 percent next year, which is added incentive. <br /><br />Make a second composter. One composter isn't enough. We have had to throw away compostable material while we have waited for our current batch to finish. I'm not sure if we did something wrong, but hey, it was our first try. <br /><br />Foster habitats for native species. The only way I know to do this is a butterfly garden, and making a bat box. I will search the OSU extension office Web site for more tips. <br /><br />Build a cold-frame greenhouse from salvaged materials. I'm not sure I have the skills to pull this off, but I plan to try anyway.<br /><br />Other goals:<br /><br />Further reduce plastic bag use. We need to be super vigilant and remember to take reusable bags with us everywhere. This may mean acquiring many more reusable bags and stashing them everywhere, so no matter where we are, we have a bag. My favorite so far are the DIMPA bags from IKEA. They are strong, cheap, pretty and hold TONS of stuff. <br /><br />Reduce the amount of garbage we produce. Can we do better? Probably. This means thinking more about packaging, about reusing before we recycle, buying in bulk, etc.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-24560750758799712052008-11-13T12:45:00.003-05:002008-11-13T12:50:56.279-05:00The earth friendly(er) laundry room<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC-FQH672iGXm4fQIyUhvpNRjOiwg0SOKPuP0tLaVqEjJW4AKIp5bEPa2nLNs8HQwTurbcyM0h0mRjpFwJ3uJvbtP3uQHe2_r9SZTTCljgi7f0sHXfIRUhG932E3BlknZK1rd6YHbDtZh/s1600-h/line.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC-FQH672iGXm4fQIyUhvpNRjOiwg0SOKPuP0tLaVqEjJW4AKIp5bEPa2nLNs8HQwTurbcyM0h0mRjpFwJ3uJvbtP3uQHe2_r9SZTTCljgi7f0sHXfIRUhG932E3BlknZK1rd6YHbDtZh/s400/line.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268200942384168114" /></a><br /><br /><br />I am planning a significant cleaning and makeover of our laundry room. Nothing hard core, just cleaning out all the junk (it's a catch all), moving the washer-dryer, building a folding table out of a vintage 1950s vanity I got for free, and throwing some paint on the walls and some fabric to hide the storage racks. Hubby decided to throw his two cents in. <br /><br />"I want more drying racks" he said.<br /><br />Currently we use two large wooden drying racks. They take up A LOT of room. So much that we don't have room for anymore, and I really don't want the precious space I am making by cleaning the room out to be used for more racks. <br /><br />So, after a little research, I found a solution. A handy wall mount retractable line. Good for the earth, out of the way. <br /><br />If the budget allows, I may also trade in my current washer for a front-loading model, as I understand they are more energy and water efficient.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-35361418419717588632008-11-07T12:20:00.004-05:002008-11-07T13:41:33.985-05:00Setting Eco-goals for 2009Thanks to Gene, I got a neat link to an urban farm, where the inhabitants are attempting to be self sufficient food and energy-wise on their urban 1/10th of an acre lot. They are doing amazing things, but what really struck me that we could all do is set eco goals. I set financial goals regularly, and it really helps me meet them. I haven't even thought of setting firm eco goals.<br /><br />The folks at Urban Homestead's goal is to cut their monthly electricity use in half. They also set a food production goal for their garden. I am going to follow suit. I will post my goals and progress on the sidebar on this blog. It should be an interesting experiment.<br /><br /><a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/">"Urban Homestead"</a><br /><br />I will post more concrete goals after more consideration, but<br />For starters, I want to reduce my electricity usage by at least 10-20 percent. I will likely accomplish this by zapping vampire electricity used by all of our appliances and computer gear. Beyond that, I may invest in LED lights where possible, to further reduce usage. I also plan to get an energy audit from the solar installer later this year, so I can seriously reduce usage to make the most out of any solar power system I buy. This may involve something like a ConServ refrigerator.<br /><br />Also, I would like to triple my usable garden space. The current garden plan will likely accomplish this, but I may tweak it to see if I can get more sunny space to grow veggies. I also plan to build several growing boxes for the front porch, to house herbs and greens. I also purchased several small coldframes for seed starting and may make another out of salvaged wood and windows from the Habitat for Humanity restore.<br /><br />My food growing goal for 2009 is 150 pounds of fruits and vegetables from the garden. Since I haven't been keeping track, I have no idea if this is easy or hard, but you have to start somewhere, right? I want to keep a garden journal as well, so I know what does and doesn't produce. <br /><br />To reduce my water consumption, I want to add three more rain barrels to the garden area this spring. I may make these myself to save money. This should also reduce the need to use city water to irrigate my new larger garden beds. I may also investigate purchasing a front-loading washer, as these are supposedly more energy and water friendly.<br /><br />I would like to add more square yards of laundry line in the backyard. This would help with electricity use. <br /><br />Those are my initial thoughts.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-34022717070086807722008-11-07T11:18:00.002-05:002008-11-07T11:20:13.815-05:00Solar tax creditsGood news for solar and for us. Looks like the 30 percent tax credit on solar power installations has gotten even better. Now, it's 30 percent of whatever you spend, with no cap, as opposed to the $2,000 cap in place before. And it's good until 2016. I'm thrilled. we are hoping to get solar panels in 2010, and this will really help us out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-11-01-solar-credit_N.htm">"Solar tax credits"</a>DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-62812560614119380272008-11-06T12:32:00.000-05:002008-11-06T12:33:06.168-05:00Sustainable livingI have been thinking a lot about sustainability lately. Not just for the earth, but also when it comes to finance. Maybe all the bad news on Wall Street got the ball rolling. I freaked out a bit when I watched my retirement accounts lose more than $75,000.<br /><br />What does it mean to live sustainably?<br /><br />It should be no surprise to green folks that what's good for the earth is good for the pocketbook. With the exception of the solar panels I hope to buy some day. That's JUST for the earth. But on all other fronts, living sustainably has the dual benefit of helping the planet and saving money, plus the ethereal benefit of mental well being and the confidence of being self sufficient. <br /><br />My big question? How self-sufficient and sustainable can I possibly be on such a small piece of land? In the middle of the city? I don't know the answer yet, but in the next couple of years I hope there is a steep learning curve. <br /><br />Maximizing my garden space I believe is the first step. The more food I can produce on my small semi-suburban plot, the better I will feel. The second part of this is managing to can, preserve, or freeze as much of that as I can. I'm still working on that one.<br /><br />I also read a story about a new plan in Cincinnati to sell small undevelop-able plots of urban land to people who want to use them as gardens. I hope this catches on and spreads to my town, because hubby and I had discussed finding vacant plots to buy for this very purpose.<br /><br />Those are my random thoughts for today. If you have any ideas about sustainable everyday living, I'd love to hear them!DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-25112528932650765662008-11-03T22:05:00.002-05:002008-11-03T22:12:39.238-05:00No spend monthThe hubby and I have declared November a No Spend month. It's technically a spend $400 month, but who's counting? We are allowed only $400 for all of our food, gas, entertainment, etc. this month. Anything that isn't a recurring monthly bill. I wrote a bit about it here:<br /><a href="http://www.savingadvice.com/blog/2008/11/03/103221_spending-diet.html">"One month money crash diet"</a><br /><br />We're hoping this will help us be more conscientious about our financial lives, which in turn, affects our impact on the environment. If you aren't buying extra stuff or taking extra car trips, you have put less carbon into the atmosphere AND preserve the contents of your bank account. <br /><br />Also, we are in good shape with the house projects. My main goals were to finish digging the front flower beds and paint the house before winter, and we accomplished both. It was very hard work, but it's very satisfying to have it finished. (so we can start a new to-do list in spring...). I have made an executive decision. In the spring, I will be renting a sod cutter. I have more beds to dig and I am DONE doing them by hand, so I will spend the $100 or so to rent a sod cutter for the day. It'll make the job go much faster. <br /><br />I have also found a local mulch supplier who will deliver the massive mountain of mulch I am going to need for the new beds I've dug. It's only marginally cheaper than buying bagged mulch, but it's much easier than running back and forth to the store and why waste all those plastic mulch bags?DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-31722975424238080302008-10-09T21:14:00.002-04:002008-10-09T21:16:38.188-04:00Painting the house this weekendFinally. I am giving my house a new paint color this weekend. I admit I am not using eco-friendly paint. I was thoroughly unimpressed by the performance of Sherwin Williams' Harmony paint a few months back and on a big job like painting a while house, I don't want to take any chances. Plus, that paint stunk to high heaven !<br />So yes, this is my guilty confession.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-7922800723961543652008-09-29T08:56:00.002-04:002008-09-29T09:01:09.875-04:00Planning the butterfly garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYlZ8ajjL5BGOB6HznG7m_ZQhQgcanzsAEHMKmFt1cpw-PZ8yvQF42-SPQVbSkyCdh3Z4k8iuIgKG_TgQvz1DHRNPhpsh-1XlqKZXNx4Gacr9s8WeGSB_bIyG6Z-Rzu__XzAxH2gfIZqp/s1600-h/butterfly.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYlZ8ajjL5BGOB6HznG7m_ZQhQgcanzsAEHMKmFt1cpw-PZ8yvQF42-SPQVbSkyCdh3Z4k8iuIgKG_TgQvz1DHRNPhpsh-1XlqKZXNx4Gacr9s8WeGSB_bIyG6Z-Rzu__XzAxH2gfIZqp/s400/butterfly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251427516741723330" /></a><br />I've decided that I want all of the flowers in my new bed to attract and harbor butterflies. I started doing some research and boy, it isn't easy to design a new butterfly garden! You have to have a combination of nectar and larvae plants (meaning a place for butterflies to eat, and a place to lay eggs) and you need to make sure you have planted varieties that bloom at different times, so you have someplace for them to go from Spring until Fall. I'm using the Ohio Extension office Web site. <br /><br />I'm glad I decided to wait until Spring to plant, so I have time to work this out. <br /><br />Also, I've decided I'm renting a sod cutter in the spring, to build the rest of the beds. No more hand digging for me. I'd be old and gray before I got all the beds dug and planted.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-12603595394243110692008-09-23T09:21:00.003-04:002008-09-23T10:03:14.030-04:00yard finished<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8AaZrK0cyw6JMKBzkud8WIMtRU5Dza2t1Yd-lgHGSLV_TqVydDJgO6e2u7yRWOeoNiEBwZUUA5wn8E_NOC-xWu08yiv9yfBZPBEyjfZV7vYqyX0tCnVmEI_GFRS5SXcgQpYuPrq7TNdO/s1600-h/DSC_0001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8AaZrK0cyw6JMKBzkud8WIMtRU5Dza2t1Yd-lgHGSLV_TqVydDJgO6e2u7yRWOeoNiEBwZUUA5wn8E_NOC-xWu08yiv9yfBZPBEyjfZV7vYqyX0tCnVmEI_GFRS5SXcgQpYuPrq7TNdO/s400/DSC_0001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249206449675810962" /></a><br /><br />After about 8-9 hours of actual digging, the sod is finally removed and the outline of the new flower bed is complete. Yay! It was hard work, but didn't take as long as I had anticipated. Last night, I added peat moss and mulch soil conditioners. <br /><br />My plan to do the rock wall around it this year is scrapped. We can't afford it, especially now that we have to pay $307 to get a tree branch removed. One of our silver maples was significantly damaged in the recent windstorm that knocked out our power and it's dangling over the Bean's room, so it's got to go. That was about half of what I budgeted for the rock wall, so it'll just have to wait until spring.<br /><br />The beds will be planted with a butterfly garden and flowers, as well as secret hidden veggie plants in the spring. So for this season, my work is done...DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-20952604536664301852008-09-17T18:43:00.000-04:002008-09-17T18:44:29.536-04:00Ike blew out our power, 1000 miles from the coast!Well, we just got power back at our house. The remains of Ike blew through here at 75 miles per hour plus Sunday night, and knocked out power to all of central Ohio. Even I was surprised. Our power just came on this morning.<br /><br />I'm upset because I had just stocked the freezer with homemade pasta sauce from my garden, shredded fresh garden veggies, a whole lasagna I was planning to make later. Basically, my grocery budget and grocery challenge are blown this month because of this storm.<br /><br />We had to drive 40 miles south to find an open restaurant yesterday, then we camped out at our sister's, who has power, for dinner. I have been living on bananas and peanut butter with crackers and water since Sunday. I'm over it.<br /><br />It reminds me that I either need to get a generator OR I need to get a gas stove so I can still cook when the power is out.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-69028835780443756002008-09-09T20:54:00.001-04:002008-09-09T20:55:46.592-04:00DAy three of digging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsNCLGw3kD42NyTQiF-D5tEzUv2qI8hY7NkuAWgOQUpvuagNsaQ1QUg2RBwkeEYzVkmlcfIDle51mHuAuFJ9VhTb27GLwtDA2ei2NpTAkkd-tV4pJ6gzyhb8rZRbFFCgo-cyM55IaaI_7/s1600-h/yard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsNCLGw3kD42NyTQiF-D5tEzUv2qI8hY7NkuAWgOQUpvuagNsaQ1QUg2RBwkeEYzVkmlcfIDle51mHuAuFJ9VhTb27GLwtDA2ei2NpTAkkd-tV4pJ6gzyhb8rZRbFFCgo-cyM55IaaI_7/s400/yard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244189823121470546" /></a><br /><br />This is what 3 days and $90 worth of peat moss and sod looks like. I have about 50 percent of the main bed de-sodded, turned and mulched. Not too bad. It may take less time than I thought. Then again, I am SOOO tired of shoveling. It really is hard work.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-62474017835775934442008-09-09T15:11:00.001-04:002008-09-09T15:14:29.796-04:00Removing sod sucksNow I understand why the neighbors looked at me like I was crazy when I said I was digging the new flowerbeds myself. Digging up sod is hard work. And it kind of sucks. Phew. Good thing I am dedicated. I really want new flowerbeds (aka sneaky secret garden veggie patches hidden behind flowers), and frankly I am too cheap and too broke to pay someone to dig them for me. So yeah. My MO is to just do a small patch at a time every single night. I remove the sod on the patch, turn it and then mulch and peat moss it. And little by little, it's getting done. If I thought about the entire project, I'd just get overwhelmed and stop. Only the front beds need to be done this fall, then I will implement the garden plan little by little each year until it's done, probably in two years total, including the new patios in the back.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3599595970993260607.post-55392585248688717462008-09-08T10:42:00.001-04:002008-09-08T10:57:07.434-04:00Started on the garden plan yesterday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY19_sgM_v2pRzfYVXEgx5GytiQwH33JdNosFmWUYWXfhhtC0_QpE1oe24ur_0DT9knkShDnbQNeuSEPLqQlBhJyHWa4AH1WS2BzLaPHnADKN9HFLYYrCHeud2WnWD8w9oXREpaEc6sbF/s1600-h/yard.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuY19_sgM_v2pRzfYVXEgx5GytiQwH33JdNosFmWUYWXfhhtC0_QpE1oe24ur_0DT9knkShDnbQNeuSEPLqQlBhJyHWa4AH1WS2BzLaPHnADKN9HFLYYrCHeud2WnWD8w9oXREpaEc6sbF/s400/yard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243664683634811826" /></a><br />Phew. removing sod and digging new flowerbeds is A LOT of work. Geesh. I did manage to get one existing bed cleaned up, turned and mulched. I also expanded that bed one foot and turned and mulched the strawberry patch. All of this took about 2 and a half hours. I think if I work on digging the new beds about an hour a day, I'll have it all done by the end of the month. <br /><br />I'm not sure if I'll get the stone done. I'm not sure we can afford it right now. This month is already shaping up to be pretty tight money wise, so the stone may have to wait until spring. I really want to paint the house in October, so that is number one priority. I have to do it when the weather is right, and when I don't have veggies and flowers growing by the side of the house, so it'd be harder to do that in the spring than the flower bed stone walls.DeniseThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199940407647442813noreply@blogger.com0