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Home and garden projects

Home and garden projects

Old Mar 4th 2016, 9:47 pm
  #376  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Boiler
And its girth?
About 16" diameter 2ft above ground, so a 20" bar was just about perfect.

I have already cut up the top 30ft or so, and slotted the stump to make a Swedish candle.
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Old Mar 4th 2016, 10:11 pm
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Boiler
And its girth?
Oy, keep the Trump discussions in that thread please!
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Old Mar 4th 2016, 10:30 pm
  #378  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by sir_eccles
Originally Posted by Boiler
And its girth?
Oy, keep the Trump discussions in that thread please!
Sounds more like a Chris Christie reference to me!
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Old Mar 4th 2016, 10:38 pm
  #379  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Sounds more like a Chris Christie reference to me!
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Old Mar 18th 2016, 2:37 am
  #380  
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So in a fit of madness I came home and decided to replace the rotted fascia board on the end of the porch - i.e. the one that slopes. I already had the replacement board, primed and painted, though not cut to length or shape (18° oblique cuts at each end, one end also to be cut at 45° to meet the fascia board along the front of the porch ).

Ripping off the rotted board was easy. ...... Cutting the new board to fit, took a little longer. In the end it went fairly easily, and looks great, including the offcut that I used to fashion the horizontal end trim piece bit to cover over the end of the framing that runs behind the front of the porch - if you look at any gable end, there's a bit just behind the end of the gutter, that hangs down below the main diagonal fascia board.

Anyhow, it looks great, if I say so myself!
Originally Posted by Pulaski
A new bar and chain for my chainsaw arrived in town this week. I have to go to the post office to collect them tomorrow, and then I am off to deal with some dead pines. ...., a 70ft standing trunk that lost its crown a couple of years ago in an ice storm, ....
When I felled this nine days ago it turned out to be 62' of main trunk and a further 17' of a very substantial vertical side branch - I cut it most of the way through to the notch, then pulled it over with the winch. Like the other one, it broke in several places on impact.

Last edited by Pulaski; Mar 18th 2016 at 2:45 am.
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Old Mar 18th 2016, 3:12 am
  #381  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Hoping to get into the woods Monday, we have some warm weather coming and I need wood. Only have a few cords left. Just need more melt to access.

Guy advertising semi loads in the local rag but wants $1500
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Old Apr 3rd 2016, 3:12 pm
  #382  
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So a gap has appeared between the wall and the floor near the bedroom closet. When I went up under the crawlspace I found that a prior repair using jacks (a perfectly normal and acceptable technique if done properly), had been done using jacks too tall for the space, so instead of jacking up the floor joists the idiot who did the work just put the jacks against the underside of the floorboards! Now four parallel joists are all sagging down at one end.

Guess what I'll be doing next weekend? .... Yesterday I bought concrete blocks, a 4x4 post, and a 10ft 2x8 (to be cut in half lengthways to make a double supporting joist at 90° to the primary floor joists), and I'll be using my own screw jacks to lift the joists back up so I can slot in new custom-length posts. I guess between the concrete blocks below and the 2x8 above, the posts will only need to be about 18"-2ft long.
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Old Apr 3rd 2016, 5:29 pm
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I poured concrete pads, but mine spanned 30ft.
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Old Apr 3rd 2016, 10:00 pm
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Getting ready for the upcoming gardening season. Today I bought desirée seed potatoes and a little bay tree. The potatoes are now in the basement chitting and the bay tree is in the bay window along with the rosemary waiting for the nights (and days) to be frost free. This week I shall start planting my seeds: tomatoes, peppers etc for growing on indoors.
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Old Apr 3rd 2016, 11:29 pm
  #385  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by lizzyq
...... This week I shall start planting my seeds: tomatoes, peppers etc for growing on indoors.
Isn't it a bit late to grow tomatoes from seed?

Here they recommend that the seeds be sown indoors in February, or even January. IIRC it takes at least four months to get from seed to fruit, so that would mean August.
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Old Apr 4th 2016, 12:07 am
  #386  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Isn't it a bit late to grow tomatoes from seed?

Here they recommend that the seeds be sown indoors in February, or even January. IIRC it takes at least four months to get from seed to fruit, so that would mean August.
Which over here, works well. Get a late crop, but you can't grow them earlier without a greenhouse really as they'll get hammered in a frost if you bring them outside before middle of April.

We can't stop the buggers from growing like weeds. I have planted a few seeds in pots to try new varieties and some of them have come up.

The potted seeds are mostly doing well but no joy on watermelons, herbs or the cherry tomatoes I'm trying this time around.

We got a bit of snow today, expecting snow all tomorrow and potentially 6" on Tuesday
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Old Apr 4th 2016, 12:40 am
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Isn't it a bit late to grow tomatoes from seed?

Here they recommend that the seeds be sown indoors in February, or even January. IIRC it takes at least four months to get from seed to fruit, so that would mean August.
These are going to be hydroponic tomatoes, but can't go out until early to mid-May. Once they are in the NFT system they will grow significantly faster than soil grown tomatoes. Last year I planted the seed on 21st March and they were rather leggy by the time they could be planted out. We had -5C / 23F last night and expect a little colder during this coming week.

"Each winter, on average, your risk of frost is from October 12 through May 10. Almost certainly, however, you will receive frost from October 24 through April 30. You are almost guaranteed that you will not get frost from May 21 through October 1. Your frost-free growing season is around 155 days."
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Old Apr 4th 2016, 12:52 am
  #388  
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Default Re: Home and garden projects

Originally Posted by lizzyq
These are going to be hydroponic tomatoes, but can't go out until early to mid-May. Once they are in the NFT system they will grow significantly faster than soil grown tomatoes. Last year I planted the seed on 21st March and they were rather leggy by the time they could be planted out. We had -5C / 23F last night and expect a little colder during this coming week.

"Each winter, on average, your risk of frost is from October 12 through May 10. Almost certainly, however, you will receive frost from October 24 through April 30. You are almost guaranteed that you will not get frost from May 21 through October 1. Your frost-free growing season is around 155 days."
It's much harder work in your neck of the woods, almost like the UK. Down here you sow them in January, and can plant them outside after March 18 (but prepare to protect them from frost until mid April, though that need is rare), then keep them watered and staked up, but otherwise just leave them alone until they're ready to pick.

Only the tardy don't have home grown 'maters by July 4th. With care and planning the diligent gardener can have them by Memorial Day.
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Old Apr 4th 2016, 1:34 am
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My garden has been a nice surprise this year - last year was my first real summer in the house and I had planted oleanders, blackfoot daisies, lavender as well as some local planty things under the trees. They had barely hung in there last year and I thought the lavender had perished. This year they've all come back and are thriving! I have azaleas, geraniums and something with little blue flowers on my patio, there's a vine thing that I cut back to nothing last year all covered in coral bell flowers and the jasmine is about to flower. It's lovely... just need to fill in some spots now with a bit of xeriscaping. None of the plants I put in should need irrigation which was something I really concentrated on in our dry desert like summer.

Just about to get quotes for a ridge vent on the roof. The soffit vents are all open now but there is insufficient exhaust venting. Anyone had this done? It doesn't look too difficult but it's way past what I want to do.
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Old Apr 4th 2016, 1:54 am
  #390  
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Originally Posted by petitefrancaise
..... Just about to get quotes for a ridge vent on the roof. The soffit vents are all open now but there is insufficient exhaust venting. Anyone had this done? It doesn't look too difficult but it's way past what I want to do.
Adding a ridge vent is standard here as part of a roof replacement where the roof doesn't already have one. As its the top of the roof it should be a fairly easy job to add one to an existing roof if the roof doesn't need to be replaced.
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