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Monday, April 25, 2011

Taking pallets apart...



       I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday!

I have been caught up in so many things my head is still spinning! I am going to be getting together with the Homeschool Mom's I told you all about and teach them how to do a Lasagna garden on Thursday...I am so excited! We got about 7 inches of snow Saturday...so of course when it decided to be nice for Easter...my garden was flooded again! AND I had just started to put my tomato garden together ! I have decided instead of grass? I am going to grow something worthwhile on every square inch of this place!






 After scraping off last winter's chicken bedding? I have about 3 ft of beautiful black compost! It's amazing that you don't have to dig, you just throw down layers...water...throw a little compost on...BAM...instant garden!




Christie had asked about some info on how to take the pallets apart?  Well! Me and the Honey just took apart about 60 of them today......so I did some quick video's on how to do that... for the small pallet's, if you want the wood to come apart in tact, you really need to have a sawzall with a metal cutting blade...otherwise? the wood splinters as the nails have little "teeth" on them!


This is one of the big pallets...it is from the Jeldwen Door guy...

The big pallets have 2x4's, 1x4's, 1x2's and some 1x6's on them...they are the best for building...the small pallets? they make awesome compost bins, potato bins and firewood storage...all you have to do is screw them together and you have a beautiful cube...I put hinges on one pallet to make a gate into the bins..that way, I don't have to try and shovel anything out of the top...

It has been crazy here...My kitchen was in my living room...now? my living room is in my kitchen...the prep work to paint floors is a long process...It should be over and done with this week...I can't wait to show you all!


23 comments:

  1. I can't wait either! And lasagna gardens rock the world! LOVE!

    Nice job.

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  2. your yard will be awesome!! Can't wait to see your gardens. And snow on Easter - WOW!! Do you do much composting?

    Hooked

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  3. Lasagna garden? I have no clue what that is! I will definitely be keeping an eye on your projects. You really have great ideas and do such a great job with everything!

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  4. I compost everything! all household waste (paper,food scraps except meat) chicken bedding, manure, grass, leaves...and snow? I will be lucky if it won't dump 6 inches on us again in June! lol...it never sticks around more than a day but it sure drowns everything!

    Coleen? Lasagna gardens are layers of organic materials layered in a "green" (fresh grass clippings, hay) and a "brown" layer (leaves, straw, sawdust) with about an inch of compost on top...you don't have to dig... rototil...wait or anything...plants just thrive in it!it makes a beautiful, neat raised bed and the next year you have gorgeous dirt!

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  5. Well Lisa - I have a question about composting. I know that everything now says do not put any protein in your compost, but I distinctly remember my grandmother composting egg shells and saying that the worms and soil love them. She would break them into small pieces prior to putting them in the compost bin. Do you put egg shells in your compost? Because I imagine you have a few of those!!!

    Hooked

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  6. YES! I compost egg shells, I don't even bother breaking them, I just throw them in there! the reason I don't throw oil and meat in there is because it attracts scavengers and tends to go rancid before it breaks down. I do put left over scrambled eggs and such in there too...a lot of my egg shells go back to my chickens also. They love them! kinda sick, huh? LOL!

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  7. wow! Videos! Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I feel so special!

    I looked up sawzall on Home Depot. There is a 15 amp and a 12 amp. Any reccomendations ? Is this something you can safely buy 2nd hand ?

    I get to learn all about rabbit fencing this week. Not for the garden, for my dog! She is a thief! She wiggles under the fence and has big adventures. She has brought back other dog's toys! She is raiding someones compost pile. She brings stuff back for me... A pancake .... compressed coffee grounds ... And yesterday a dead fish! Eewww. She tried to get it to her secret hiding spot - under my bed ! I traded her for a doggie treat, I think she got the better deal!
    ~ Christie

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  8. OH NO! I just had my husband throw my big box of sawdust away.
    I don't get the concept of the lasagne thingy. I know it works I watch your yard last year! I want to be one of the Homeschool Moms and come do it with you.
    Can't wait to see your yard this year!

    Sandi

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  9. Thanks Lisa - Even though we are "citified" we still have varmints, too. Right now 9 wild rabbits living under my hubbies workshop in the back yard - mom, dad and 2 litters. They eat EVERYTHING - grass, flowers, young trees, compost, and my grandsons tonka trucks - the plastic ones. They are cute, but ohhhh sooo annoying. So I have to be carfeul with what I compost, but will add egg shells to my list. We will be empty nesters this fall - youngest off to college. So I hope to start a lasagna garden then for next spring. Definately no time now.

    Sandi - you crack me up!!! how are the fires in your area? There is not as much about them on the news here right now, so I am hoping no news is good news.

    Christie - I got a sawzall that attaches to the battery of my husband's drill. It was much cheaper than buying one that has its own power supply. Mine is a Mikita and my son-in-law got one that does the same thing that is Dewalt. Just a suggestion.

    Hooked

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  10. I love the drill/sawzall attachment! The sawzalls are expensive but you don't need a large one to cut up pallets...12 amp will work just fine! If those videos are not adequate, just let me know, I will put up more detailed ones! the big pallets are really easy to get apart...you just knock them with the hammer...and Christie? you are special! My dog brought me a brand new..still hot... fresh container of chinese food once...it was delicious! lol!

    Sandi? I am definately going to do a lasagna garden post soon...they are extraordinary! and easy! and if you fly in before
    Thursday...you can do it with us! HEE HEE!

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  11. Hooked- We have only have some small fires in our area. We have one west of town right now, it must be pretty big they have just called out 4 fire departments. The scanner is going crazy! I can't see the smoke for the dirt in the air. I feel so bad for Palo Pinto County and Fort Davis they had it bad. There are some pictures on line on Mylifeoutdoors: Fort Davis

    Lisa- I wonder what hubby would say if I was to say I was flying to see the Lasagna garden! I will be watching, if I don't have to dig or tiller I'm for it.
    Sandi

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  12. Sandi - I was not sure where you were. I have "adopted" family in Palo Pinto county - Weatherford, Mineral Wells, Burke Burnett, etc. and felt you must be close. My prayers are still with you all. Hey - stop at the Will Rogers on your way and pick me up for lasagna lessons!!!

    Lisa - do you "reuse" your lasagna garden each year or do you have to start over from scratch. I cannot find that answer on-line



    Hooked

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  13. Whoo-hoo! New stuff comin'! Can't wait to hear all about it, girl!

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  14. Okay .... I picked up a palatte for the first time today. Whoo Hoo!
    My kids laughed at the dog and the Chinese food. Did that really happen ? I had a really dumb cat once. ( My Dad blamed her stupidity on the fact that I bought her at a mall.) This cat could never catch anything. One day she came in with a mouse! The mouse was in a mousetrap ! What a cat!
    ~ Christie

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  15. LOL Christie that really funny!
    Fires here are finally out.
    Hooked - We are about 250 mile South West of Palo Pinto County.
    Sandi

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  16. Susan, my garden is good for years to come, I will just add compost and mulch year after year and it will just keep getting better! All of the layers you put down in the beginning turn into beautiful black dirt about six months after you make the bed.

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  17. I am soooo glad to hear the fires have been put out! It snowed again here last night...6 inches! it's so warm it just turns into slush but I wish I could load it up and bring it to Texas!

    The chinese food thing really happened! lol! I don't know how that dog got the whole thing home without breaking the styrofoam container but it was full of hot chicken and noodles!

    Christie? your cat just figured out how to work smart...not work hard! LOL!

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  18. Oh..and MY hubby said it would be awesome if you flew in Sandi! What did yours say? Hee HEE!

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  19. Thanks Lisa, I saw your pictures of what looked like the start of a new bed and that made me start wondering. Sounds like such an awesome way to garden, as in why did I ever garden anyway else!!! How do you get your green layers in the winter?

    Praises Sandi!!!

    Hooked

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  20. Hooked, I didn't have any green layers at first...my veggie garden got a hot layer of new horse manure instead...I started with cardboard...fresh horse manure...twigs..sticks...brush...manure....thick layer of leaves (some were shredded others were not) a layer of city compost...straw..a layer of alfalfa hay (one bale did both sides) then a layer of compost again... kitchen waste in the middle...and I mulched that with straw on top and covered them with blue tarps til I could plant. I didn't think it was going to grow anything...I WAS WRONG! anything I stuck in there grew to immense proportions...

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  21. Hi Lisa! I gotta question for 'ya. Any worries about using the palatte wood for growing food ? I remember a few years back treated lumber out gassed and the regular stuff you bought at Home Depot was not to be used for organic gardening. I know that certain chemicals are not used anymore and most ( if not all) treated wood is not as bad as it used to be....
    I'm still pulling weeds. No planting yet. The soil in the community gardens is so nice. sigh. I found out that the city comps the water bill. Maybe this is the place to grow one of those giant 100 lb pumpkins ???? : )
    ~ Christie

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  22. Hi Christie! I never worry about it anymore because most of the lumber is heat treated now...if it smells or has an oily feel? it is treated with something else and I would not use it in the garden..I don't believe any of the lumber on a window pallet or door pallet is treated...I am so excited for you and your plot! remember to send pictures! I would definately grow the pumpkin! LOL!

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  23. I love the idea of growing something edible in all the available space and lasagna gardens are the easiest way. Hope your ground if finally drying out. It hasn't rained here for two days and I think that's a record for this month. ;)

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