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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Spring Fever...

Well...after going crazy over spring...having severe garden fever...I stomped into the office yesterday and informed my boss that I need to have fresh vegetables...of course he looked at me like I had two heads..."and that means what, Lisa?" he said...he is used to my "bright ideas"...and he looked at me like he needed an attorney...


Weeeeelll...it means I really need a garden..."aaah..." he said while staring at me...

It always goes like this when I want something from him...he tries to stare me down...and it gets kinda tricky...the first one to speak? loses....I don't know if any other women that visit The Dilletante Proprietor have ever dealt with the "oilfield" mentality?  Well..it goes something like this..."ALL women are crazy " and need to be dealt with on a 7 year old level and if that doesn't work... get an attorney....

I stared right back....and he says.."and where are you going to grow a garden around here?"

HEE HEE! I WIN!

LOOK at all this space...

Way in the back of the yard is something of a "dump" place for all the extra odds and ends that come in with the trucks...it is on an old railroad bed and can't be seen from the gates coming into the yard or the office....

There is 10 acres of unused dirt back there!

He knows I win...and he tries to counter attack..."HOW are you gonna water a garden back there?"

"There are 11 plastic food grade barrels back there from when they remodeled the boat dock"....I say...and stare....

"Hmmmph" he says and walks off....he always does that when I win...and I always take it as a yes situation....and he knows it...

Well the mechanic started chit chatting about how great it is that I want to do something like this....and then the cleaning gal got in on it and then some of the drivers....

AND THEN...here he comes again...round 2....

or so I thought...."there is a 250 gallon water tank under the storage trailer...."  and off he goes again....over his shoulder he says "I'll start saving coffee grounds for compost..."




BAAAAAAAHAAAAAAA!  I have to admit...I do love the sparring...and I think he does too....

On to my garden...

As you all prolly know...Wyoming is in a severe drought..it has been going on for years and there is absolutely NO grass...weeds...green...anywhere.... I have a treasure hunt ahead of me to find sheet mulching materials...hay and straw are at a premium as they have to import it to feed livestock...it is very expensive! and I am a terrible cheap skate....and I LOVE to recycle, reuse and re-purpose.....


In the very back of the lot...at the dumping ground...I found my spot...and TONS of reusable stuff...the images of sugar plums dancing in my head? have lot's to do with the welding shop on the lot...and my Honey...he is an awesome welder!
Trellis'...fencing...garden art...I can't wait!









So we will see if this Dilletante can build a recycled, re purposed, reused garden and coerce even one tomato out of this barren desert ....

Monday, March 4, 2013

Greenhouses...

I have always wanted a greenhouse...I use a cold frame which consists of a plywood and 2x4 box with a recycled glass door for a cold frame...the bottom is open to the dirt, the plants are started in the basement under a $10.00 shop light and transferred into this box, which faces South... in March...








from March to June...my lil plants go crazy in there! they go so crazy that the box is soon over run with plants that want OUT!  Sooo...even though I am stuck in Wyoming with no garden this spring I have been researching green house ideas...




Barn Greenhouse

This one is one of the best representations...cost wise...that I have ever seen!

It comes from this site...http://ana-white.com/2012/05/plans/barn-greenhouse  which is a fantastic representation of DIY!

She has plans for EVERYTHING!  materials lists, detailed instructions and plenty of advice to boot! I priced this lil gem...her plans represent about $700 in materials...

BUT...I have a cost saving idea...

To frame the bottom...use pallets! My favorite recycled building material...I drove round the area I am in...there are no less than 1000 pallets on any given day...destined for the land fill....

Lay a treated landscape timber (which are a really inexpensive alternative to a 4x4) down with flat side up...put the full shipping pallet on the top of the landscape timber, screw it to the timber every 4 inches...attach each corner of the pallet with small bolts or screws... and then sheet it with the metal roofing...

Pallets make a nice straight wall and are super sturdy!

Duck fence


Tip:  Roofing companies sell or discard the outer packing sheets of metal roofing...which...are sheets of metal roofing! Free or cheap instead of new...I got most of the tin panels for my shed for free! from a roofing job that was being done on a bar in my area...

Landscape timber/pallet framing on shed


Take some pallets apart and use the 2x4's to frame the rest of the wall as tall as you want...I would not go with the gambrel/barn roof...cuz...well...my carpentry skills are not very good! lol! and the gable roof would cut down on the amount of lumber needed... I would just build the wall up with 2x4 general framing and lay a top plate around the whole thing....and go with a simple gable roof with the corrugated plastic sheeting horizontal on the 2x4 wall framing...and then vertical on the roof...to shed rain and snow...

This guy made a house out of pallets...

http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/tag/pallet-house/


Roof framing has been incredibly difficult for me to learn..I have the hang of it now but still not quite comfy with the idea of doing it by myself...but we all know SOMEONE that may be willing to help with this project....and my Hubby seems to think this would be a very simple one!

Simple roof design




All in all...my estimation of cost if I used the gleaned pallets and free scrap wood...and a free/cheap/recycled tin sheeting...it would cut the cost to about $200.00 for the corrugated plastic sheets...and screws...maybe some clear caulking...


Considering the expense of greenhouses today? I thought this one was a very nice looking and inexpensive, sturdy greenhouse...

Go way snow!