Changing trees

Been considering it for a couple years and decided to move on it. I want to change the type of trees in the yard. All these are cypress and Chinese elm. They're a pain and offer no benefits which some other types of trees would offer, along with more.

Gotten the tree survey from the Arbor Day Foundation several years in a row. For a small donation, they will send 10 trees to plant. Mostly decorative. As it is, I want to replace these with flowering, fruit and pecan trees. Crepe myrtle, apple, lemon, pecan and possibly cherry. Along with lots of blueberry bushes. 

That said, with the weather warming up so early this year, I have to get out and take down the existing trees soon, before they start budding out or form those horrendous seed pods. I have a few nights off this week, so going to take the chain saw out and take most of these trees down this week. Best get that done before doing so will interfere with the garden. 

There aren't any trees in the front of the house at the moment. Going to add several bushes and trees there. 

I know it will take several years before the new trees offer shade or produce anything edible but I'd much rather have that in the future than what I've got now. 

Of course, the rough part will be stump removal. Hope the truck will handle that. Most of these aren't too big, so it should. While I'm at it, get rid of that railroad tie sticking upright from the ground. (Why, I don't know. It was there when I moved in.) That and what to do with all the wood. Going to get a wood chipper in a few weeks and chip the smaller branches, compost it. Guess just stack the rest up and save it for fire pit or give it away.

Can't spend too much time on that this week. May have to take them down and leave them where they fall. Still not done rewiring the house. Should be done with that in another 2-3 weeks. Would have it done this week but was limited by time, now limited by finance. Now at the point where I need the more expensive tools and components to complete the job. When I am finished with that, I'll have some outdoor outlets for a well pump, waterfall and outdoor lighting. 

Finally got the seeds placed in plastic bags and in the fridge. As fast and easy as that went, I know I've been lazy about it. Haven't planted any of the seeds for spring yet. Get that done this week. Started watering the indoor tomato plants again the other day. Office was too cold for a while and they went dormant. Now it's remaining warm enough that they will come out of that, if they're still alive. Once I get the office rewired, bring in some of the outdoor tomato plants, start watering them and see if they recover. Not holding much hope for the outdoor ones but it's been a mild winter and you never know. Have to see what happens.

Warming up!

The weather this week and next is warming up! Still dropping to frost most nights but highs are around 60. So it's a good time to work on the yard and garden to get more prepared for spring.

Unfortunately, I do have lots of irons in the fire at the moment. Still in the process of rewiring the house. That's going to take a while but I want to get it done. I've done enough to make the house safe at this point. Replaced 11 outlets so far. Most of those tested as having an open ground condition.

While under the house, found it was much colder than I had expected. Cold drafts come up through the wood floors and into the house, even into spaces between the walls. So, started buying insulation to install under the house. I got R30 insulation, which is 9" thick. Some may see that as overkill but if it keeps the house comfortable, I disagree. Going to take a lot more to insulate the walls and ceilings. 

Still, I love working outdoors when the weather is nice. So, probably going to work on the wiring tonight and tomorrow, then do some tilling and such on Wed morning. Have to work that night, so can't do too much. Just considering doing the gardening a reward to myself for getting other things accomplished. And a break from doing things which are more mandatory. 

Got some potting soil this past weekend. Going to get some seeds started this week. New tomatoes, some pecans, etc. Keep forgetting to winterize some seeds which I think need the cold. Bag them in plastic tonight and put them in the fridge. 

Now that the temps are above the point of pipes bursting, need to reinstall the hose connector. Took it down when the pipes froze and one burst. That let me insulate the other pipes more effectively. Have to figure out some way to reconfigure the whole thing so I can keep it all from freezing. More difficult than you may think due to the terrible plumbing design. 

Okay. If I'm going to get anything at all done, need some sleep. Worked all night last night and went to Harbor Freight after work for a new tool. Really tired and getting a sinus infection.

Winter chores

Weather has been decent for a couple of days, in the 50's, near 60. So, got a few outside chores done.

Got the part for the furnace in the mail yesterday. Good timing. Had to climb in the crawlspace to check and run new cable. Then got the part installed. I was actually amazed at the fact that the second I hooked up power, it started with no delay at all. I've kept the occupied parts of the house warm but now the whole house is much more comfortable.

Finally collected most of the leaves from the dance studio. Piled most into the compost bin. Turned out to be more than I had counted on. I estimate I collected over 1000 lbs of leaves. Never really noted how many trees are on that lot. Over 20 trees, not counting bushes and bamboo. Still doesn't look that green because they're spaced out with rocks and parking lot between them. 

Not all the leaves would fit in the compost bin, even though the compost bin measures 3x4x4 ft. That's pretty big. So, I have several piles scattered here and there. Not worried about them scattering because I'll be spreading them out and tilling them directly in soon. 

I could fit more in the compost bin today but didn't. Expected some compaction but was surprised at the amount in one day. The bin was filled level with the top yesterday. Today it was down by nearly 1/3! I know much of that is simply from the weight but still surprising. 

The bagged leaves I collected from various sources are still next to the house. No longer bagged. The dog tore open every single bag. Wouldn't mind but now I have to pick out all the little pieces of ripped up plastic. And they're all wet, in the shadow of the house. Dry, they were 200-300 lbs of leaves. 

Cut some branches off trees today. Better to do it now, before spring, when there are no buds or leaves to contend with. Still need to buy a freestanding ladder to do more. Need it for other tasks, as well. Took down one huge branch which was large enough to be a small tree on it's own. It was overhanging the back drive and the power and phone lines. Didn't want it getting any larger. Though I will need at some point to rent, borrow or buy a wood chipper. I now have another huge pile of branches in the yard. Can't seem to completely eliminate that pile.

Going to take down the two trees causing most of the plumbing problems. I do like having trees there, so I'll replace them with Crepe Myrtle. Shallower and less invasive roots and they become decorative at a young age. 


Gotta get to bed.

Next paycheck, going to get some potting soil. Start some new tomato seeds now, so they have time to develop good root systems before spring.

Ten minutes

Have ten minutes before I have to head out the door to work.

Days are getting slightly longer again. Only by a few minutes but temps are slightly warmer, also. Glad it's not a really harsh winter this year. Still hoping for more moisture, though by this time last year we had not seen rain or snow for 3-4 months. Not that bad this year.

Need to get out this week and get the leaves piled into the compost bin. They're still loose and in various places. Including the parking lot of the dance studio, which hasn't been open this season. Probably do that on Thur afternoon. Be a waste to not collect them in time for them to compost. 

If the ground isn't too hard, may till much of them straight into the north garden. Or not. Still debating buying tons of compost from the water utility before spring. 

Need to get out with the chain saw and trim trees as well. Better to get it done now than wait until they're budding out. 

Still have to be diverted from the agricultural tasks by the electrical and domestic tasks needing to be done. Try to get to those this week as much as possible. 

Okay. Time's up.

More leaves, more moisture

After writing last, saw an ad on CL from someone giving away bagged leaves. Went to get them after work one morning and got more than I counted on! Got 12-14 good sized backs, well packed. Few hundred pounds worth. Couldn't load any more and still see through the back window. Since then, had more rain and snow. Should help the soil when spring comes along. 

Rain is helping to soften up the sheetrock piled in the back yard. I'm still convinced the sheetrock is a good idea but takes more work and time than I had counted on. Due to water resistant coverings, sheetrock doesn't break down as easily as I had hoped. Good thing in your house, not good for breaking it down for agricultural use. 

 The sheetrock also doesn't dissolve as I thought it would. Remains pretty chunky for a while. Not really a bad thing, except aesthetcially. Actually means the minerals will be more gradually released and organically available for a longer period. Then again, I've mostly been dissolving it in straight water. It takes the actions of water, acids and microorganisms to dissolve it completely. I'll mix most in the soil and some in the compost bin for that effect. 

I am reconsidering the idea of buying compost from the local water utility before spring. Depends on finances, mostly. Can buy ten tons delivered for around $300. Less expensive if you buy unscreened, which has 2-4" wood chips in it. Probably go half and half, then rake excess wood chips from grassy area surfaces and compost or mix in garden areas. That would help keep soil more loose and again result in slower release for longer benefits.

Got stuff to do! 

Helpful weather

Weather this week has been helpful to gardening (not much else). At least, for the future, that is.

Been raining on and off. Not flooding, which tends to be more normal here if it does rain. Had a chance for it to soak in really deep. After all the tilling, that should help things compost in the ground with time. Hoping for a fairly wet winter, though I am probably not joined in that sentiment by many people. Should be, as water reserves here are extremely low.

Rain is helping the leaves compost a bit. I still need to rake much of the leaves into the compost bin. Had left them out with thoughts of piling them up for my daughter, who loves to play in the piles of leaves. Doesn't look like such a great idea now. Went from no leaves falling to all of them falling, immediately followed by rain, wind and cold. Feel bad because that's her favorite part of autumn. 

The wind also interfered with my collection of leaves. Blew much of them away from good collection sites. Bummer. 

Still, have a few hundred pounds which will make decent compost. Those which are not collected in the bin run the chance of drying out before I can get them into the bin. If it remains dry enough for a couple of days, may still be able to salvage the situation and still let daughter play int the leaves. Though I need to return the neighbor's blower soon. 

Wait and see what the week brings.

Catching up

Finally have a chance to catch up on some things which I couldn't post or a while. Couldn't post from my phone because Blogger changed the interface and it was incompatible with my phone. 

I did ultimately get the whole yard tilled. In multiple places, more than once. Mixed in most of the wood chips and large or excess wood chips went into the compost bin. 

Started collecting leaves once they fell but have been diverted multiple times in multiple directions. Had vehicle problems more than once. 

Got money together and had power turned back on, as mentioned in last post. Knew some wiring would have to be replaced, as some of it is original, circa 1966 and installed with methods that were outdated in most places at that time. Asbestos cloth wrapped and I believe covered with creosote. Then it turned out that even the newer cables installed before I moved in are just connected to old wiring. In most cases, the third prong on electrical outlets were connected to nothing at all. Could not afford to have the electrician rewire the whole house. Cost around $1000 just to get enough done to get the power back on. So, now I'm in the process of rewiring the whole house and finding some amazingly bad things about the old wiring along the way. Outlets in the kitchen on the same circuit as outlets in the living room. Junction boxes installed under the floors and nailed to the joists. Can't get past the water and gas lines beyond a few feet into the crawlspace and there are cinder block walls which block access under newer sections of the house. So going to have to cut trapdoors in several places. Just make them permanent for any future work. Upgrading everything as I go, adding new outlets on new circuits. New breaker board has capacity to hold up to 30 circuit breakers. I'm going to fill the whole board. Much safer that way. Add some outdoor outlets for different things. 

Had plumbing problems. Tree roots growing through the pipes. Used the tiller to dig up the pipes, manually cut the roots back and place broken cinder blocks around the pipes. Won't completely stop the roots but will slow them down. Had to buy some professional plumbing tools to remove roots from inside the pipes. At some point in the future, get a motorized heavy drain snake to run through the pipes once or twice a year. It'll pay for itself in two uses. 

Pipes froze again this past week, in spite of insulating the pipes. However, temps went down lower than they have in years couple times this week. As low as 4 degrees F the night the pipes broke. Since then, fixed the pipes, insulated them, had built a crawlspace cover for the electrical work. Had some outdoor carpet someone gave me which I hadn't used yet. Used that to cover the crawlspace cover for more insulation. Also helps the house by reducing wind from getting in the crawlspace. 

It will help once I can finally get some portion of the solarium built. Had begun building shelves and such for organizing the house and had planned on getting some portion of the solarium started. That was when all the diversions began.

Planted lots of flower bulbs for spring. Hoping those do better than the seeds have. Dug up all the tomato plants but most are still outside in buckets. Not sure if they'll bounce back or not. For insurance, I'll start seeds in Jan indoors again. 

Thanks to weather and soil, pumpkin harvest was really poor this year. There was no corn this whole year. Green beans did well right up to first frost. Kinda sick of green beans for the moment. 

Guess that catches things up. Been an eventful few months. Now I need to get some sleep. Have more wiring to do tomorrow. 

Back online!

Finally got my power back on and internet service again! Cost a pretty penny to do so but going to take steps to decrease that over time.

Only have a short time to write before have to be ready for work.

Never did see any spinach or lettuce from last planting. Think the biggest issue is sodium in the soil. Extremely high here. Trying to counter that with calcium sulfate. Otherwise known as gypsum. Which comes in the form of sheetrock. I am collecting sheetrock scraps from people who are doing remodeling. Got quite a bit now. Takes time and effort to soak it, strip the paper backing off and soak it some more before it becomes usable for the soil but I have all winter. Since it has sulphur as well as calcium, it should help the soil here quite a bit. 

Also back to collecting leaves as I did last year. Built an above ground compost bin and filled in the pit. More capacity and easier on my back.


Okay, have to get ready for work.

I'm sick today, so not doing much gardening. Was sick yesterday and pushed myself to get some things done. Moved part of the clay pile, cleaned up some of the back yard. Worst part, where the dog likes to chew things up. Tilled part of the back yard. Pulled out the weed eater for areas where I can't till. So front and back look better. All that had to be done in spurts, lying on the couch in between. Have to work tonight, so not doing that today.

Now up to ten pumpkins growing! None of great size yet and most are minis but still something for Halloween. Giants are about to flower. Should see first flowers in the next three days.

Weather is gradually cooling. Warm now but forecast is for 70's day and upper 40's night next week. Not sure about tomatoes in those temps. Wait and see. Soil won't have a chance to cool too much at night if I water in the morning. So they be okay.

Lots more green bean vines now climbing and flowering.

Still no lettuce or spinach seen. But am seeing the rare carrot, planted months ago. Maybe more will pop up soon. Maybe.

Think I'm going back to sleep.I'm sick today, so not doing much gardening. Was sick yesterday and pushed myself to get some things done. Moved part of the clay pile, cleaned up some of the back yard. Worst part, where the dog likes to chew things up. Tilled part of the back yard. Pulled out the weed eater for areas where I can't till. So front and back look better. All that had to be done in spurts, lying on the couch in between. Have to work tonight, so not doing that today.

Now up to ten pumpkins growing! None of great size yet and most are minis but still something for Halloween. Giants are about to flower. Should see first flowers in the next three days.

Weather is gradually cooling. Warm now but forecast is for 70's day and upper 40's night next week. Not sure about tomatoes in those temps. Wait and see. Soil won't have a chance to cool too much at night if I water in the morning. So they be okay.

Lots more green bean vines now climbing and flowering.

Still no lettuce or spinach seen. But am seeing the rare carrot, planted months ago. Maybe more will pop up soon. Maybe.

Think I'm going back to sleep.