Prelude To A Kitchen Garden Expansion

I'm expanding my kitchen garden and tomorrow is the big day! Garden Buddy is coming over first thing in the morning and we'll get to work.

So that you can keep up with our progress, here's some important information.

Goals
Remove big hunk of backyard to reduce grass mowing.
Increase the growing space for fruits and veggies.

Plan

1. Mark off area using strings and stakes.
2. Move established plants.
3. Dig up Spirea Vanhoutte (I'll miss you!).
4. Remove grass in the new garden area.
5. Cultivate entire area.
6. Build raised beds from wood that will last more than a couple of years (bad gardener!).
7. Place weed barrier on paths.
8. Cover paths with pea gravel.
9. Fill beds with garden soil/compost mix.
10. Move rain barrel to new garden.
11. Build 2-3 bin compost system for back of new garden area.
12. Build short fence around new garden area.
13. Build Arbor at entrance of new garden area.
14. Create path from patio to new garden. Material undecided.
15. Wait for Spring!

I do not have a timeline established for this project yet on the count of my real job is sucking the life outta me. But, it's on the way! Stay tuned!

Plotting My Next Big Garden Move: Kitchen Garden Expansion

Now that  few months have passed since finishing all my outdoor projects (pergola, patio), I'm really itching to do something amazing in my garden, again. 

In my effort to be more like the Dervaes or at least get a little closer to Urban Homesteading, I've decided to significantly expand my kitchen gardens.  Here's my kitchen garden history

• 2007 chose a big awkward spot just beyond the patio (AKA big pile of rubble) and threw down weed cloth over the area (around 8 x 10).  Things grew great, the weed control was awesome and despite the ugly factor, the location was prime for sunlight and maintenance.
• 2008 built 2 4 x 4 raised beds which I used as temporary leaf compost holders over the winter.  I like that they are contained and raised but the weed control was non-existent and plants are not thriving like they should due to the over-crowding.

For 2009 I'd like to build more raised beds using cedar this time (GB, you were right!) and a more of them!  I'd also like to be able to place a short cute fence around the kitchen garden area to keep the bastard rabbits out. 

I'll be removing a big section of my backyard for this expansion.  I'm not exactly sure of the dimensions yet but I'd like it to accommodate a minimum of (4) 4 x 4 raised beds a maximum of (6) 4 x 8 beds.  I'd also like to have narrow raised beds around the interior perimeter that I could fill with strawberries and a place in the back for my rain barrel and a 2-3 bin compost system.

I have an official plan drawn by Pie Guy (remember he did the official pergola plan, too) which I'd love to share with you but my stupid scanner is broken. 

I'd love to get this done in time to plant garlic.  Anybody know when's the latest I can plant garlic in zone 5?

More to come on the urban homestead project.  GB, call me! 

Technorati Tags: urban homesteading,garden planning,vegetable gardening,little homestead in the city,DIY,weekend warriors

DIY Pergola Wrap Up

I'm happy to report that the pergola is done! Well, I still want to stain it but it's basically done. Several people have commented that they were thinking of building one of these bad boys, so I thought I'd post a summary of the project including all the crap you'll need to know if you decide to try this yourself.

Size - I'm happy with the size of the pergola. My posts are placed 12 feet apart and the top boards have a 2 foot overhang which makes the total size about 16x14.

Cost - 940.00

470.00 Lumber (4) 4x4 for the corner posts, (4) 2x6x14 for roof support, (15) 2x4x16 for the roof, (2) 2x4x14 for practice.

55.00 Lumber delivery

20.00 Hardware - brackets, screws, drill bit

40.00 Fast Set Concrete

20.00 Concrete tubes - 4 8 inch round ones

73.00 Tool Rental - 2 man post hole digger. You can use a one man if your hole will be 8 inches or less but anything larger than that will require a 2 man machine.

250.00 Labor - (post hole digging, lowering the pergola, attaching the top boards, replacing bricks.

DIY or Professional?

If you can afford it or if you are not handy and have no handy friends, you should definitely order up a professional pergola. Professionals are in and out, they clean up after themselves and they are really good at leveling and spacing and all that stuff that you think is easy but is really a pain in the ass. If you are in the Chicagoland area, my recommendation is Thomas Landscaping. He's been great to work with and I have no doubt that he would have done as great a job on the pergola as he did on the paver patio. But, if you are on a tight budget like me and you really really want a pergola so bad that it's all you can think about, then I'd say it's a good DIY project.

Tips

Find your inspiration photo - I found a great Pergola picture in one of my gardening magazines and kept this with me during the entire project. It really came in handy while shopping for supplies. It was particularly useful to show to salesmen when I was shopping for supplies like hardware because I could show them exactly what I was doing rather than trying to explain it to them. My inspiration photo was a pergola that was much larger than mine but I loved the style of it and the way it was connected.

Draw your plan - we laughed about Pie Guys "official Pergola plan" but when it came right down to it, this thing was very helpful. We taped it up in our work area, made notes on it and referred to it frequently during the project.

Get organized - keep all your crap in a folder that you carry with you everywhere you go until the project is finished. Keep receipts, inspiration photos, drawings, patterns for your pergola cuts, menus for lunch and anything else you can think of.

Make end cut patterns - I waited until right before it was time to make the cuts in order to make my pattern and that time could have been spent doing other work had I created my patterns ahead of time. It took longer than I expected to make something I liked. The pattern is pretty easy to create. Just cut a piece of cardboard that is the same size as the end of your board, draw your pattern with a pencil and cut along the pencil line with a box cutter. Be sure to save your patterns forever in case you ever need to replace a board on your pergola. Great tip, GB!

Practice on extra boards - you'll need a couple of extra 2x4's to practice end cuts with the jig saw and to make spacer boards and other random stuff like that.

Make a schedule - With weekend projects, time is a huge factor. More than likely you're trying to do way too much in the time you've allowed yourself so, if you have a set amount of time to finish your project, create a timeline. This will help you stay on schedule. Be specific about what you need to get accomplished by when. Share your schedule with your team.

Shop around for lumber - I was really surprised at the different prices for lumber between Menards, HD, Lowes and Hines Lumber. Since I had my heart set on Cedar, which is more expensive than treated wood, I needed to get it at the best price possible. The variation in the total price of the lumber was almost $300! I purchased my lumber from Menards.

Get extra wood if you are having your supplies delivered - if you can afford it, order a few extra pieces of the sizes that you buy. You can always return the unused ones. For some stupid reason, when they pick the lumber they don't look at the quality of it. As a result, they delivered me 5 boards that were just awful and needed to be replaced. I was able to throw a fit and get them to replace the wood the next day but I was very lucky and if they hadn't done that, my project would have been delayed.

Borrow equipment - if I'd had to buy all the stuff I needed for this project but didn't have, the price would have been significantly higher. My great friends not only helped by providing the brains and the muscle behind the project, they also brought all sorts of equipment like ladders, drills, ratchets (I finally learned what that was!), levels etc. So, make an equipment list then start begging!

Call the professionals when you need to - at some point in the project it's better to cut your losses and reach out to the professionals to help you with the really hard stuff like digging holes with big scary machines, cutting off posts that are already mounted in concrete (what a bloody mess that could have been) and replacing the bricks around the posts (I still don't know how they cut those things to fit - it's like magic!) I spent around 250.00 on extra labor but I think it was well worth it. Here's the pergola dudes who helped me. Thanks, pergola dudes!

The verdict

It's hard to say how much money I saved because, even though my project cost 60% less than the estimate I got, there were some big differences in the estimate I got and the project I did.

1. Professional Pergola makers usually use way bigger wood than I did. For example, my corner posts were 4x4's and a professional would have used at least 6x6 which cost 3 times as much in Cedar. Similarly, my 2x6 would have been 2x10 with a professional and my 2x4 would have been 2x6 or 2x8. I simply could not afford that lumber but if you can, buy it! Your pergola will be bad ass! Trust me!


2. The estimate I got was for pressure treated pine which is much less expensive than Cedar. If you are not picky about that sort of thing then you can really save the big bucks by using treated wood. Personally, I hate that stuff because of the required maintenance. Wanna get fancy and you've got the cash? Try composite wood. It lasts forever! And its a green product.

I feel pretty good about the pergola project. It was very hard work but I had a great time doing it and I would totally do it again. I think it turned out really nice, don't you?

So, if you've been thinking of building a pergola I say go for it. I think it is a very reasonable DIY project that can be completed in about 2 weekends.

Want to see more about this project? Start with the countdown, then take a look at my plans and then read about Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Pergola Part 3

Does anybody else think that mixing concrete sucks as much as I do? I swear I feel like I've got rocks in my lungs.

Saturday morning we got right to work on mounting the corner posts in concrete. This was the hardest part of the pergola build. I think we must have measured and checked level 20 times per post.

And as you can see from the picture below, the concrete powder is really dusty and none of us had masks. I don't have a picture of it but you should have seen the 3 of us (me, pie guy and GB) all trying to stir the same batch of concrete at the same time. I laughed so hard I nearly peed myself. Once the posts were in we started working on the pattern for the ends of the boards.

Who needs saw horses? Pie guy used the jig saw to cut the boards that support the roof then I did the other 15 upper board cuts. That's 30 cuts made while squatting on the ground! I swear I thought I'd suffered brain damage at some point from all that vibrating.

We also had a few helpers stop by like Ms. Pie Guy and my garden blogging neighbor J and Mr. J. She brought me a Geranium which I was thrilled about. Not only that but when they noticed we only had one ladder, they ran home and picked up about a billion more ladders in various sizes and brought them over for us to use. Can you believe that? They also helped me make 15 of the cuts with the jig saw by sitting on the boards to hold them in place. Mr. J noticed that I was about to lose consciousness from the vibrating jig saw and offered to make the last few cuts for me. Thank you Mr. J! I'm pretty sure you saved my life!

It doesn't look like it from the picture below but Pie Guy was the foreman. Him, GB and I have worked together on enough projects that we all sort of just fall into our natural role. I can't tell you exactly what any of our roles are but Pie Guy is usually anticipating and avoiding potential problems, I'm running around telling us all to hurry up because I'm impatient and GB is always right there with the exact tool you need for the job you are doing. I don't know how she does it! On this day she was very busy trying to keep people from injuring themselves, especially Pie Guy.

"Pie Guy, don't you want to put your gloves on?"

"Pie Guy, be careful those fingers will be performing surgeries one day!"

"Pie Guy, PUT YOUR GLOVES ON!"

We got the upper beams positioned correctly but we ran out of time before they were mounted. So they are just laying up there now.

The thing is 9 feet high! After mulling it over all day today I think I've decided to lower the roof. I think the 9 foot high would be OK if all the wood was much bigger. Or, if I were nearly 7 feet tall like Pie Guy. But It doesn't have the cozy feel that I wanted from the Pergola and I think I can achieve that by lowering the ceiling a couple of feet. Don't ask me how I'm going to do that because I have no idea. I've got tools and ladders that belong to various people sitting by my back door and I'm pretty sure they'll need those back ASAP.

So all and all I think the pergola project went great. To me, the best thing was realizing what awesome friends I have. I mean who would spend their entire Saturday doing hard labor? I haven't spoken to them today so I've been wondering if they are as sore as I am. I was nearly in tears from the pain in my feet, back, arms, face (sunburn especially the lips - ouch!) , legs, hips, head. You name it, it hurt.

Stay tuned for more pergola fun in the coming days as I try to figure out a way to take it apart, lower the ceiling and put it all back together again.

Pergola Part 2

Day 1 of the Pergola project was pretty darn long but Phase I and II were completed on schedule.

I bought the concrete tubes and brackets, cleared off the patio and stalked the wood people all day.

GB came over to help me measure where the holes should be dug and the picture below shows approximately where the corner 4x4's will go.

Have you ever seen one of these (below)? It's a 2 man post hole digger. When GB and I went to check out lumber a couple of weeks ago we saw this thing and vowed not to deal with it - ever. It looked like we could handle the 1 man post hole digger but when I went to pick it up today I learned that there is no 10 inch auger for the 1 man post hole digger so my only option was to rent the big scary ass 2 man digger. The tool rental guys warned me about this thing. "Do you think 2 girls can handle this thing?" I asked. "IT HAD BETTER BE TO REALLY STRONG GIRLS!" the tool guy said.

So, in between palpitations I called Thomas Landscaping to see if he might know 2 experienced hole diggers who wanted to make a few extra bucks. They came over about 8:30 and got to work. It took them a little over an hour to dig 4 holes.

The lumber finally arrived at about 7:30 (it was supposed to be here at noon) and unfortunately 5 of the upper boards were damaged. I'm hoping I can convince them to deliver the replacement boards in the morning so that we don't have an unnecessary delay. Also, I did not order enough cement so I'll be heading back to the store bright and early.

This really doesn't look like much wood, does it?

I don't know about you but I really love the smell of cedar.

I took these last 2 pictures above this morning when the sun came up.

Pergola Part I

me: "Good morning building materials guy. You are delivering some lumber for me today and I realized that I ordered the wrong length of 4x4's, can I change them to 12 foot lengths?

wood guy: "Oh there is a problem with your order. You ordered 15 2x4's in 16 foot lengths and we only have 4 of them so we can either deliver the partial order or hold it until we get the others in a few days."

me: "WHAT?? OH NO! I HAVE PEOPLE COMING OVER TO BUILD IN THE MORNING! Why didn't you tell me this when I placed the order?"

wood guy: "Yeah sorry about that."

After I begged and pleaded, the wood guy agreed to find the other boards at another store so the delivery is scheduled for sometime this afternoon. Now I'm a little worried. For some reason I'm freakishly nervous about this project. I can't even tell you why. I handle fairly large projects at work all the time and I'm never as nervous as this.

I should take the opportunity to say AGAIN how much Thomas Landscaping ROCKS! I received an email from him a couple of days ago saying that he'd been following my blog and was a little concerned about a couple of things on the pergola plans. One of them was that the upper beams were upside down (take that, Pie Guy!) and the other was about how to properly place the corner posts. That he took the time out to email me about this makes him a rock star in my book. So, if you need any hardscapes or other fancy patio stuff and you are in the Chicagoland area, be sure to call Thomas Landscaping. They did a great job on my patio, AND he's a very nice guy!

Here's my informal plan for building:

Phase I: Friday May 9, 2008 AM

• Prepare the area (move all the crap off the patio to make room for working),
• Receive and validate lumber delivery,
• Buy brackets for connecting top beams, sonotubes (thanks for that tip, Thomas!) and stakes to mark off area
• Rent post hole digger

Phase II: May 9, 2008 PM

• Mark off area, remove pavers for corner posts, dig holes, place sonotubes

Phase III: May 10, 2008 AM

• Place posts in concrete, make fancy cuts on top boards

Phase IV: May 10, 2008 PM

• Assemble top section

Phase V: May 17, 2008

• Stain new pergola

Official Pergola Plans

This is the official pergola plan as drawn by Pie Guy today. Disclaimer: This is not drawn to scale and Pie Guy is not an actual architect.

When Pie Guy and I work together on a project, there is always some detail that we argue over. Maybe you can help me decide this (win this) one. Looking at the drawing above, would you describe the rafters of the pergola as perpendicular to the fence on the left or parallel to the fence? I'm hoping to be able to go back and tell him that my official poll says he's WRONG! We keep score...

Weekend Warriors: Pergola Countdown

The site of the future pergola

Next weekend a beautiful pergola will be built here by me, GB and Pie Guy.

We don't have any proper plans and none of us have ever done anything like this before. That's just how we roll!

The 4x4 posts will be placed 12 feet apart in a square over to the left near the grass. The top beams will extend over the supports by 2 feet on each side. I haven't decided for sure but I think the beams will be placed so that they are perpendicular to the fence boards.

What is this 2008: Does anybody know what the heck this is? There are 3 of them popping up in the flower bed by the garage and I have no clue what it is but it looks kinda cool.

Weekend Warriors: Making Planter Boxes With Garden Buddy

I won't rehash the whole I-can't-find-a-planter-box-to-fit-my-homemade-plant-stand deal but today was the day that GB and I made planter boxes for the homemade plant stand!

One of the reasons that I think GB and I make such a good team is that we are both fairly heavy planners. Neither of us seem to be the type to just go and buy some crap without some preparation. Granted, our plans consist of what we jot down on random post-it notes at work, but still, we put a fair amount of analysis and research into it. Where we differ is that GB is all about the quality. "Get the good stuff so it'll last as long as possible" is what she always says. Me? I'm more the "if I can get 3 to 5 years out of it, I'll go with the cheap stuff." This came into play when determining the type of wood for said planter boxes. Of course I took her suggestion, I'm not a moron! She's the expert here. We went with Cedar.

She came over this morning and we went over our plans then took a quick walk through the garden so that she could see how it was progressing. She was pretty impressed with all my tomatoes and cantaloupes - that made me feel proud like when your teacher tells you how smart you are.

Have you ever shopped for lumber? There is sooooooo much to choose from! We decided that there must be some system to the way it was organized but we couldn't figure it out so we just roamed around until we found what we needed. Her plan: build a 6 foot long 10 inch tall cedar planter box. My plan: build two 30 inch long 10 inch tall cedar planter boxes. After struggling to find a suitable cart we loaded our lumber then proceeded to roam around the store looking for various things like screws and potting soil. We were imagining that somebody somewhere was watching us driving the lumber cart around the store laughing at us but after lapping the store we eventually made it to the cutter guy. He wouldn't let me take a picture of him making the cuts "I don't think that's allowed in the store and I just don't want you to get in trouble". Whatever, dude!

After arriving home we set up a work bench on the patio table and got down to business. You should have seen us trying to get the first screw in. The screw was wobbling like crazy and I was laughing so hard I almost peed myself.

Did I mention that it was like a thousand degrees outside today? And that my patio was in full blazing sun at this time? We did my 2 smaller planter boxes first and then moved on to hers.

The only problem with this was that by the time we got to her planter box we were near heat stroke and had to get on the ground to attach it. At some point I think we started to get worried about actually dieing in the heat and we kicked into "LETS DO THE DAMN THING" gear and by the time we were attaching sides of her planter, we were working like a finely oiled machine (or whatever that saying is). She was moving ahead of me pre-drilling the holes (we learned that this would prevent the boards from cracking) and I followed along behind her drilling the deck screws into place. We were so hot and tired when we finished that we did the wimpiest high 5 I've ever seen.

Afterward we hurriedly snapped a few pictures and I invited her in to cool off for a bit before heading home but she was concerned that she had left Mr. Garden Buddy home with the kids all day. It was 3pm and I didn't realize that neither of us had lunch. Heat and hypoglycemia are a bad combination! She ran for her car and I ran for the shower.

Things that I can't stop laughing about now as I am trying to recuperate:

1. We must have each burned our fingers at least 10 times from removing the pre-drilling screws that had become hot. We did it over and over and over again making me wonder if Pavlov's dog is smarter than us. It was the heat! We are both really smart - I swear!
2. Conversation while trying to use my drill: GB "how do you know which way is reverse" Me: "I dunno"....next screw GB: "how do you know which way is reverse? my dads has a yellow thing" Me: "I dunno". We had this conversation at least 5 times. I still don't know! For some reason I have used this thing over and over and never even tried to figure it out. I just try it and if it doesn't work I assume it goes the other way.

I am so excited about my planter boxes! Check them out! They are a perfect fit for the aquarium stand! And isn't her long planter box awesome???

We had a good time today and we are already thinking of building benches next. We figure we are pros now.