Our deck planter box grape vine is on its third year of growth.
It looks like there might be grapes this year.
We went with a Reliance seedless grape mainly because it can usually fruit without the use of chemicals.
Category: Urban homesteading
In addition, be sure to check out our older posts about urban homesteading.
Shitake log inoculation video
Drilling holes in mushroom logs just got a lot easier and faster with this new shitake drill bit.
You will also need the angle grinder drill chuck adapter.
More details from a shitake log workshop will be ready for next week.
Kindling splitter update
We’ve had our Kindling Splitter for over 2 years now and it continues to make kindling safe and easy.
It seems to help to cut your pieces a few inches higher than the height of the splitter.
Cutting shorter pieces runs the risk of the hammer contacting the splitter and dulling the edge.
A few minutes with an angle grinder is all it takes to bring it back to its full cutting potential.
Scrap Stacking
How to cut fiberglass insulation
I learned the hard way during some recent insulation work that a pair of scissors is painful.
The standard method of using a utility knife on a hard surface is good if you have plenty of room.
An electric meat carving knife is much better and quicker. It’s light enough to use with one hand while you use the other hand to hold on to the insulation.
Firewood Teamwork
How do we cut up those long wood mill discards in just the right size for firewood?
We now use a fence post next to some porch steps.
Anna pushes the board up against the fence post where I cut a piece that drops straight down.
Slowly but surely we are filling up the greenhouse woodshed.
Firewood stacking puzzle
We started cutting up and stacking our neighbors’ wood-mill throwaways.
A new problem cropped up. How to stack unconventional sized firewood?
This is what we came up with.
Is there a better way to stack these pieces of wood?
2×3 mistake
I chose 2×3 over 2×4 boards in an effort to make our caterpillar tunnels lighter.
We now know this makes them a little too heavy and prone to decay faster than expected.
I was able to fix the problem with some brackets but needed a whole new design.
The new version takes advantage of the light and strong steel rails used to support ceiling tiles in big buildings.
I also decided that a smaller structure is easier to move and less prone to damage.
Stay tuned for a more detailed post on the smaller and better caterpillar tunnel after we’ve finished driving it around the block a few times this year.
Bite sized tomatoes
We got a late start on our deck grown tomatoes.
A bit of a mix up on which variety this is but I really like the sweet taste and easy harvest.
This is the second year our deck tomatoes seem to be healthier than the ones we planted in the garden.
I like to split them down the middle to add a sweet dash of color to our salads.
12 cubic feet steel dump cart choices
Anna and I assembled a Craftsman steel dump cart while visiting my Mom recently.
The book says it takes 45 minutes to put together but we needed nearly 2 hours.
It’s a solid cart that can handle 750 pounds. Lowes sells it for 350 but Menards has a Yardworks version that is a little over 200.