Beans, Peas and Cucumbers

In staying with my gardening series, I know that this method for growing is not new by any means to some people, to others though it could be. As with anything, making things easier on you in the long run will help you become more productive. The same can be said with gardening. Who doesn't like fresh green beans, peas or cucumbers?
Whats the best way? The best way to grow them is what works for you! Now, what works best for me is to let them climb. No bending over, no back strain, just easy pick'ns. As far as what to let them climb up, that is entirely up to you. I have done it many ways, I will post below a few pictures of the ways I have done it, from simple pole and string to more of a permanent area using wooden lattice.

I do not have pictures of the lattice trellis that I used last year, I will have to do an update later this spring with that. As you can see you can eliminate the back breaking of bending over or being on your hands and knees when picking these little pots of gold. Not only is it easier on you, but it is also easier on the plants, (especially if you have younger ones out there helping you pick) they wont be stepping on the vines.

Remember to plant in an area where they can get lots of sun and plenty of water. A good shot of compost tea does wonders also.

Till next time!!

Always thinking!

     In the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Sandy got my mind to thinking of ways to be able to warm up soups and heat water and the like. Outside of the usual ways, like a camp stove, solar oven, I wondered if there might be another way. As I sat there thinking and putting different things in my head trying to conjure something cool.
     I think I have come up with something! I have not seen this exact thing so I decided to give it a try. What I did was to take a large coffee metal coffee can and cut the bottom out of it. Next I took a half inch drill bit and drilled about 20 holes at various places on the side of the can. Once all of the holes were drilled. I went out and bought one of those unscented 3 wick large round candles. I set the candle inside of a plain disposable pie tin. I next lit the candle and slide the coffee can down over it. I took a small pot and filled it with cold tap water to see how long it would take to warm the water to be able to be hot enough (if at all) to make hot cocoa or at least have luke  warm instant coffee. To my surprise within 15 minutes, the water had reached 120 deg. F. I next then tried the same thing with a can of heat and serve soup, this took a bit longer to heat up, about a half an hour.

All in all I would say that it was a pretty good idea. I had heard of alcohol burners and such, but none that you would use a candle with. From now on I will most definitely keep this in with my family's 72 hour in home kit.

 Till Next time, help your fellow man!  

Your Own Cold Room

I will start this off by saying that I may not always be the most grammatically correct, but I put things in the most simple terms as I can so that anyone can understand.

What is a cold room you ask? A cold room is somewhere in your home or on your property that will stay dry and well,... cold. If you do not have a basement in your home it can get a bit more expensive to build. Cold rooms can be used to store a variety of things such as potatoes, squash, onions all of your home canned goods amongst other things. You can also store all of your food storage in it (except frozen) safely. The best part is, you do not have to buy a commercial grade one, you can build it yourself. For arguments sake we will assume you have a basement. Pick the driest corner that is the least used away from the most direct heat source ( furnace-water heater) Since you are putting it in the corner you will only need to build 2 walls and a door. Bare in mind that in some states you may have to obtain a building permit and check the local codes.

Building your Cold Room 

What will you need: Note: all room sizes will be different so there is no set materials list.
2x4's
1/2" plywood
Rolled Insulation
Screws/Nails
Level
Hinges
Door pull

Your cold room does not need to be fancy with drywall and the whole nine yards. It just needs to be able to hold in the natural cold. Start by building the walls making sure to leave room for a door. The door size is determined by the amount or size of the containers you will be taking in through it. Once the walls are built, it might be easier for you to put in the ceiling now. Just simply take plywood and cover the top to make the ceiling. Once you have that completed, line the walls with plywood on the inside and the rolled insulation between the 2x4's on the outside. Cover the outside walls with plywood. There is no need to buy a premade door, although you can if you want, but there is really no need. If your cold room is very near an existing light there may be no need to install one as it may give off enough light. If this is not the case a simple mechanics corded light that you can hang on the wall and take in with you will work just fine.

Depending on what you want to store, you can build shelves in all or part of it. I would though recommend leaving space on the floor to be able to store things such as plastic boxes for potatoes, onions and other such things.