CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
Fix the Tacoma?
The Home Improvement Thread
- Thread starter texasislandboy
- Start date
Oswego
n00b
Where you been? That things been fixed, then sold, and I just bought 35 acres with it as my down-payment.
Summer parts blow out sale forthcoming
CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
Last post in your build thread is ~6 months old. Better get to work to make this a reality. Take a page from @balakay and get that old beast running!
AlienXtx
Nignog
Oswego
n00b
You had me thinking at work after I read this. Get home today and walla - sprouts all over. That said I tilled deep and have no idea what the seeds I planted will look like so these could be what I seeded or old weeds I brought up. I have no clover looking things like whats growing now so Ill remain hopeful that it's taking and not some trash weed seed from the 60's I brought back to life
left is wildflower mix - right is scotts grass seed. Think the scott's was seeded 1-2 weeks before the wildflowers
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
Nope, that's the valve I added in. I got all of this stuff off the back of my plumbers truck for freeThere are two connections where the solder looks like absolute dog shit and those are the two joints I had to solder in place cramped underneath the rafters by myself.
I'm not going to run PEX in this house because the whole house is 100% copper lines already. No reason to introduce PEX into the system for this little job and I got all this stuff for free from my plumbers truck. It'll be a long time before something leaks from these fittings. Especially since they don't have a high pressure load on them, all of the threads are wrapped and my monkey ass tightened them down.
And that valve is the isolation valve for the fridge so I don't have to turn off the whole house to unhook the fridge.
Gotcha, well free is good. Didn't realize that thing was a valve, you have the handle facing up into the rafters? I was not advocating converting to pex, more just simplifying the connections. I guess they'll be ok if the water quality is good. Even with brass I've seen them leak over time. But hell if it's free and lasts for 15-20 years then I guess that's about all you can ask for. At least you didn't burn the house down sweating that tee in
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
I have thought about that, problem is I don't have enough land to get farm assessed. Typically one acre is for the house and the rest could be taxed as farm land, that wouldn't be hardly worth the time to fight the municipality over it. All of my "grass" is just weeds anyway
, so it would be better off growing something a little better. And yes, that soil is good, my property was originally part of the field behind me and was subdivided to build my house so the top few inches are all good top soil. I'm getting a large willow tree taken down next week, then my property will be cleaned up where I can start to develop it the way I want, I've been getting ideas online for how to lay it out and what to plant.
I have posted a FB and CL for sale post for firewood. My only issue with selling somethign locally is that draws attention and monkeys start to eye up your setup if you catch my drift. I was going to buy the property next to me when it was for sale and I'm kicking myself for not, could have had more property to get farm assessed or be renting that out, the previous fellow in there said he was paying $1500/month to rent
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
Just load it up on a trailer and haul it somewhere to sell it. Or pay a nephew to do it. Sit here, sell wood, make $7 an hour.
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
This is true, I've got a few places I could drop it off and have it pretty visible
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
There was a place about a mile from here that a guy would park his truck and pre-stacked piles of wood, $10 piles and $20 piles. He would leave his truck window down an inch or so. When you pick up the wood you put the money in the window. I've done it a few times. Sadly the place he used to sell it was sold and is now a strip mall. But good idea. Just have to trust in humanity. Which is a stretch sometimes.
The handle doesn't hit the rafters, it's just the angle of the pic. I did have to face the valve handle backwards due to the handle hitting the PVC pipe (which I hate to do. I always want the handle facing the direction of flow but I wanted to finish this so I could play with my kiddo in the pool).Gotcha, well free is good. Didn't realize that thing was a valve, you have the handle facing up into the rafters? I was not advocating converting to pex, more just simplifying the connections. I guess they'll be ok if the water quality is good. Even with brass I've seen them leak over time. But hell if it's free and lasts for 15-20 years then I guess that's about all you can ask for. At least you didn't burn the house down sweating that tee in
Oswego
n00b
I have thought about that, problem is I don't have enough land to get farm assessed. Typically one acre is for the house and the rest could be taxed as farm land, that wouldn't be hardly worth the time to fight the municipality over it. All of my "grass" is just weeds anyway
And yes, that soil is good, my property was originally part of the field behind me and was subdivided to build my house so the top few inches are all good top soil. I'm getting a large willow tree taken down next week, then my property will be cleaned up where I can start to develop it the way I want, I've been getting ideas online for how to lay it out and what to plant.
I have posted a FB and CL for sale post for firewood. My only issue with selling somethign locally is that draws attention and monkeys start to eye up your setup if you catch my drift. I was going to buy the property next to me when it was for sale and I'm kicking myself for not, could have had more property to get farm assessed or be renting that out, the previous fellow in there said he was paying $1500/month to rent
I was thinking you had more land I guess cause it's cleared and grassy so it looks huge.
If your shoulder is wide enough (can't remember) put it next to your front road on the left looking at your house so they never even pull into your driveway. Shoulders not wide enough put it at the front of your driveway and maybe add a small picket fence before your attached garage. Yea, you'd need to add cameras for sure. I like the guy across from Atsion - he has a good set up for wood and also a stand for fresh veg and fruits. He's got cameras all over and a chime in his house as soon as someone pulls in the driveway.
I couldn't stop now that I went down the rabbit hole. Got another 6 blueberry bush's of various "late blooming" strains and 2 blackberrys. No matter where i looked to set up the first 5 I just bought and another two Ive had for many years in a bad location I need to move, I decided to just say screw it and buy more so I have a big ass blueberry patch in the middle of my yard. Will have 5 strains with early/middle/late bloomers + the 22 wild ones I planted in my other bed. I figured it was easier to make a "patch" look good than a single row.
After more research last night I decided to buy from another berry producer. Skip the bix box store GMO crap thats grown in a lab from a culture then sucks and stunts after year 3. Home Depot is charging about $40 per plant and they are smaller. Todays came out to less than $10 per if you factor in the freebies. Direct from the grower again like Sunday - just a different grower.
Got these from Blueberry Bill's Farm. Guys been in the biz for 50+ years and was very helpful. Took 10 minutes to tell me just about everything I need to know to get them growing like a pro. Unlike the other guy I bought from Sunday who advertises "fruit on year one" Bill told me to not let it fruit because it will go through shock when I replant it and if I let it fruit on top of transplanting year one it might not even make it let alone produce next year. Bill called the other guy a knucklehead and to follow his directions because he gets business from repeat customers and has little marketing where the pother guy burns bridges and just gets new customers. Said if I pinch the flowers this season after planting my crop next year will be 2 fold. Other guy said to let them go, but he has a horrible reputation in the industry and considerd a real snake per his hundreds of BBB complaints. Of course I found this all out last night after I bought them Sunday and tried to find out what strain I bought with no luck. Bill knows what he is selling. After I got my 5 in my car @ $10 a pop I gave him (3) 20 dollar bills and told him to keep the change and that we all needed to support our growers and I appreciated his tips and time. Dude then gave me (2) blackberries and (1) 3 YO blueberry bush of a strain he's just getting ready to market all for free. I tried to refuse like he did the tip, but he was having none of it and I respect my elders. After the second "No I coudln't do that" and he said it a third time I accepted. Then he offered me some dirt for free
. If I ever need more bush's Bill is my guy for sure. His website and marketing suck so he was hard to even find but dudes salt of the earth and the bulk fo his biz is to retailers. His place on my way there:
Oswego
n00b
3 in the ground, deflowered, and then they got a slight trim. Got 3 different strains in the pic - splitting them all up from each other for cross pollination/slow down disease/etc. Got some goofy branches rubbing others so if I cant train them Ill trim them up some more.
Must say amending soil by hand sucks. Not sure of my PH levels, so going the safe route and using 1 part peat moss to 1 part Jersey sand. I'm sure my soil is acidic but not sure how much so this formula "should" work out great for me.
I dig it all out and sift the rocks and shells out, throw 2" of peat moss in the bottom, soak it down, then use a mix of 1 part existing sand and 1 part peat moss mixed up to fill the hole and perimiter, then top coat with 2" of peat moss. Might add some pine bark chips for mulch or go old school and use pine needles - the peat moss is easily washed away and will not stop weeds. The 5-8 unused gallons of sand removed per hole was then laid out to level some areas.
Took off work tomorrow so if the weather cooperates Ill hopefully get them all in. Then I need to find a good spot for my blackberries. Pretty much giving up any "design" for them and the blueberries other than facing N/S (my story pole for N/S & 3' centers is the ol 2x6) and getting the most sun my shady ass yard offers.
Must say amending soil by hand sucks. Not sure of my PH levels, so going the safe route and using 1 part peat moss to 1 part Jersey sand. I'm sure my soil is acidic but not sure how much so this formula "should" work out great for me.
I dig it all out and sift the rocks and shells out, throw 2" of peat moss in the bottom, soak it down, then use a mix of 1 part existing sand and 1 part peat moss mixed up to fill the hole and perimiter, then top coat with 2" of peat moss. Might add some pine bark chips for mulch or go old school and use pine needles - the peat moss is easily washed away and will not stop weeds. The 5-8 unused gallons of sand removed per hole was then laid out to level some areas.
Took off work tomorrow so if the weather cooperates Ill hopefully get them all in. Then I need to find a good spot for my blackberries. Pretty much giving up any "design" for them and the blueberries other than facing N/S (my story pole for N/S & 3' centers is the ol 2x6) and getting the most sun my shady ass yard offers.
Oswego
n00b
So I'm not the only one pouring a liter of sand out of their shoes tonight after working outdoors
Taco Loco
Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
So I'm not the only one pouring a liter of sand out of their shoes tonight after working outdoors
yep.
100% sand here, very little to none organic matter and it was all sand when I dug the burn pit to almost 6ft deep.
Taco Loco
Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
most peat moss/bags that I have tested from stores is at 7 or slightly below(6.3-7), I bought a Ph and moisture meter for like $9 off Amadong
Also don’t use pine bark, look for a cedar mulch, last longer and repeals some insects
CowboyTaco
Well-Known Member
post link to said pH meter if you like it. I don't really need one, but for that price I'd like to take some of the guesswork out of lawn care.
Taco Loco
Tired and Lazy, married to ‘The Laundry Fairy’
I bought it back in Spring of 2017, the price of Amadong is now $15
Just search ‘3-in-1 Soil Moisture, Light and pH’ and look at reviews, lots of stores out there in the $10 range