Grow your own food/ home, yard and garden DIY stuff/fixing your own home issues

[Overmind One]

i have seen them in stores around here, but marketed for outdoor use. they claim same specs as per indoor use one and use alcohol gel fuel--ventless, odorless,etc

i have seen tabletop and floating ones for ponds/pools

I got it because it puts out just enough actual heat for me to use in my studio. The IR heater is adequate by itself, but the fireplace allows me to turn it off for a few hours and still be toasty. I do not think it would work for a large place as far as heat, but for ambience it calls forth the exact same engrams as sitting in front of a traditional fireplace. Dancing flames, nothing like a candle or a burner. The ventless ones are the only ones safe to use indoors. The gel fireplaces cost more to operate than the ethanol fireplaces, and the flame pattern comes from only a canister. The ethanol allows a linear flame like in the video.

Strange...Walmart sells the Vigo I have for over $450.00, but Sears has it for $76.00, and I got mine on Amazon for only $69.95:

Amazon product

 

[YJ02]

ethanol fireplaces, and the flame pattern comes from only a canister. The ethanol allows a linear flame like in the video.

Well, get "scientific" and explore. doesn't sound like any gel in a canister would hurt anything in the set. i'll defi make sure that fire suit gets to ya!!

 

[YJ02]

Someone needs to build a reliable 'roomba' type device for chimney sweeping...

 

[Overmind One]

Someone needs to build a reliable 'roomba' type device for chimney sweeping...

I'm sure that's coming! I tried out the mopping robot, but it sucks. I am very happy with my Roomba still. I wish there was a flying drone dusting robot.

 

[Overmind One]

Well, get "scientific" and explore. doesn't sound like any gel in a canister would hurt anything in the set. i'll defi make sure that fire suit gets to ya!!

Ethanol is distilled from corn or discarded fruit, and I would need a still to make the fuel.

 

[YJ02]

Ethanol is distilled from corn or discarded fruit, and I would need a still to make the fuel.

yes, but i was talking of exploring with off the shelf stuff

ex: the reasons my chimney always needs to be cleaned about now is two part

1- it has been a long burning season this year compared to the last 3 winters. We have been burning fairly steady since late october, a hell of lot more than usual i nearly Jan with that steady near and below zero weather as well. It is just time to get it done

2- the wood i am now forced to use is wood that would normally be put up for use next year. But, with the steady cold, we just need more. This wood is 'green' still, as in not aged enough. As such, when it does burn it creates far more creosote than usual

so I got adventurous in finding ways to get this green wood to burn better! instead of going to buy gelled alcohol fire starter--which is good stuff, just expensive, I started using all that extra Androgel the VA sends me!

<they send me so much, there is noway i can use it all before it expires! so instead of throwing it out, it does make great gelled fire starter as is. got to love that government efficiency hey?!?! >>
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as for chimney cleaning. buying a conventional set of rods and brushes comes with a crazy price! its a seasonal "specialty" item dont you know?

a decent fiberglass set of rods (why fiberglass?) long enough for my chimney is over $40. that is just a no go!

and, yes, the rds do splinter and shatter as fiberglass is known to do

so, a few yrs back, i bought some nice sturdy PVC 3/4" pipe; 2 10 ft lengths with a plumbed connection in between with a standard chimney brush

price= about $25

it is nice and flexible and does a far better job


but i still want to do it remotely if i could

 

[YJ02]

been 11yrs and the Koi in our pond are finally spawning!

some are a little old to just be starting, but i think that now they have finally 'settled' without any big changes by me to the pond or any traumatic heron/bald eagle attacks happening they fell comfortable enough to get 'oinky boinky'

now we will see if they produce any babies

ps--the goldfish have reproduced a few times already. and the minnows!! i put 6 minnows left from a fishing trip into the pond...now, hundreds are in there

 

[Rac80]

Ok the garden spot is rototilled, has fence posts, & landscape fabric. As soon as May 15th comes (last frost day for Indiana) my plants get set out and the fencing goes up!

I always prefer growing my own, since I know what pesticides & fertilizers are used! Besides I can avoid the stores...pick groceries when I get home ! fresh salads, snacking!

 

[YJ02]

Ok the garden spot is rototilled, has fence posts, & landscape fabric. As soon as May 15th comes (last frost day for Indiana) my plants get set out and the fencing goes up!

I always prefer growing my own, since I know what pesticides & fertilizers are used! Besides I can avoid the stores...pick groceries when I get home ! fresh salads, snacking!

what is the actual forecast low for the 15th? clouds or clear? are yo basing this on a weather report or tradition?

i know ppl around here--a small few thankfully-who refuse to put in anything until june 4th regardless ofweather

then they are the same ones who bitch the growing season is too short!

it is actually warm enough now here, even with some 40's at night, to plant 'hardened off' tomato plants in

put in corn today. 3 varieties, one pack each. we eat the corn and sell the stalks every yr around late sept along with cattails

amazing what some ppl will pay for!

of course all root type stuff potato, onions, garlic, scallions,etc have been in for quite awhile now.

 

[Rac80]

it's what the local weathermen say! We're still at the a/c in the afternoon & heat on at night stage!

 

[Overmind One]

been 11yrs and the Koi in our pond are finally spawning!

some are a little old to just be starting, but i think that now they have finally 'settled' without any big changes by me to the pond or any traumatic heron/bald eagle attacks happening they fell comfortable enough to get 'oinky boinky'

now we will see if they produce any babies

ps--the goldfish have reproduced a few times already. and the minnows!! i put 6 minnows left from a fishing trip into the pond...now, hundreds are in there

You guys have heron in PA? Mean suckers! They will eat ducklings, mice, they will even stalk gophers and pull them right out of their holes. We don't have them in southern CA. But we have the Great Blue herons in northern CA and I have never seen one. I saw them in action in northern Florida.

 

[Joelist]

Well, you could have these....

 

[PussyGalore]

Just a reminder regarding tomato plants. If you are growing them this year be sure to place some Caltrate calcium pills (calcium carbonate) in the hole you put the plants in. I know it sounds weird but calcium is essential to preventing blossom end rot which ruins the fruit. It also gives the fruit a naturally sweet taste as it cuts down on the acidity. There's no need to buy special fertilizer for tomato plants if you have some basic calcium on hand. Just throw some of the pills into the hole while planting. You can crush them up and add them to a watering can but that's tedious and messy I have found. Trust me, it's just easier to toss a couple pills into the soil under the roots.

The year I didn't use calcium with my tomatoes they were a bust. The fruit started out promising but then quickly rotted while still green. I was able to avoid all that the next year by using calcium carbonate on my plants. It's very benign stuff so no worries there but just make sure you use calcium carbonate, not a different form like calcium citrate which is the wrong stuff.

 

[YJ02]

Just a reminder regarding tomato plants. If you are growing them this year be sure to place some Caltrate calcium pills (calcium carbonate) in the hole you put the plants in. I know it sounds weird but calcium is essential to preventing blossom end rot which ruins the fruit. It also gives the fruit a naturally sweet taste as it cuts down on the acidity. There's no need to buy special fertilizer for tomato plants if you have some basic calcium on hand. Just throw some of the pills into the hole while planting. You can crush them up and add them to a watering can but that's tedious and messy I have found. Trust me, it's just easier to toss a couple pills into the soil under the roots.

The year I didn't use calcium with my tomatoes they were a bust. The fruit started out promising but then quickly rotted while still green. I was able to avoid all that the next year by using calcium carbonate on my plants. It's very benign stuff so no worries there but just make sure you use calcium carbonate, not a different form like calcium citrate which is the wrong stuff.

added this to both the raised bed and the pots we grew tom's in lat year. then added some Epsom salt here and there through the season

no rot at all and great turnout

though we may not see wild mushrooms the same, we defi grow some good tomatoes!

 

[YJ02]

You guys have heron in PA? Mean suckers! They will eat ducklings, mice, they will even stalk gophers and pull them right out of their holes. We don't have them in southern CA. But we have the Great Blue herons in northern CA and I have never seen one. I saw them in action in northern Florida.

here, on this river, we have great blues and some greens that are here from about late march till october

they live on the river and in the morning they will fly over us to go to some ponds on top of the hill. at dusck they go back to the river

about 4 yrs ago, we lost almost every koi and goldish to one heron in one morning. about 18 fish in all

i had some large koi then too. one was a blue headed koi (rare to find in us stores) that was about 14 in long.

all it left behind was one small koi and a few goldfish.

my mistake was keeping the water too clean. pond owners will spend great amounts of time and money on this effort, but if you live in any area where any predatory birds are, it is a death sentence for your fish

and a little green water is not going to hurt them

i just keep ours clean enough so you can see them when they come up to feed or get with about 6 in of the surface.

clear water will also allow koi and goldfish to get sunburned as well

it is a big enough problem that the industry makes decoy herons to put in or near the pond. herons will only feed one bird per feeding area, they will not share. so if they see a decoy they will continue to move along. you just got to move the decoy every couple days or so.

we do fine without one though

i always expected the bald eagles to be a problem, but they seem satisfied with the fish they catch in the river

 

[YJ02]

I want one...

but in rechargeable 40v

 

[Overmind One]

I want one...

but in rechargeable 40v

Looks like a great zombie weapon!

 

[YJ02]

I was getting a bit tired of the same old same old with tomatoes, so this year I made a change

decided to go with some less seen plants--- Grew them from seed, so far,so good

some examples (mine are not ripe yet)

https://www.totallytomato.com/P/00382/Japanese+Black+Trifele+Tomato

https://www.totallytomato.com/P/00095/Black+Krim+Tomato

 

[YJ02]

check out these pumpkins

the seed bag said "giant" but you tend to never really believe seed bags

this pumpkin is on one of 4 plants we put right on top of the old chicken coop that i burned down last year. roasted all the manure and manure/bedding mix. turned it into a high nitrogen area. that acct's for the green growth; the roots must have gotten below that to the dirt below to get the magnesium and phosphorous, etc needed for fruit

this is the largest one//our granddaughter is 44" tall. Elmo is about 24"

if they get bigger we are going to have issues moving them to where they go when its time to sell them== heavy

 

[YJ02]

anyone know what kind of bees these are?

they totally ignore us, we can get about 20" to the hive and they still just fly around us.

sometimes they are so focused on what they are doing, they will bump into us then fly around us

although its in the garden, they are back and forth to the adult trees in the woods

they are black with a couple of white spots