Porch - more slow progress

Because of the weather I have not been able to get out much this week. We did go to B&Q and buy the window furniture for the porch (why is it called furniture please someone?). I managed to get it all fitted without too much grief - much to my surprise. I had expected to have problems getting the latch pins in the right places but with care it all worked.

Before any observant people tell me that the latches are the wrong way round... I know that, you know that but the wife wanted them this way so please tell her!

I also managed to get a little more plastering done, enough to finish the bag I was given from Freecycle and enough to get me ready  to put a 'one coat' on the ceiling... well half of it anyway.

When the plastering is done then it will be time to consider some painting, but plater drips make painting a little time wasting just yet.

Allotment update

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The fruit trees that were left by the previous plot holder are wll in flower bud - except the plum tree. The Pear is going to be magnificent again

The overwintering onions are doing very well as well - now they have been weeded a bit!

The rhubarb we got from Freecycle is doing very well indeed.

The Purple Sprouting Broccoli has produced an excellent crop this year too.

The first Broad Beans are well in flower now. These were set in January straight into the ground and have survived the weather. But they were protected by a cloche.

And this rhubarb was a birthday present from my Mother and Father in-law.

To break a bit of the wind I am using some pieces left by the previous plot holder to make a screen.

But today, apart from weeding, We have put the first crops into the polytunnel. We have also put them under a 'tent' of fleece in case of cold weather. 2 Money Maker tomatoes and 1 Telepathy Cucumber. We are hoping to get early crops. The mess of pipes is a self-watering system hooked up to a water butt, fed from the shed roof.

Also had to raise the netting on Feltham First peas as the plants are getting too big and starting to grow through the netting.

Project X

 Project X is my plan to build a full scale working model of a nuclear reactor...  But first I am building the lean-to greenhouse that will grow tomatoes (and stuff) from the waste heat (or from the sun if I never complete the full scope of Project X). I plan of testing the greenhouse part, extensively, by first running it a few seasons against the side of the shed on the allotment.

So today Dylan, my ever faithful helper, and I set about constructing it. Made entirely from reclaimed wood I had already sawn it into approximate lengths and regular widths and it was time to do the detail. Dylan watched on and consulted on Health and Safety and throughout the day I incurred not one single cut to my hands - that is almost a first so my thanks to Dylan for his help with that.

I Still found I was short of quite a few pieces as I modified the design as I felt the strengths and weaknesses of the design. I have a couple of pieces left to cut and then to paint the whole thing with wood preserver before labelling all the parts, dismantling and taking to the allotment for assembly in it's next location. I am planning of cutting polythene sheet to fit each side and use a further wooden strip over each edge to secure the polythene in place. I shall also be sinking bars into the ground at each of the corners and, using coachbolts, bolt the corners to the ground against wind - of which we get a lot!

Crazy Times

No matter how early I start the planting season it seems that I am always behind! I suppose it's because so many things need planting at the same time so everything has to happen together which clearly they can't. But now the season has started in earnest regardless.

Wednesday 8th March 2012
   Planted some rhubarb that was donated to us on Freecycle and started digging for potatoes. Also planted some kale.

Saturday 10th March 2012
   Planted Swift first early potatoes, kale that had been started earlier in the greenhouse, broad beans from pots that were sprouting nicely and a row of carrot seed. Also carried on digging for peas, parsnips and the next batch of potatoes. I came to get the next batches of potatoes for chitting and found that keeping them in the dark was a big mistake - the chits were bolting looking for the light. They now need delicate handling and planting deeper!

Sunday 11th March 2012
    Carried on digging for potatoes - perhaps we are giving over too much ground to potatoes (100 tubers in all) but we will see. This is the first year we have ever grown them. I also planted out Feltham First peas started in trays and parsnip seed and a few more kale. I also started some boltardy beetroot and alderman peas. I suspect we have too much kale though.

Monday 12th March 2012
   Didn't get to the allotment today, instead I reduced the mountain ash in front of the house gathering long lengths of wood for bean poles and quite a few more pea sticks. I plan on trying a new way of supporting the beans this year which will hopefully be more robust than last year on our windy spot. I also found the polytunnel I put up in a hurry last spring was not doing so well, but I already have started to construct a replacement.

The porch keeps on moving along...

After a couple of pretty intense days of activity the porch now 'feels like a room'. There still a long way to go but my cold and the rain has driven me inside today.

Next step is the roof... but what with Granddad needing an operation on this week as well as other social issues it now looks like roof time will be next week - weather permitting.

Bringing the porch up to date...

It is that time of year when frosts come.... we all know that but while the mortar in brick and block laying hardens it must not fall below 4 degrees centigrade - up to a couple of days or more - so naturally the walls have waited until the forecast gave us a few good (and reliable)  overnight temperatures. And rather than build all 4 layers of blocks in one go (a practice that would put a lot of pressure on the first layer) I set about building the walls in 2 visits. Those 28 blocks I was given turned out to be 31 and by buying just 4 more I managed to finish both the footings and the walls.

So far so good - now for the expensive bit - the woodwork. We always new this would be pricey abut when freecycle struck again I couldn't believe my luck! Somebody was offering old roofing joists - up to 200 of them. Sadly they were very oversubscribed but I managed to end up with 6 - each between 10 and 14 feet in length. There were six but this photo shows most of them cut into pieces and only the current offcuts left.

But after that has hit this

and you have taken away this

You end up with stuff ready to be cut into usable lengths.

Now I feel like real progress is being made!

A porch for all seasons...

Since Dylan came to stay we have been wanting a porch over the back door... somewhere to kick off muddy boots, hang up wet coats and towel down a muddy dog.  We got quotes from builders and what we found most disappointing was not the the cost but that they wanted to put up something they wanted, not something we wanted. Undaunted we moved with  the idea that we would "do it ourselves".

Hang on, that should be "The Mole" would do it himself. This would certainly work out cheaper but it would put the choice of materials, size and time scale into our own control... no waiting for builders to not turn up to do what they wanted.

Problem is that I have never even helped on a project like this, let alone done one! It was time for the internet.

I set out looking for helpful sites to show the process, methods and pitfalls and found some very excellent ones out there.

So we told Granddad and he suggested he had some windows and a door we could use. That would certainly save money, but starting in the middle of the walls didn't seem like anything I'd read about on the internet!

We looked anyway and started to agree on the actual floor size because of the windows and I suppose that was a logical start after all.

As keen 'freecyclers' we keep an eye out for anything that could really be helpful and were delighted when someone, less than a quarter of a mile away, had 28 concrete blocks going a begging. Not for long though because they were soon stacked neatly on the garden and "the game was afoot"!

Hiring a concrete mixer - for 1 day only - and having purchased the sand and ballast in several car journeys ahead of the day I set about constructing 'the slab' while my helper watched in frustration that I wouldn't allow him to help. However he does seem to approve now.