I'M STILL HERE

 I cannot believe it has been so long since I have posted anything. Time flies when you are super busy doing thousands of thing a year. I've done many more projects during those past years and I will do my best to post some of them. Hopefully this time next year I can retire from full time work and spend more time doing things like this. Just wanted to check in and say Hi. I'll be back with some updated projects soon. Enjoy your day.

Wellhouse Update

Hello Everyone, Here it is November already. It's hard to believe Christmas is less than 2 months away. 

I've been busy with all my projects plus helping out at my companions house. Here's an update on the wellhouse. I have all the windows and they will be going in pretty soon after I paint them. I'll post some of my other projects pretty soon.

 Oh, and don't forget to vote next week, your vote counts.

Well House Foundation, Another Brilliant Idea?

Hi Everyone, I think it's about time I start writing again, My priorities went away from this for a while and it should not have. This is an important part of everyone's life. We should always share our thoughts and show people who are interested in our life things that make us unique and things of interest. I might have stopped writing but I have definitely been busy with multiple projects. Sometimes just to show progress on them I work a couple hours on each one of them just so I can eventually see them complete. This project is another one of my visions when complete will be made of windows also. I plan on putting in a shallow well that will be used to irrigate my plants and yard. I've never installed a well but I'll figure it out. If in doubt look it up on Youtube right? I will also use it to keep all my outdoor implements in one place and in order. I'll show you what I mean when it's done. This is the backside of the greenhouse and the plot for the Well House.  

Where Have I Been? They Asked

Hello everyone, this is what I told them when they asked where had I been. I've been trying to keep warm and busy by remodeling my downstairs bathroom this past winter. I couldn't believe the winter we had this year up and down the East coast. I've spent most of my adult life in CA, HI, or FL. So living on the east coast the last 8 years has been different and cold for me in the winter. Over all I do like the East coast especially here in Williamsburg. I decided to take on a project inside the house during the winter months and what you see is the remodeled downstairs bathroom. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. Now that the winter is over and my bones are warm again, I can resume my outdoor projects and I have a few to post so you can see what I've been doing. But First This

Here's Another Pictures in a Picture

Pictures in a Picture  (PIP)

Wow! the results are in. You liked the last one so much I decided to give you another one. This one is pictures of some of the Hottest peppers of the world also and a row of vine ripened cherry tomatoes. Grown in my very own Memorial Greenhouse in my backyard. It is also shown. I really like the one of all the Ghost peppers inside the bright yellow collender. Yellow is one of my theme colors of the GH as you can see. I think it represents happiness. Sorta like the Sun commercial in the Jimmy Dean sausage commercials. Don't you agree'? That being said... I hope you all have a fantastic week and may the good Lord bless you.

Picture of a Picture

Hi Folks, long time no see, Well I've been very busy doing a little wallpaper removal and painting plus working full time. I've been also maintaining my property and working in the greenhouse. There has been an invasion of whiteflies in there and they have been driving me up the wall. Tried all sorts of removal tactics and nothing seemed to get a handle on them. I have finally figured it out. By using insecticidal soap I have gotten the upper hand on them. A lot of damage has occurred up to this point. Mainly leaf dropping and stunted growth.                                                             I'm starting to see new life emerging though. At least now I know what to use in the future. It's not easy trying to maintain a greenhouse, but I still love it.

Now, about the PIP. This picture is on the wall in my office. I speaks for itself. A collect of the kinds of peppers I grow plus the picture of the Greenhouse. The picture of the greenhouse has become my signature picture of it. I call it "A Hot August Day" and it was very hot that day in August of 2013. I think it's pretty cool. What do you think?

New York Cheese Cake 1st

Hello everyone, Just wanted to share this with you. This is a New York Cheese Cake and it is the second one I ever made. The first one was the day before. My friend Mike retired the other day for the company I work for. He would on occasion bring one of these in and share it with us. His wife Bernadette made it. With him being gone I knew we would be missing these so I asked him for the recipe. He happily sent it to me. Having never made one I was a bit skeptical. But like all challenges I face there is the synergy that is created and I usually succeed, I tried to quit smoking my pipe a couple of months ago and failed to do so. That's what I'm talking about. .But with this challenge it was there. I am happy to report that success reigned. They are absolutely devine. Now we know where the next one will come from. Thank-you Mike and Bernadette and God bless you.

Portsmouth Virginia

Believe it or not I am interested in more things than gardening and building hydroponic grow systems. I am also interested in the beautiful and unbelievable architecture in building churches and the steeples that are part of them, that reach up into the heavens, bringing glory to God. The other day I had the opportunity to see some in the town of Portsmouth Va. I had to go to the Naval Hospital there to get a nuclear stress test. That's a story of it's own. I was headed there and noticed a huge steeple above the other buildings. I made it a point to go there when I was finished with the test.Here is what I was seeing: St. Paul's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church located in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is a compact Gothic Revival style, cruciform plan church. It is constructed of load-bearing masonry walls clad in quarry-faced granite. The church was designed by John Peebles (1876-1934) in 1897, and dedicated in 1905. (source: Wikipedia). So here you go, a nice picture of it.

Where have You Been?

Man, I didn't mean to be gone so long.I have been very busy lately taking care of some personal business. I think I have it under control now and can spend a little more time doing some of the things I enjoy. This new found entertainment is one of those things. I will try to devote a little bit more time to it. 

I can sense the seasonal change that's about to take place and I for one don't particularly care for cold weather. I do however like the fall season. But the leaves can have it, really hate that part.

Here is a picture of some Bhut Jolokia, better known as Ghost Peppers. I have them in a colander having been washed before I put them in a dehydrator. I love the color contrast.

In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce; the ghost chilli is rated at more than 1 million Scoville heat units (SHUs). Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 SHUs. However, as of 2012, it was superseded by the Trinidad moruga scorpion

On December 26, 2013, the Guinness World Records rated the "Carolina Reaper" the world's hottest pepper, moving the ghost chili to third place. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhut_Jolokia

Japanese Cucumber

This is a Japanese variety cucumber. I put the seedling in the dutch bucket about 6 weeks ago. As you recall I planted some outside and inside. The ones outside did grow faster than these and i was pretty impressed. however these have caught up with the ones outside and eventho the ones outside are producing Cukes they are not as big as these. Also the environment for the ones outside are extreme as in the temperature, sun, rain, insects. On the other hand these inside are better controlled. The water schedule is much more constant. My vote is going to have to lean toward Hydroponic Dutch Buckets inside the greenhouse.

I will be using this one to make some of the cucumber and tomato salad as shown below by Rachel Ray.

Cucumber Salad

This is a recipe for Cucumber Salad. I got it from The Food Network and Rachael Ray posted it. I subscribe to it and they send me recipes ever so often. I keep the ones I think I can manage and can the rest. I try to keep them simple if you know what I mean. I grow the cucumbers and tomatoes so i might as well make this every once in a while. Sometimes I make it and take it to work for the rest of the crew to munch on.

Credit- Rachael Ray

5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1 Kirby cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
A generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
2 splashes red wine vinegar
Coarse salt and black pepper

Directions
Dress the tomatoes, onions, and cucumber with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty bread for mopping up juices and oil.

Tomato Stalk

I took these this afternoon as I was finishing up for the day. After the picture was taken I harvested about 8 of them and put them in a salad we had with our dinner. They were very sweet. These are the last of the tomatoes this growing cycle in the Hydroponic NFT system. I plan on taking the channels out of the system this week and give them a good cleaning and prepare them for the next growing cycle. Have a good week everyone.

Scorpion Pepper

You will have to agree on this one for sure. This is about the most beautiful looking piece of fruit I have ever seen and it has a powerful punch. This is a Trinidad Scorpion Pepper. For those of you who know about the Scoville Unit it measures over 2 million. I have seen videos of people eating one of these as you see it now. It is amazing to watch them struggle as the heat builds up in their mouth and throats. Sometimes I take a small piece about the size of a pencil eraser and chew it up and swallow it. I'm here to tell you that it's very very hot and I cannot see how they do it. Bravo for them I say.

Mailbox Garden, Curb Appeal

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while. I have been so busy with my summer projects I can't find the time to get everything done, there is so much to do. Of course most of it is not a must be done project. I just put it on myself. No worries though, Sooner or later I'll get to it. I have made the time to add some to my curb appeal project by planting some flowers inside the mailbox garden project. So far so good.

Mail Box Garden

I've been thinking about this for a while now and am finally taking some action on it. When I first moved in it had some dreadful looking bushes around it with parts of it dying out. That lasted about 6 months and I hated it. So like any good bush hater I ripped them out. It remained bare for about 3 years until last weekend.. I hope I am picking out the right bushes for this. I plan on placing some flowers and a Clematis vine around the mail box post. I'm excited about how it will look in a few years.

Grown Up Clones

Hey, remember these? These are the grown up clones from the small ones in one of the posts near the bottom of this. I think it's pretty neat that I took some suckers off the plants in the greenhouse and cloned them. This way I know where the fruit will be coming from instead of wondering where the starter plants one would buy from Home Depot or Lowe's garden center. I also know that these are chemical free because they are growing right under my nose. Not like the ones at the store or farmers market. Grow your own tastes so good. Don't you agree?

Well, What do you know!

Well, What do you know. I entered the tab Dutch Buckets in a contest called Gardening and Homesteading sponsored by Instructables.com. There were 271 entries and I managed to win the Grand Prize for Gardening. What a surprise. The prize was a Samsung tablet. Yeah!

She Said "They are Wonderful"

I can't wait to pop one of these jewels in my mouth. Maybe in a couple of days. Over the weekend I planted some more cucumbers. They have been in the seeding trays and it was past time to put them in their new home. I put about 8 of them in the Buckets and the other 8 in the soil inside Mother's garden. I'm going to do a comparison of the two from planting to harvest. I already know what the outcome will be but I want to analyze it just the same. I think i will do a photo essay. Any input is appreciated

Hot Tamales

No they are not tamales. I'm just kidding you. Take a look at these. They are growing on Rachael's side and they look great. Don't you agree. I love giving them away. If you get up this way stop by and get yourself one. They won't last long.

*** Cucumbers Keep Raining on My Head ***

Cucumbers keep raining on my head, but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red. Crying's not for me. Cause I ain't gonna stop the cucumbers raining by complaining. Because I'm free, Nothing's bothering me.

Here's a couple of Cukes hanging from the roof and I'm just goofing around with that old song "Raindrops keep falling on my head" by B J Thomas. Remember that song? Anyway, I thought this would be a good addition to my blog. There are more up there hanging out. Tomorrow I'm going to make a pickled cucumber, onion, hot pepper flakes, and brown sugar recipe. It tastes awesome. 

Cool as a Cucumber

I was telling you earlier that the cucumbers were growing in the roof and there were cucumbers hanging from it. Here's one of them I picked today. Pretty cool huh? There are more of them that will be ready in about a week with more on the way.
Last weekend I planted more cucumber seeds in a grow tray with a dome on it. It was placed on a heating matt. today I removed them from under the dome and put them under a grow light because they have already sprouted. I hope my timing is right so I can take out the old plants and put these in their place.

Dutch Bucket System

I've just completed the tab on Dutch Bucket Hydroponic System. This system has exceeded my expectations. It has turned out to be very rewarding as I have already started harvesting the cucumbers in about 6 weeks. It is three times faster the the garden outside. I will try to keep it current so you can see.

NO NUKES - JUST CUKES

This is a picture of one of my cucumber plants inside my Greenhouse. This will be part of the tab I am working on now. The Dutch Bucket Hydroponic System. This is a little hard for me to believe so I can imagine what you are thinking. Especially when I tell you this has only been in the bucket for less than 30 days. This is what happens when you use the fertilizers described in the video I posted. Or maybe it's the Angel force field that's surrounding it. So, seeing is believing. Now they are sprawling out across the roof with cukes hanging down from the ceiling, really freaky. Have a Nice Week.

Rachael's Roses

This rose bush was given to us about two weeks after Rachael's passing 4-1-12.  My church gave them to us on our doorstep and they were about one foot tall. I think they are in a great spot being placed at the entry to her door. Don't tell anyone this secret but the reason they are so healthy looking and growing so well is because I dug a hole two feet deep and wide and put in a very good potting soil mixed with some of the soil that came out of the hole. This allows the rooting to get a good foothold and really latch themselves in.  

Hydroponic Fertilizer : What I Use & How to Mix It

Nice Yard Buddy

Ah, What a Beautiful day is was in Williamsburg.
The flowers are everywhere and in their Glory. The rain we had yesterday was just enough to clean the air, wash the pollen off the cars and give the yards a good soaking. After church today I paid attention to the landscaping on the property. My front yard is becoming more beautiful every week. Green, thick and almost free of weeds. When I moved in here four years ago the yard was mostly weeds with scattered grass and a lot of bald spots. I had remained like until just this year. Last June I had a gentleman ring the doorbell and talked me into hiring Scott's lawn service to spray for weeds and fertilize every month. I was determined to have a beautiful landscaped front yard. With their recommendation last fall to run a plug machine and overseed it has turned out to be a success. Thanks Scotts lawn service.  

Digital Timer

Happy Friday everyone, It's been a busy week for me and I'm glad it's Friday for sure. Looking forward to working around the Greenhouse and other nature things this weekend.

As you can see this is an Indoor Digital Timer. This is the one I selected to use on my Dutch Bucket System. So far it is working well for me. I have the timer programed to come on three times a day. It comes on at   6 to 6:30 am, 1200 to 1230 pm and 6 to 6:30 pm. It starts the water pump so that the buckets are flooded for 30 min at a time. The instructions confused me at first but that easy to do. I finally figured it out and am pleased with it. 

BeefSteak Tomato

This is the type of tomatoes I grow in my Greenhouse. Sweet and Juicy , no cardboard taste like from a hothouse. Many more are in the making and I can hardly wait for them to turn.

Air Pump, 24-7

Happy Saturday everyone even though it's almost over.

 I want to share with you the type of air pump I am using on my systems. The reason I am bring this up is because I just want you to know how reliable this pump has been. On My NFT system it has been running 27-7 since I turned it on back in August 2013. It is pretty quiet and I like it because it has 2 ports. The price was under 20 dollars. You can read the specifications on the box and purchase it from about anyplace that sells air pumps. Next week I'm going to buy another one because now that I have told you how reliable it is it is going to crap out on me. Just Kidding, although it wouldn't hurt having a spare one just in case. 

Cloning Tomatoes

I want to show you a few pictures of some Tomatoes I have cloned from some of the ones in the greenhouse. To start out I look at the mother plant and find some suckers that have started growing between a leaf branch and the main stalk. I have identified them days earlier and have allowed them to grow to about 4 or 5 inches. Before I remove them from the plant I get the solo cup and punch some holes in the bottom so that it will drain. I then fill it with potting soil to the top. After that I get a pencil and poke a hole into the potting soil. See what I'm getting at? I am now ready to perform surgery on the mother plant. I grab me a pair of scissors and gently cut the suckers off the main plant. Right away I dip the ends into water and then into the bottle of rooting powder. I cover about an inch of the stem, place it into the soil and tamp the soil around it. Once that is done I water the soil until it starts draining out the bottom. It usually takes about a week before the roots start growing from the stems. At first you wonder if it is even working because the plant droops like it is going to die. Then one day you see that it has perked up. I have had much better success with cloning when I use a grow light and a heat mat. I usually keep them in the cup for about 4 weeks and by that time they have rooted nicely and can be transplanted into your garden. Think about it. By doing it this way you don't have to plant seeds and hope they germinate and wait as long to get a sturdy healthy plant. Also knowing the plant that you took it from was part of another healthy plant. You can do this year round.

The picture here shows the plants in red solo cups and the plants in the containers are hot peppers. I grew them from seeds and even tho they are sturdy and healthy they are slow growing. These have been in the containers about 4 weeks already and have a few more to go before I will be ready to transplant. That is if I even do that. i might just move the container to the greenhouse and let them grow there.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

This Blog is the start of a project that I am new at. I started this about a month ago after talking to my neighbor in the grocery store. Her name is Beth. Thanks Beth for telling me about this. We were talking about the Hydroponic Greenhouse project I am involved with. When I decided that I was going to build the greenhouse I wanted to do something different than potted plants. After having doing some research and checking other peoples greenhouses on YouTube I decided to research Hydroponic systems. I knew I wanted to grow tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce. you know, your basic salad ingredients. But what system would I use to achieve that? That was the question and that's what I started to research. I visited lots of websites and hundreds of stories. I was confused but I did not get discouraged.At the same time I'm working a full time job and building the greenhouse...... I'll write more tonight as I have some chores to Do. I need to spread 2 yards of mulch in my plant grow beds in the front and back of the house. I will take some pictures for you.

It's about 7 pm and I have worn myself out since I last posted, been planting bulbs, Some Canna and Peony
I put all but one Peony in the front yard and it went in the back yard in front of the Greenhouse.

See all that mulch? Last Saturday I picked up 2 yards of it in my P/U and started spreading it today. I managed to spread almost all of it. That is back breaking work for sure but no big deal, a couple of Tylenol should do the trick. 

Anyway, we were talking about what kind of hydroponic system I was going to use weren't we? I decided to go with the Nutrient Film Technique NFT. I have a tab set aside on the blog that goes into detail about the system so I'm not going to cover it here. 

This is about all the time I can spare tonight so I better say goodbye and if the good lord is willing I will write another day.

J.D.

Let It Be, Hydroponic Greenhouse, for Lois Lee & Rachael Marie

This is a Greenhouse made by me alone and is in memory of my Mother and Daughter. It is mainly made from 110 yr. old windows obtained from the Eastern Shores of Virginia.The Doors were obtained from down the road at a house that was being remodeled and the cinder block and mortar used for the foundation are left over from a house being built around the corner. It measures 16' x 12' and is wired for 110 volts. I particularly like the split level roof and the open concept Credit belongs to Buildeasy-Greenhouse for the basic design which I built to suite. This is a labor of love with no deadline, and as a result you will see rough but quality work. All wood is pressure treated , primed and painted prior to assembly Tools used were circular saw, zaw-zaw, chop saw, cordless drill, hammer and measuring tools. Don't forget PPE, (personal protective equipment). I'll talk about that later. I am currently in the process of building a Hydroponic growing system for growing vegetables and flowers. The first type of system will be Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) using channels constructed from UV-stabilized, recycled plastics, 6"Wide x .5"Deep. It is suitable for large, leafy plants and vine varieties, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum and zucchini, in which the recycled nutrients flow past the roots 24/7. I will learn this technique before starting a second type. (if you're wondering why there is one yellow window frame it's because that's what I visualized in my mind what it was going to look like when it was finished.