Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Flouresent light and broccoli sprouts
Total cost $40. The plant box, plus the soil, plus the lights plus the fixture. They say to use two different light bulbs in the light. One that is one spectrum, the other, another, to cover a broader range. I used one spectrum range so I hope it works.
The System
Courtney from GrowPittsburgh told me of a great idea using straw and clay (Artist-style molding clay) to construct buildings. That is now the plan for how to finish my greenhouse. Clay should add a good insulation for cracks, holes, missing walls, etc.
I was on http://www.growpittsburgh.org/growpittsburgh/UrbanAgZoningCode looking at a zoning code today and realized I can have (by pittsburgh law) 3 chickens, and sell the food off of the lot on which it was grown with permission from the owner. Did I mention Ray at the "Brighton Market" that just opened next to the lot said I could put vegetables in his store. Right now it´s all candy and cigarettes, so I hope to corner the market on vegetables at his corner store. There was a boost of inspiration in city agro ordinances thanks to Bill Peduto, the kind representative. Why the fuck should we wait for city ordinances to tell us what we can do? Because we don´t want to go to jail, that´s why. The city is good at putting people in jail, and then lighting them with LED lights, so that they can go green.
Boring video with Dan Onorato who I need to talk to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX10CQmFExY
What horse shit! Which is a good thing, albeit too high in nitrogen. Better than nothing.
Still the "system" everyone fears, is something that is not written in code. It is malleable, and you can never expect Bill Peduto and Dan Onorato to do anything for us. We have to do it ourselves and then have them either work with or against us. Lawyers are there to make sure it all goes down without a fight. Lawyers are just the referees in the boxing match between the government an the people.
There´s a sweet fence next door that fell down, and I hear chicken eggs are cheap and online. I´m thinking about hanging with my buddy who´s been a cooper and seeing if he´s not on the fence about this one. Ha.
Lately I´ve been pondering, and thinking. I also did some county website property searching. $200, 300, 400, 300, 200, 200, 200 dollar properties on the side of a steep hill, facing the southern sky (excellent sun). All with such a great view! I´m taking a walk there this weekend to explore. I gotta call the city to see how it would be possible to buy them, making sure firstly, that I can zone them for food production with the aim of eventually putting greenhouses in a terraced manner on the hillside, using as much wood as possible from neighboring trees.
Bright and early tomorrow to collect more soil samples. $10 http://www.umass.edu/soiltest/order.htm for a lead test. Lead doesn´t get into the food much, but does get into your skin and lungs via the dirt and dust. It´s digging that you need to worry about when considering lead levels in your soil. Lead is absorbed by plants too. Sunflowers, says Jen Dandy, are good ways to get these out.
I have solicited the help of Kim Muth who chairs the Philippino Student Association. She and a few members need a volunteer project.
"Toughened" my broccoli shoots by putting them outside today. letting ya'll know it's time for bean planting btw.
Ahh a plan. I heard Carnegie started making steel in his basement.
So long for now,
Ben
I was on http://www.growpittsburgh.org/growpittsburgh/UrbanAgZoningCode looking at a zoning code today and realized I can have (by pittsburgh law) 3 chickens, and sell the food off of the lot on which it was grown with permission from the owner. Did I mention Ray at the "Brighton Market" that just opened next to the lot said I could put vegetables in his store. Right now it´s all candy and cigarettes, so I hope to corner the market on vegetables at his corner store. There was a boost of inspiration in city agro ordinances thanks to Bill Peduto, the kind representative. Why the fuck should we wait for city ordinances to tell us what we can do? Because we don´t want to go to jail, that´s why. The city is good at putting people in jail, and then lighting them with LED lights, so that they can go green.
Boring video with Dan Onorato who I need to talk to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX10CQmFExY
What horse shit! Which is a good thing, albeit too high in nitrogen. Better than nothing.
Still the "system" everyone fears, is something that is not written in code. It is malleable, and you can never expect Bill Peduto and Dan Onorato to do anything for us. We have to do it ourselves and then have them either work with or against us. Lawyers are there to make sure it all goes down without a fight. Lawyers are just the referees in the boxing match between the government an the people.
There´s a sweet fence next door that fell down, and I hear chicken eggs are cheap and online. I´m thinking about hanging with my buddy who´s been a cooper and seeing if he´s not on the fence about this one. Ha.
Lately I´ve been pondering, and thinking. I also did some county website property searching. $200, 300, 400, 300, 200, 200, 200 dollar properties on the side of a steep hill, facing the southern sky (excellent sun). All with such a great view! I´m taking a walk there this weekend to explore. I gotta call the city to see how it would be possible to buy them, making sure firstly, that I can zone them for food production with the aim of eventually putting greenhouses in a terraced manner on the hillside, using as much wood as possible from neighboring trees.
Bright and early tomorrow to collect more soil samples. $10 http://www.umass.edu/soiltest/order.htm for a lead test. Lead doesn´t get into the food much, but does get into your skin and lungs via the dirt and dust. It´s digging that you need to worry about when considering lead levels in your soil. Lead is absorbed by plants too. Sunflowers, says Jen Dandy, are good ways to get these out.
I have solicited the help of Kim Muth who chairs the Philippino Student Association. She and a few members need a volunteer project.
"Toughened" my broccoli shoots by putting them outside today. letting ya'll know it's time for bean planting btw.
Ahh a plan. I heard Carnegie started making steel in his basement.
So long for now,
Ben
Monday, March 14, 2011
Treehouse, birdfeeder, doghouse
Luke just referred to it as a treehouse. Then accidentally called it a birdhouse. Ran into Ed the compost gaurdian again and he showed me the compost heap on the grounds of an abandoned school. The "Indian mound" they call it which I don't understand (ooh hallow, sacrosanct, edgy). In conversation, Ed pointed to the trees on the street and said they were planted by him; that a philanthropist had bought the trees and hired him and some friends to plant them. They broke up the cement themselves which is cool. They are fruit trees which will take 10 years to bloom. Exciting. Ed then helped me get 30 windows for free off of a guy on craigslist. They come in sizes ranging from 3x3 3x2, 2x1, 1x3 ft so if you need any please call. I placed one on the front of the greenhouse, square in the triangular part leading up to the peak which is at an acute angle. Hip folks in their 50s gave me the thumbs up on Sunday. An old man asked me if I was building a dog house.
Paradoxes:
I want to show people that this is easy, but it is not easy.
Success of an atractive garden means that I will attract not only bees and birds but home buyers, and renters as well. If landlords can get more, they inevitably will. So am I hurting the community by making the garden? I think about this often.
And gentrifying is derrogatory word for people moving into an area that connotes an imposition of class hierarchy. It means moving in and raising prices of other things like food, beer, and whatever other commodities people need. My greenhouse is meant to bring down the price of food. At least in theory. Which is principally against gentrification. Whether people like the hip 50s couple will begin demanding homes in the area immediately I don't know. Whether they choose to gentrify is up to them. Keeping things section 8 protected for the inhabitants is only fair. It's not right to move someone from their home.
I've been looking for corrugated metal and have been unable to find any, except for warped stuff in scrap heaps or folded in dumpsters and tacked on buildings. Warshing my teeth the other day I looked out my window and saw the fence between my house and my neighbors was made of metal and that there were left over pieces rusting away. I wanted to ask about it but Mucha told me that she had been taken to a nursing home. I tried to get her name by asking a similarly aged old lady on the street. With some difficulty she told me the owner's name was "mc something". I told her she was in a nursing home and she said that she wished she could be in a nursing home too, and not knowing how to answer that I carried that thought while building. I'm basically at the point where I'm trying to fill all the gaps in the structure with either wood or windows. It's kind of like mosaic building.
Question to the readers: is that legit to lift sheets of metal from the grounds of a condemned property when the owner is unknown and in a nursing home?
I recently started taking gardening classes on Monday nights with growpittsburgh. (www.growpittsburgh.org)
Broccoli is growing in the starter soil.
check back soon for photos.
Ben
Paradoxes:
I want to show people that this is easy, but it is not easy.
Success of an atractive garden means that I will attract not only bees and birds but home buyers, and renters as well. If landlords can get more, they inevitably will. So am I hurting the community by making the garden? I think about this often.
And gentrifying is derrogatory word for people moving into an area that connotes an imposition of class hierarchy. It means moving in and raising prices of other things like food, beer, and whatever other commodities people need. My greenhouse is meant to bring down the price of food. At least in theory. Which is principally against gentrification. Whether people like the hip 50s couple will begin demanding homes in the area immediately I don't know. Whether they choose to gentrify is up to them. Keeping things section 8 protected for the inhabitants is only fair. It's not right to move someone from their home.
I've been looking for corrugated metal and have been unable to find any, except for warped stuff in scrap heaps or folded in dumpsters and tacked on buildings. Warshing my teeth the other day I looked out my window and saw the fence between my house and my neighbors was made of metal and that there were left over pieces rusting away. I wanted to ask about it but Mucha told me that she had been taken to a nursing home. I tried to get her name by asking a similarly aged old lady on the street. With some difficulty she told me the owner's name was "mc something". I told her she was in a nursing home and she said that she wished she could be in a nursing home too, and not knowing how to answer that I carried that thought while building. I'm basically at the point where I'm trying to fill all the gaps in the structure with either wood or windows. It's kind of like mosaic building.
Question to the readers: is that legit to lift sheets of metal from the grounds of a condemned property when the owner is unknown and in a nursing home?
I recently started taking gardening classes on Monday nights with growpittsburgh. (www.growpittsburgh.org)
Broccoli is growing in the starter soil.
check back soon for photos.
Ben
Monday, March 7, 2011
Doors and a Barrel
It's March already. Sometime in february I was cleaning trash out of the lot when I saw a 2 people waiting for the 15 on the corner. I said hi. I was eager to meet people and tell them about my garden. I asked if they had any suggestions for what they'd rahter see there. They said that every year someone tries to put something on the lot and that right now it looks like shit. Waaahw waaahw. Fast foreward a month. Just this Saterday, March 5th, Mucha, my landlord, told me the lot looks like whitetrash, his favorite adjective. Looking out out the window where he and I stood, over my yard covered in branches that Mucha cut from an old tree and never dragged away, and over the broken slats of the neighbors old picket fence, I could see my greenhouse surrounded by plastic Family Dollar bags, and then, for an instant the white trash description was almost given a purely nuanced and poetic meaning. Almost.
Some month passes. I spent the last few weekends looking through dumpsters using my Honda Accord as a pickup truck. I got followed by a guy in who's dumpster I was perusing and escaped with a U-turn maneuvre. I found a door with a glass window in it, I also found a garage door which Noah helped me lift from an abandoned building. Pretty, green, and adds charm now as the east wall. Filio got me a piece of corrugated plastic for the western facing roof. The window door now constitutes my western wall. My buddy, Lucas Strzelec, moved in for a month or so so he's been able to help out with some cutting and nailing, and, as an architectural studies major with construction experience, doles out a boatload of knowledge ragarding building. I met a girl, Anna, who is now my girlfriend! She doesn't garden much, but her dad has a chainsaw.
I met a behemoth of a dude named Ed on March 5th. He lives on the block adjacent to the lot and had plans of cleaning it which was radical. I'm hoping he'll help out. By hope i mean I'm banking on it. He told me he's the new compost man. The compost man, FYI, is vigilante organics collecter on the northside. When Ed let me know, it was as if he was saying he was the new sheriff in town after a guy named Matt had left. He's got two heaping mounts of compost up the hill which rules and he said I could have a deal of it.
I got a bunch of vegetable seeds from the supermarket. Burpee seeds, which are corporate GMO seeds, but I was in a frenzy to start seedlings, so I put some in my home hydroponics 98 plant starter. Got a flourescent light for the plants in the real house. It makes my house look like a bar, or a jewelry store at night.
The greenhouse is still a bit gappy. Wind whips through. The roof has a hole. I got a Metal drum from a scrapyard. It's black and will be filled with water to absorb sun and realease heat in my greenhouse. It's becoming less necessary to have a greenhouse as the warmth approaches. Even so, I don't care if I finish in June. The only thing is I'm lying. I want it done now. I should have enough wood, liquid nails and foam after my last trip to the Home Despot to finally seal it. I also got some of that linoleum molding you see in office buildings which I'll be using to seal the perimeter inside. Roof needs finishing. I need metal!!! I was thinking soda cans. If anyone's got any idea about how I can cover half the roof with metal let me know. In this economy everyone's clinging to their metal.
I made a trashcan out of one of my water barrels, put rocks in the bottom. I've gotta put a roof on it or else it'll fill with water everytime it rains. I'm gonna cut down this demon of a leafless bush next. And put a freaking roof on my greenhouse. Then I'll insulate it. That'll be fun. If you the kind reader (mom) know anywhere to get cheap metal let me know. I'll add some pictures soon.
Ben
Ps. Firs sprouts in the starter are broccoli. 4-5 days in between folds in a wet coffee filter plced within two plates. I signed up for a gardening class too through the Grow Pittsburgh foundation. I'll share what I learn there. Aight. Be good.
Some month passes. I spent the last few weekends looking through dumpsters using my Honda Accord as a pickup truck. I got followed by a guy in who's dumpster I was perusing and escaped with a U-turn maneuvre. I found a door with a glass window in it, I also found a garage door which Noah helped me lift from an abandoned building. Pretty, green, and adds charm now as the east wall. Filio got me a piece of corrugated plastic for the western facing roof. The window door now constitutes my western wall. My buddy, Lucas Strzelec, moved in for a month or so so he's been able to help out with some cutting and nailing, and, as an architectural studies major with construction experience, doles out a boatload of knowledge ragarding building. I met a girl, Anna, who is now my girlfriend! She doesn't garden much, but her dad has a chainsaw.
I met a behemoth of a dude named Ed on March 5th. He lives on the block adjacent to the lot and had plans of cleaning it which was radical. I'm hoping he'll help out. By hope i mean I'm banking on it. He told me he's the new compost man. The compost man, FYI, is vigilante organics collecter on the northside. When Ed let me know, it was as if he was saying he was the new sheriff in town after a guy named Matt had left. He's got two heaping mounts of compost up the hill which rules and he said I could have a deal of it.
I got a bunch of vegetable seeds from the supermarket. Burpee seeds, which are corporate GMO seeds, but I was in a frenzy to start seedlings, so I put some in my home hydroponics 98 plant starter. Got a flourescent light for the plants in the real house. It makes my house look like a bar, or a jewelry store at night.
The greenhouse is still a bit gappy. Wind whips through. The roof has a hole. I got a Metal drum from a scrapyard. It's black and will be filled with water to absorb sun and realease heat in my greenhouse. It's becoming less necessary to have a greenhouse as the warmth approaches. Even so, I don't care if I finish in June. The only thing is I'm lying. I want it done now. I should have enough wood, liquid nails and foam after my last trip to the Home Despot to finally seal it. I also got some of that linoleum molding you see in office buildings which I'll be using to seal the perimeter inside. Roof needs finishing. I need metal!!! I was thinking soda cans. If anyone's got any idea about how I can cover half the roof with metal let me know. In this economy everyone's clinging to their metal.
I made a trashcan out of one of my water barrels, put rocks in the bottom. I've gotta put a roof on it or else it'll fill with water everytime it rains. I'm gonna cut down this demon of a leafless bush next. And put a freaking roof on my greenhouse. Then I'll insulate it. That'll be fun. If you the kind reader (mom) know anywhere to get cheap metal let me know. I'll add some pictures soon.
Ben
Ps. Firs sprouts in the starter are broccoli. 4-5 days in between folds in a wet coffee filter plced within two plates. I signed up for a gardening class too through the Grow Pittsburgh foundation. I'll share what I learn there. Aight. Be good.
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