Flower & Patio Show (Landscaping)
It was the flower and patio gardening show this weekend at the fairground pavilion and I talked to a few people that went. I did not make it to the show (there's a bug going around and we got it), but I shared with my friends some of the outdoor ideas we have for the time when we build our house.Subsurface Irrigation
One idea that we would like to implement is to install subsurface irrigation on our property. A provider I happened across, as I was perusing www.ownerbuilderbook.com, was KISSSUSA. They provide a system of hoses with special fabric "wings" (for lack of a better word) that wick moisture out horizontally to where it can then seep up to the roots (as opposed to down) where it belongs. This is a more efficient means of watering, so you use less water. They even have a means of using gray water - the water that leaves your house - so that you get an even more efficient use from your water.
The system also has a means of adding fertilizers to your system for an easy way to fertilize your lawn and/or gardens. You can create zones to effectively segment your property and water/fertilize each area as appropriate to that area. If it reduces work and makes it easier, then I am all for it. If it reduces work, makes it easier, AND saves you money (through reduced water and fertilizer usage) in addition to being better for the environment (through less run-off), then the system is a no-brainer.
Geodesic Greenhouses
The property we are currently paying on has two forty foot diameter grain silo pads that we will have to figure out a use for if we build or determine some way to get rid of them. The posters on Cougarboard and Ownerbuilderbook were nice enough to share ideas, including his and her helipads, painting eyeballs for planes flying overhead, pads for wireless signal towers , pads for gazebos, etc., but I think the idea that we may end up implementing is to build a geodesic greenhouse similar to the ones found on here. Unless we come into a large sum of money, I think I may just build the structure myself (put that workshop I want to build to good use). I have a few additional links bookmarked that provide helpful information about constructing one.
It would be awfully nice to grow year round. I think I would prefer a greenhouse to a garden so space is used more efficiently, I can extend the growing season, and I can elevate beds so I do not have to bend and kneel so much. I very well might even be able to make some money off the produce I raise. Forty foot pads are VERY large, and I have two! That's a lot of produce. I don't think I or my family are going to be able to eat all that. Granted it doesn't all have to be produce, but it could be a good way to help the kids raise some money. I am sure we will also raise decorative plants and other items.
Radiant Driveway Heating
If radiant heating is good enough for your floors, why not install it in your driveway so you never have to shovel or plow the snow off it in the winter? Makes sense to me. If you can save enough money installing the radiant systems and the geothermal systems yourself, then why not use those savings to make your life that much easier? The installation costs are an obvious factor to consider, but what of the energy costs to run a heated driveway? First, I believe the system does not run constantly. Only as warranted to keep the driveway at the requisite temperature. Also keep in mind that energy is required to run a snow blower or even a shovel. I am not sure how the costs compare, but if it keeps me out of a hospital room, or from having to down muscle relaxers for a week at a time, then a little extra cost is worth it. I am all for a house that works for me - not the other way around.
Labels: fertilizing, geodesic greenhouses, heated driveway, landscaping, radiant heating, subsurface irrigation
posted by bylaw @ 3:09 PM
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