Archive for the ‘Making, Building, and Crafting’ Category

Hippie Finally gets her Sh*t Together and Does Something

Lazy rain barrel.

A year-and-a-half ago I bought this beautiful wine barrel on Craigslist, with the idea of making a rain barrel out of it. To be clear, I have tons of interest in making things that are useful to me. The problem is, however, that I have much less interest in ruining cool things because I have tons of interest in making things that are useful to me. And so, the wine barrel sat at the side of our house for six seasons without so much of a glance.

Action shot! Go rain barrel! Woohooooo!

The lack of rain this year finally broke me down, and two hardware store trips later, I have a pretty little rain barrel that I don’t even think I ruined. And, I kid you not, it took no more than fifteen minutes to do it, and $15 (besides for the cost of the wine barrel, which was much more expensive). And that doesn’t even account for the contact high I was rewarded with when the deeply-oaked whiskey fumes escaped holes I drilled.  My tools:

A hand-drill. A drill bit. A faucet. A plug (for the barrel hole).

I’ll be putting a screen over the top to stop the mosquitoes from mak’in babies in it, but for now I’m just pooped from finally having done something. Whew.

Yeah *shrug* I Build my own Coldframes…

The class at work

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a “Build Your Own Cold-Frame Workshop” taught by Angela Graney, who converted her yard in Northeast Minneapolis to an urban farm.  The class was fantastic. Each person walked away with a cold frame to paint that they built themselves.  I got to man-handle a circular saw to cut some of my pieces of wood, and subsequently feel like a total bad-ass.

The cold-frames were constructed of trashed windows and donated pieces of wood.  You stick them over a garden plot, and they can extend the growing season for those plants by a month on each end.  Angela recommended putting a tea light in the cold frame on particularly cold night.  The class attracted such a fun group of people, who were all helping each other and laughing through the process.  Angela teaches community workshops, group, and individual projects related to permaculture design and sustainable urban design.  I highly recommend getting in touch with her if you’re interested in integrating aspects of an urban homestead in your own abode.

Gabriel taking over after a hammer, unprovoked, attacked my thumb.

Naomi finishing her cold frame.  Beautiful!

This Site Rules

Stainless bowl planter

I just discovered Ikea Hackers, and I think I’m obsessed.  To the left is the hacked stainless bowl hanging planter.  And here’s a post on making a hacked coldframe for your garden.  And a hacked chicken coop.

Finishing my Succulent Garden

From left to right: Crassula rupestris (jade necklace), Lithops Laterita (living stones), and Echeveria (Perle von Nurnberg)

This weekend at the Friends School Plant Sale I bought a few succulents to add to my experimental succulent garden.  This is the result!

I think it looks cute in my office, and is low maintenance enough that I don’t have to think about it very often.

The succulent garden

Local Upcoming Classes and Events

watermelon seedling

This is about where my watermelon seedlings are at...

The Twin Cities is really a great place to develop a taste for gardening.  There is so much community support, such as these class offerings:

I just discovered Egg Plant Urban Farm Supply, and although I’ve never been, they’ve won my heart.  I noticed their class list and I can’t wait to give one a go.  Has anyone out there had the pleasure?  Details!

Gardening Matters has a Resource Hub that lists a variety of gardening classes and other learning opportunities.  Check out their event calendar.

Bachmans is hosting a class tonight by The Minnesota Project on Growing Fruits in the City.  Bachmans also has a list of seminars, classes, and other events here.

Sustainable Yards class at REI.

Saint Paul Community Education Program has a rain barrel workshop, a native plants, rain garden, and lawn care class, managing yard waste & composting, and a garden design class (tomorrow!).

Minneapolis Community Education Program has a ridiculous list of gardening classes, these are the ones that still have room: container gardening, gardens for dogs and people, health benefits of gardening, low maintenance landscaping, native prairie wildflowers, two rain

gardensustainable landscape design and care, and two beginning veggie gardening classes.

Hibiscus and Copia seedlings!

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