Friday, March 14, 2014

a minor flood

on march 10 and march 14 it got up to 53 and 50`F outside! the warmth and sunshine melted a lot of snow very quickly. on both of those two days (and only those two days) the greenhouse flooded ever so slightly.
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the second time it happened on march 14, the water got up even with (but not over) the bottom sill plate 2x4. the roof did not leak, the water came up from below.

the view of that corner from outside
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but each night the temps dropped back down below freezing, and the water drained away. by morning it was dry or nearly so.
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it never happened again.

the corner of lawn outside the greenhouse has some drainage issues that will be addressed in the future, after the snow and ice are gone and the ground is thawed. the ground there is not level, dirt was tossed wherever last fall. the goal was getting the greenhouse up before the snow came.

this is the mud puddle in that exact same area LAST year at this time
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that corner of the red fence is where the corner of the greenhouse now is. the dogs have greatly contributed to the compacting of the soil in that area...

the trouble with doing any digging in that area, is that it is extremely rootbound. tons and tons of roots, 1-2" thick, crisscross just under the soil. they come from my GIGANTIC maple tree only 20 feet away. you cant dig. you have to cut them out with a saw or hatchet. which of course quickly dulls in the dirt.
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one of many future projects!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

peeking

in winter, all the glass out in my porch frosts over. i cant see much out the windows there. but the sun was shining and melted a little swath i could peek thru and see my greenhouse.
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peek peek
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its hard to see, but the temperature in the greenhouse is around 30`F. it wasnt that warm outside! only in the teens.
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