Buying Riding Lawn Mower Blades

Riding Mower Blades

(October 2012)

The other day I went to purchase new mower blades for my Craftsman riding mower. My mower has a 48” deck with three blades.

The “Craftsman 48 inch Premium Bagging Blades” from Sears (71 24679) were $24.99 apiece ($24.99 X 3 blades = $74.97).

Lowes sells a Husqvarna 3-Pack of 48-inch Bagging Mower Blades (HU22027) for $41.98.

From everything I can see the blades are identical in size and thickness.  Both sets of blades had the number 180054 stamped on them, and the MFR/Part # only differs by one digit HOP F341 (Sears) vs HOP F361 (Husq). 

So, with a cost savings of $32.99 ($74.97 - $41.98 = $32.99), you know where I will be buying my mower blades.

Building A Wheelchair Accessible Raised Garden Bed

Building A Wheelchair Accessible Raised Garden Bed

Well today was the day we built the wheelchair accessible raised bed at the Salem Community Garden.  This was truly a community effort.  Thomas Logging donated 9 - 7”X 9”X 9’ oak timbers, Todd Kinerk  of Kinerk Saw Mill delivered the timbers and donated the 10” spikes, Parker’s Ready Mix of  Salem donated 2 yards of gravel and Paul Camden donated and delivered the top soil. Todd suggested placing the bed on the parking lot’s asphalt.  He said this way there will not be an issue of the ground being too soft to traverse with a wheelchair.

Our finished bed measured 21” high, 42” wide and 108” long, with the actual plantable area measuring 7.5 feet long by 39 inches wide.

At 42” wide, this raised bed is wider than the 36” that is recommended for wheelchair accessible raised bed.  But by using 9” wide oak timbers there is a very wide and comfortable sitting surface.  And at only 21” high, if a person is able, it should be an easy transition from a wheelchair to sit on the edge of the bed.

Now construction the Raised bed.

These oak timbers weigh about 250 lbs. each, so we needed to build the raised bed exactly where we wanted it! Moving it after the fact was not an option. 

                              

We then proceeded to cut the timbers to build the first course, 2 – timbers were cut 108” long and 1 – timber we cut out 2 – 39” pieces.

We then laid out the timbers in a ”running” fashion forming up the first course.

For the next course, we cut the timbers the same lengths as the first course. We then laid the timbers out insuring they overlapped the joint of the course below it.

  

We then drilled 3 pilot holes to drive our 10” spikes through.  The spike ties the second course to the first course.

For the last course, we repeated what we had done for the first two courses, insuring again that we overlapped the joints. 

We used the gravel to fill the bottom of the bed to a depth of about 7” to 9”.

We covered the gravel with tar paper.  This was done to provide a cushion between the gravel and the 2  layers of 3.5mm plastic that we added  next.

With the plastic, we doubled lined the bottom of the bed and stapled  the plastic up the sides. We hoped  the plastic would help hold moister, so the bed would not dry out as fast.  We puncture holes in the bottom so the plastic would not act like a tub and hold water.  The holes should allow the excess water to drain out.

Finally we added the top soil and trimmed the plastic back.

Materials List:                                                           Tools Used:

  9 – 7” X 9” X 9’ untreated timbers                           Chain Saw

24 – 10” spikes                                                          Sledge Hammer

  2 – Cu Yds 1”-2” gravel                                          Carpenters Square

         2 - 4 – Cu Yds Top Soil                                               Shovels

  1 – 3’ X 8’ Tar Paper                                              Staple Gun

  2 –  14’ X 10’ 3mm - 4mm plastic                           Drill & ¼” Auger Bit

                                                                                 Measuring tape

Saving Bell Pepper Seeds

Saving Bell Pepper Seeds

I was making coleslaw for our Friday Night Lenten Fish Fry.  As I was cutting up the bell peppers and throwing the seeds, ribs and tops in to the compost bin it occurred to me “Why not save the pepper seeds to plant in my garden?”  I saved the seeds from a red, yellow and an orange bell pepper.

I collected 279, 237 and 333 seeds from the bell peppers.  So I calculated that on average, a seed saver could collect about 283 seeds from just one bell pepper.

Trivia question, - What is the difference between a GREEN bell pepper ($0.78 each) and a RED bell pepper ($1.68 each)?  The red peppers are ripe and cost 2 to 3 time as much as the green pepper.  All green bell peppers will turn red, yellow or orange if left on the plant to ripen.

I laid the seeds out on a paper plate to dry for several days. About once a day I stirred and turned the seeds over to insure they were drying evenly. 

 After a few days (when I was sure the seeds were thoroughly dry) I labeled a paper envelope to store the seeds in.

The germination test. 

I placed 10 seeds on a damp paper towel, folding the paper towel over the top of the seeds and placed the moist paper towel and seeds in a sealed zip-loc bag. 

After about 10 days I found 6 germinating seeds.  So doing the math, 6 germinated seeds ÷ 10 tested seeds = 0.6 or a 60% germination rate. 

So from the purchase of one $1.68 red bell pepper I was able to harvest over 200 seeds.  With a 60% germination rate I have the potential of growing 120 pepper plants.  And I still got to make my coleslaw.

I will plant the seeds to see if I really do get red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

Now, bell peppers are self pollinating. I am betting on the fact that these peppers were grown in a large farming operation and will give me true yellow, red and orange peppers plants. 

New Hardness Zone Map

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has produced a new “USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map” (PHZM).  Most of the info I am presenting here I gleaned off  USDA websites.  When you log on to the USDA website -  http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ , you first want to select "Interactive Map".  You will be asked to enter the security question, this is called a “Captcha”. 

You will enter the Captcha.  Remember these are case sensitive. Next ckick "Validate" to access the Interactive Hardiness Zone Map. Next enter the zip code for your area of interest and click "Find".  At the “Choose Base Map” pull down, select “Satellite”. To see the satellite view, slide the “Zone Color Transparency” from “0” to “100”.  Using the "Zoom Level" on the left, zoom in on the map as tight as you can.  Move your mouse/pointer over your property/garden area and Click on your location and your data will Pop up.

This data, the “Plant Hardness Zone Values”, will give you your Hardness Zone, Avg. Temp., Range of Temp. and Latitude & Longitude

If you slide the Zone Color Transparency from “100” back to “0” you will be able to see the color depiction of your area.

If you select “About” it will give you topics such as “Maps & Gardening” and “Map Making”.  The hardiness zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during a 30-year period, not the lowest temperature that has ever occurred.

The USDA web site says USDA will not produce posters/maps of the Hardiness Zones.  State, regional, and national images of the map can be downloaded and printed in a variety of sizes and resolutions.

With the addition of  Zones 12 and 13 the new map now has 13 zones. The zones are still divided by 10˚F graduations but are further broken down to A and B subdivisions (these are divided by 5˚F increments). 

Compared to the old 1990 map many zone boundaries have shifted.  This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a larger period of time (1974-1986 vs 1976-2005) and using more reporting stations to report the temperature.

Cutting back the Pampas Grass for next summer's growth

Well it is February 19 and here in the Ozarks of Missouri it is 48°F (9°C).  So today I am cutting back the Pampas Grass.  This is a project I should have taken care of in the fall as a part of preparing my rural property for the fall fire season. 

Things you will need: Medium weight rope, Twine, Scissors

and a Chain Saw.

 

The first thing I do is to tie the grass into a tight bundle with the medium weight rope

Next I take the twine and re-tie the bundle of grass.  You may want to tie the bundle in a few places. This will help you with keeping the grass in a bundle and not fall apart should you mistakenly cut the twine when cutting with the saw.  Remove the rope. 

 

Using your chain saw, cut the bundle of grass off.   Leaving about 8 - 12 inches of stubble.  

Some people will burn off the “stump” of stubble, but I will need to wait until the winds are correct before I burn.

Finished!!!
Photos taken by Sarah 

Earlier I talked about doing this project in fall as a part of preparing my rural property for the fall fire season here in the Ozarks.  If you live near forested lands or in rural areas where your neighbors burn off their forest or pastures you will want to make sure you clear away things like Pampas Grass and dead leaves from around our home.  Go on-line to http://www.firewise.org/ to learn more about building a “Defensible Space” around your home so you don’t lose your home to a wild land fire. 

Buying Garden Seeds with Food Stamps?

Buying Garden Seeds with Food Stamps?

The other day I heard that you can buy vegetable seed with food stamps.  After checking around and looking on the internet it turns out that indeed you can purchase “seeds and plants which produce food for human consumption” with Food Stamps.  This came about under the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-86, August 10, 1973). 

There are many blogs and articles about this on the internet.  There are two things they do recommend about doing this.  The first is to check with your state office that is in charge of the Food Stamp Program, or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) program as it is called in most states today, to make sure your particular state has not placed any restrictions on the purchase of seeds and plants.  The second thing is to check with the retailer you will be purchasing your seeds and plants from that, 1 - they are aware you can purchase seeds and plants and  2 - they have the means to accept your EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card.

The logic behind this is that people can increase the purchasing power of their food stamps by growing their own vegetables.  Think about it.  A $2.50 tomato plant will give you tomatoes all summer long and at the end of the season you can have fried green tomatoes (be sure to buy “Indeterminate” tomatoes and not “Determinate” tomatoes).  If you were to buy a $1.25 packet of tomato seeds, you would have enough tomatoes to give to your neighbors.

Now if you do not have a place to have a garden you can grow most vegetables in pots or containers and grow them on your porch or patio.  You can also ask if there is a “Community Garden” in your community where you can have a small plot of land to actually plant a garden.  In the case of my community, the local Methodist Church has provided an area for a community garden.  There is no fee and tools and water are provided.

So now you can have fresh, flavorful and inexpensive vegetables to serve yourself and your family. 

How to make seed starter pots from recycled news paper

Items needed: 

     News paper     Stapler      6oz tomato past can      
     Potting soil
 This is an idea I got off the net. I adapted it to fit my local news paper that measures 23.5 “ tall by 22” wide.  

 

 

Fold the paper in 4th"s along the 22” edge 

and cut folds (I used a knife).

Now you will have 4 strips of news paper that
measure 23.5” by 5.5”.

Note: I painted the back side of the paper Yellow so you can better see what is going on.

 

Next, along the 23.5” edge of the paper,
fold over a 1/2” - 3/4” strip. This will
become the collar for the finished pot.

 

Turn the paper over so the newly folded collar is underneath the paper. Take the tomato past can, lining it up with the folded collar's edge of the paper.

NOTE: Keep the collar folded to the outside so you can remove the can easer.

 

Carefully start to roll the news paper around the tomato past can.

 

When finished warping the can, place the can

collar down on the table.

Starting with the seam of the news paper, start

folding the edges over the can.

 

Gently remove the can from the newly formed pot.

 

Lastly, staple the seam of the pot to help secure

everything. 

 

Add potting soil and plant your seeds.

 

How to make seed starter pots from recycled news paper