Your soapstone right now -- how does it look?
pippiep
8 years ago
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How often are you watering your tomatoes right now?
Comments (14)Oh yes, it is red clay. Rock hard, concrete-like red clay to be exact. When I first started the garden 3 years ago, I tilled down about 12 inches into the clay (took several days)and added some pine bark fines (soil conditioner) and a lot of compost to try and fluff up the soil some. But when you consider in planting deep, there was only a couple of inches of "soft soil" under the plants. Believe me when I way it sounds easier than it was. But it was worth it. Now the worms have taken over and helped to aerate the soil and it is not too bad now. One good thing about clay though is that it holds water and nutrients very well. You have to keep a good layer of mulch to keep the top layer from crusting though. On the reverse, compaction can be a big problem, which is why my planting beds are mounded so that I don't walk in them. Maybe one year I can talk the wife into letting me make some good raised beds. jj...See MoreHow to ween overwatered tomatoes..Plants look OK right now.
Comments (5)In 25 gallon smart pots it would be IMPOSSIBLE to over water unless you have them in some heavy regular soil then maybe. But large smart pots in potting mix? You can water 2+ gallons a day every day. I only have 15 gallon pots not smart pots but they drain very well and in potting mix and I water mine every single day 7 days a week and when its over 95 I water at least twice a day. You can get a little cracking on top but when it is this hot you really don't have much choice....See MoreMy soapstone is pulling up in front of my house right now!!!
Comments (18)Anita -- It looks stunning! Can't wait to see more pictures - so beautiful with your cabinets and such a transformation from the former blue! I must say I am a bit envious of your speedy progress -- drywall around here got done, wood delivered for floors, but cabinets won't show up until mid-November so we are stalled......arrgghh! Hard to look at it all in mid-stream and not want someone to be DOING SOMETHING! Contractor pushed me hard to pick paint colors last week, I did, haven't seen a painter yet, bathrooms upstairs prepped for weeks for tile install, not done yet. Was told painter and tile guy would be here today -- gonna wait and see if they show, but if not.......time to have a bit of a fit!...See Moretrick or treat--my soapstone is being installed right now!
Comments (25)Thanks everyone--I of course can't stop looking at it myself--but I've had to, because we moved out at 8 a.m. this morning to let them refinish my floors...so I'm logging in from a SpringHill Suites (Gotta have my GW :)) For those who asked for details, here are a few (okay more than a few), and I'll link to my other thread regarding the whole project (it's been a whole-house odyssey since June 23). I'll plan on posting a detailed account when we reach the finish line :) The soapstone is Green Mountain Original PA and the cabinets are Brighton in Natural Cherry (Shaker doors, full overlay, low-sheen finish) It's not a Berta, but it's close--it's a Fratelli Onofri. The Berta lost out because the oven on the Fratelli fit my largest pans and the Berta did not...plus I really loved the matte finish of the anthracite color on the Fratelli. I must say, that after shopping for soapstone since the spring, the slabs I ended up with were the nicest I've seen through the whole process--some of that had to do with my persistence but honestly it was mostly just luck. I contracted both cabinets and counters through Cabinet Discounters in Columbia, MD. They in turn contract with Creativeincounters (creativeincounters.com) to fabricate the counters. This company just happens to source their soapstone from Green Mountain, via a stone yard in Savage Mill, MD called Carapace. I bugged Carapace for nearly three weeks every day until I found out when their next shipment of soapstone was due to arrive, and I visited on the day it arrived before it was even off the palate. Because they hadn't even had the chance to unload it or catalog it properly I wasn't able to reserve specific slabs but in this case it was clear from the get-go that this bunch was exceptional. So I called the fabricators within the hour and had them call the stoneyard to specify slabs only from that shipment. I don't know if any of this would work in other places, but all of these people were extraordinarily helpful and accomodating. I also loved the templating process with creativeincounters. They are artists. The installers also clearly appreciated the material. We have a bit of a way to go with the kitchen. The breakfast area you see with the little round bar will remain red oak like the rest of the house. The work area of the kitchen will actually be a Mannington sheet vinyl called Socorro Slate (in Fieldstone color). The hardware will be simple matte black knobs and cup pulls. The sink is a very BIG Franke I got on ebay (model number is escaping me at the moment), and I'll have a Price Pfister Hanover pull down faucet. The fridge just came last weekend and is a Samsung... My one regret so far is the blankety blank Viking microwave/convection oven. I got it on extreme closeout from a reputable dealer and it has not worked from day one. The repair parts are on the way. I can see the writing on the wall--I'll probably have a very expensive designer doorstop. It was an impulse buy and I'm paying for it in more ways than one! Just stupid--I knew it was just a rebadged sharp when I bought it, but the price was good enough that I told myself it was worth a little extra--like finding that pair of designer jeans on the clearance rack. Thought I'd learned those lessons already. Oh well. Hmmmm...what else...the backsplash decision is still up in the air--right now it's a toss up between pressed tin (which we actually had in the old kitchen) I'm ready for a change and don't prefer this option but DH is pulling for it because he really really liked it. I'm pulling for this lovely glass subway tile spotted in an IKEA model kitchen--it's a smokey grey/taupe color that seems to pick up the colors around it well--in Ikea it was set vertically in neat rows and looked fabulous. The backsplash will only go on the fridge and sink side of the kitchen. The stove, bar, windows side will remain just painted--there's plenty of interest over there already. I will have a stainless backsplash between the stove and my Futuro Futuro hood (the Rainbow model). You can see in the pics I think that my hood wall has undergone some more construction--though the odds were slim, we managed to need to go out the exterior fascia with the hood in the exact location of a load bearing stud--it's complicated to explain so I won't bother here--but suffice it to say, that wall got opened up again this week after cabs went in and I'm nervous as all get out about the drywallers coming back to finish it off now that my beautiful stuff is there--but I'll just have to grin, pray and bear it! The paint will be BM Windchime (an Affinity color) if you visit my other thread you'll see pics of the new dining room already in that color. The spaces open up to each other and I decided to go monochromatic because I just love the color so much.It looks fabulous with the black, and also with red accents... There will eventually be glass in all those glass front cabinets but that's weeks away as well--I haven't even ordered it yet because I couldn't decide on what type. Glad I waited--now that we've started unpacking it's clear to me that clear glass would be a disaster. I want a little opacity to hide when things aren't "just right" in there :) Hard to cram 4 and a half months of construction and 11 months of planning into one post so I think I'll stop now! Happy to answer questions though--it's so nice to be able to prattle on about it with people who are interested...I feel like my coworkers, friends and neighbors must be running from me by now since although I try not to let it, this project I know consumes most of my thought and conversation. Thanks for all your kind words and great ideas over the last 11 months! Here is a link that might be useful: Berf's Whole House Reno...See Morepippiep
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