in your opinion...
Lesli Neubauer (South central TX zone 8b/9)
5 years ago
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plantloverkat north Houston - 9a
5 years agocomtessedelacouche (10b S.Australia: hotdryMedclimate)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
What's your opinion on Kellogg soil?
Comments (81)I filled three new whiskey barrels with the "organic" raised bed and planter mix last year - first time I've ever used any Kellogs product. Didn't really like the look of it (I worked 12 years for a greenhouse and was used to the lovely commercial mix we used there)... I sure wish I'd seen this thread first!! I've grown in barrels with nice success over the years, but NOTHING I planted in that soil did well. Carrots never grew beyond 2" tall, no taproot to speak of. One healthy, stocky bush tomato plant produced ONE tomato and died. (A cherry tomato did semi-ok, but they're half a weed anyway.) Three different dwarf/bush type squash plants, and only one female bloom the whole season. Green beans failed to yield, I picked enough for one meal for two people. Container variety of corn got about 2' tall, and tasseled weeks before any ears appeared. Swiss chard, planted in the fall, got about 4" tall and stalled. Nasturtiums, bought in 3" pots, just stalled and never bloomed. Even my marigolds stayed tiny. The only thing that flourished was some chocolate mint, and after reading this thread I think I'll just pull it up and start again with some other kind of soil!! I'm going to be pulling all the Kellogs junk out of my barrels this spring and using it as fill dirt where I don't plan to plant anything important. Hopefully grass will grown in it......See MorePlease share your opinions of Deck Jets
Comments (5)I installed a pentair deck jet after the pool was built. I had the PB preplumb using Sprinkler valve boxes. On one side we have a mermaid dolphin statue and the other side we have the deck jet. It is very loud, much louder than out sheer descent. I bought the deck jet off ebay for $16.50. You can interchange the heads, we like the triple head, and I can adjust the flow to shoot way past the other end of the pool. It is a very nice feature. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Our new pool build in Jacksonville FL...See MoreDo you use a cover for your cooktop? What is your opinion on this one?
Comments (32)A little history. The noodle board vs stove board:. The noodle board is used in homes where pasta is traditional. The stove board is used in homes where summer kitchens are common (summer kitchen is a kitchen outside of the house, so you don't heat up the hs. in the summer). For those of us where neither pasta or summer kitchens are part of the culture we call this the pastry board. It moves around to many surfaces, stove, table, dry sink etc. And we always had a marble piece to fit it so we could do butter pastry. Once we had electricity (1959) we kept it permanently on the old wood cooking stove, since the new electric stove was hidden in a tiny pantry (we weren't really ready). So, don't feel bad if you don't know what a noodle board is, your ancestors probably didn't eat pasta much. I use a noodle rack myself because it's takes up less space. My pastry board is well over 100 yrs old, is 30 inches wide, all one slab of wood! It hangs from a square nail attached to my possum belly kitchen queen (now coffee station). I use it as my grand mother did, and love that it softens my cooktop....See MoreWhat are your opinions about wood and painted kitchens?
Comments (31)I know you said you don't want criticism for the house since you spent a year designing it. I too spent close to that time designing our house and ours was in permitting and we realized it still wasn't right and pulled it out. Took us another 4 months but we now have a house we are aging in gracefully with lots of light and it's easy for us if we have "issues". Sorry but I don't see your house being easy to age in, even if it is 1 story, That's not all that is needed to age gracefully in a house. I disagree with Lomo in that size has nothing to do with it. Functionality whether 1500 square feet or double that is what matters, Our house is 2870 sq feet and works perfectly for us. (If you want you can find my whole build including all our issues on this forum.) However I do agree with him about being able to navigate the rooms. You're able bodied now and hopefully will stay that way for a very long time, but we have no guarantees. I use my Mom as an example. Ate healthy, went to the gym 5x a week and on the days she didn't go to the gym walked on her treadmill or walked her neighborhood. However at age 72 she was diagnosed with Parkinsons, but because her house was well designed, she was able to continue to stay in her house with my Dad until the last 6 months of her life, 12 years later. And that meant so much to her. I post this all the time and of course I can't see the rest of your floor plan but anything I've bolded really needs to be thought about seriously. And since only you have the full floor plan can you see if the issues not bolded work for your house, The best homes are designed to suit the site and are a marriage of a well designed interior and exterior. The best houses come in at or under the design target square footage The best houses orient the public rooms towards the south for the best passive solar heating and cooling The best houses are L, U, T, H, or I shaped. The best houses are only one to two rooms deep. And covered lanai, porches, garages, etc count as rooms in this case. (This is to have natural light coming in) The best houses make sure kitchens have natural light, meaning windows so one doesn't have to have lighting 24/7 to use the kitchen. (And no, dining areas with windows 10' or more from the kitchen will not allow for natural light.) The best houses make sure all public rooms and bedrooms have windows on at least two walls. The best houses do not if possible put mechanical rooms, pantries or closets on outside walls The best houses do not have diagonal interior walls making for odd spaces. The best houses keep public and private spaces separate. (notice how your master is up against the dining room wall.) The best houses do not have you walk through the work zone of the kitchen to bring laundry to the laundry room. The best houses do not have the mudroom go through any of the work zones of the kitchen. The best houses do not use the kitchen as a hallway to any other rooms. The best houses do not put toilets or toilet rooms up against bedroom walls or public areas. The best houses do not have walk in closets too small to stand inside. The best houses have separation, such as closets, between bedrooms and between bedrooms and public rooms. (see above about your master and the dining room) The best houses do not have roofs that are overly large, and dominate the exterior of the house. The best houses do not have stick on exterior materials only on the front façade. The best houses do not have multiple gables within gables. The best houses have an organizing “spine” so it’s easy to determine how to get from room to room in the house and what makes sense. Meaning they don’t have meandering circulation paths. The best houses design the inside, the outside and how the house sits on the site all at the same time....See Moreroseseek
5 years agoSheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
5 years agoroseseek
5 years agosocks
5 years agoroseseek
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoprairiemoon2 z6b MA
5 years agoRosefolly
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agogdinieontarioz5
5 years agoLesli Neubauer (South central TX zone 8b/9)
5 years agoLesli Neubauer (South central TX zone 8b/9)
5 years agoac91z6
5 years agoverdantcroft
5 years agogdinieontarioz5
5 years agocomtessedelacouche (10b S.Australia: hotdryMedclimate)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agogdinieontarioz5
5 years ago
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