700 square foot apartment with only windows north-west
icedana
last year
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freedomplace1
last yearM Riz
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Square foot tomato gardening?
Comments (22)I do a variation on the square foot gardening. I've planted them anywhere from a foot to a foot and a half apart and, assuming you have good soil in your raised beds, I haven't seen much difference. Here's the thing, though. In either case you need to be pretty religious about pruning. I never let any of the stems (other than the main stem, of course) get more than 12" and keep the suckers clipped. The other thing I do is plant them in the trench method to get maximum root growth. The biggest issue you have with planting them close together isn't that there isn't enough space for root growth but rather the amount of light each will get. If you keep them pruned and only planted in a single row it's not a huge issue. This year, I will be elevating my tomato row by adding another tier to the bed for a 12" depth all along the back row. Not only will this allow me to plant them a bit deeper but I am hoping to do a row of shorter, bush types in front of them. Hopefully, they won't get very tall and obscure the ones in back. In either case, Ill be doing early/mid season determinates in the front row so I can yank those out for the second half of the season and plant something shorter in there if need be....See MoreSquare Foot Gardening NEWBIE! ADVICE PLEASE! :)
Comments (9)It looks great :) But some suggestions... I wouldn't plant in everything at once. For instance, I have already planted in my peas and spinach... but won't be putting in my tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cukes for a while yet. Some plants thrive in the cooler weather of early spring and fall, and will not do well in the middle of the heat- others do better in the warmer weather but don't like the cool. I would allow more than one sqft for the squashes- there are a couple that stay fairly small, but most of them bush up a lot. And depending on what kind of winter squash, you might need to plan for vining space. Same goes for the cucumbers, those can get pretty bushy depending on the kind- or very vine lengthy depending on the kind. I wouldn't plant my potatoes and sweet potatoes side by side- they will likely end up competing for root space. And keep in mind that if you give those two a bit more space instead of 4 per square, you will likely get a bigger crop at the end of the season. Also keep in mind that strawberries are semi-perminant plantings. Pretty much everything else in your pic gets pulled at the end of it's season- but strawberries normally stay in place. And gumbys suggestion.. take notes, keep notes... write it all down. That way you will know for sure what works and what does not in the years to come. And above all... don't get overwhelmed or feel defeated by all of this. Enjoy your gardening, cheer your successes and sigh over your failures- and move on to planting more goodness. No gardener gets everything right their first time- some of us don't get it right even after years of gardening. Like me, I've been gardening for over 20 years and still have a lot of trouble with peas....See MoreHome Construction Cost Per Square Foot
Comments (37)In the end, there are largely two types of people who comment on these threads. Those who are building houses and those who have built houses. While I admit certain people who have built houses in the past are a bit jaded, I think you need to realize that experience does count for something. I advise those who are starting the process to not so quickly discount the advice of those who have been through the process. I have built two houses in the past and was solidly into building the third when I decided not to do it. I had firm pricing to get it done and was pretty confident that I had an initial cost laid out, and my house came back more significantly higher than the OP's. Construction labor in my area is only 8% higher than Texas, but my house came back at almost 30% higher, and this price didn't include flooring, bathroom fixtures or cabinets. I do realize that it is possible for this to happen but become concerned that the OP is focusing on the wrong items. I feel my concern was validated when he posted the specs of his custom build. A 14 SEER AC in Texas is a bit silly. In fact, it doesn't even meet the currently enacted future minimums. The marginal cost of 16 or 17 SEER is reasonable in North Texas, which has something like 3,000 cooling degree days. My experience tells me that this isn't the only questionable thing going on here. Someone who is willing to cut that corner is probably going to cut others. The question isn't whether or not you can build a house in North Texas for $120 per square - the question is should you build a house in North Texas for $120 per square. In the end, labor and overhead are only so much of the build. Please don't feel the need to answer that question for me. I don't need, or even care, to know. However, you might consider listening to some of the people who have completed their build, because it is tends to be a bit of a humbling experience....See MoreBuying a home ( West Facing) : Confusion in selecting lots
Comments (19)Our new home will be west facing, as well, in Texas. I deliberately chose this orientation because we're building a tract home and selected the floor plan first. But... And it's a big but.... The garage, entry/foyer, and one small room face west. I wanted to minimize western exposure, because our current rental has a backyard/dining/powder/master that faces west, and it's pure torture. It is super important to me that the kitchen, dining, and living all face south for maximum light throughout (our current northern living spaces are depressingly dark), and I gotta have all of the bedrooms face north (bedrooms are only used for beds and clothing storage, no toys). West-facing living areas or sleeping areas are a total deal breaker for me. Since I rejected the other lots, the sales associate opened up another section of the neighborhood for me. Would that be an option for you, by any chance?...See Moredecoenthusiaste
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