Water Supply

In beginning this Know How series of the blog it might have made the most sense to start with the shell (the exterior components) and work inwards to the core. However, as I mentioned yesterday we have been experiencing some rather pressing plumbing issues and anyone who has had these sorts of problems knows that there is a rather large urgency to resolve them - much more than say a drafty window or door. 

In starting my research, I realized it made sense to just start with water as after all this is what your plumbing supplies, transports, holds and removes. Water is supplied to homes in two general ways - public or private. Most people have a public supply or sometimes called city water. With this system, a central water main supplies a home via a service pipe. The water main is underground and on public property. With each individual service pipe, there are several key components. The first is a corporation stop which is the valve that controls the flow of water from the main to the service pipe. The second is the curb box which holds the water meter that measures and records the quantity of water that passes through a given service pipe as well as the control valve for shutting off the public supply. Lastly, each home has its own building shutoff valve. These are just the general components so keep in mind your system might contain additional valves or be placed in slightly different locations. 

​diagram recreated and amended from Building Construction Illustrated by Francis D.K. Ching

The second type of water delivery is private. A private system is usually used when access to the public system is unavailable. The primary means of obtaining water in a private system is through drilled or bored wells. Wells should be located at least 100' from building sewers, septic tanks and sewage disposal fields. They also should remain (somewhat) easily accessible for maintenance and repair. It is important that if you are using well water that a sample be checked by a local health official for bacteria and chemical content before water is used. 

*Information gathered primarily from Building Construction Illustrated and What's a Homeowner to do?​

Home Resources

One of my intentions in starting this blog was to further educate myself about my home particularly the systems that we rely on - plumbing, electricity, HVAC etc - and share it with my readers. In graduate school, I took numerous building technology courses but had neither the energy nor time to really understanding the information I was presented with. Thus when the handyman, electrician or other skilled tradesman come to our house and try to explain to me why there is backed up sewage outside my basement back door I am generally lost and just nod my head in agreement (and yes this did actually happen and on Superbowl Sunday with a house full of people). For me, its is significant to have at least a broad knowledge of how these systems work not only because it will be useful to me in the future but I see my home as a place worthy of investing care into and that includes all parts of it from a pair of lamps to cleaning out the gutters. 

There are tons of resources out there for you/me to educate ourselves ​about our homes. On the internet one has their pick of blogs, online magazine and journals, retailer's websites and so much more. At the bookstore, the "Home Reference" section might look like this (see below) and it is more than overwhelming to know which book/how many you will need to buy. 

​image taken at Barnes and Noble

In a way it seems that the market for home resources is over-saturated and that my little blog has no place trying to match the wealth of knowledge that is easily accesible. But I am a big believer that there is always room for one more voice in the discussion if you have something unique to say. Thus it is my hope to act as a guide through this huge body of knowledge providing reviews and recommendations on which sources to look at as well as to create my own "Know How" posts that summarize what I am learning. The posts will keep in mind that most of us are beginners and that there is great value in communicating these topics in a clear manner both descriptively and visually. So stay tuned as I will be starting with a post about Water Supply tomorrow and please email and comment on topics you would like to see covered!

Vegetable Planter: Part 2

The second phase of my experiment in vegetable gardening (which maybe should have been the first) is planning out what I am actually going to plant. ​There is a ton of information on the web about when, how, what to grow and it can be rather overwhelming. I eventually found my way to the Missouri Botanical Garden website which allowed me to find specific information about growing in St.Louis and also helped to streamline the rather intensive process. In a nutshell, this is what I learned.

When: In Missouri, vegetables are classified as cool seasons, warm seasons or perennials. The cool season is planted in mid-March and then again in July or August. These plants can withstand frosts and some even have their flavor enhanced by it. The most popular vegetables in this category are: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, collard greens, lettuce, onions, spinach, beets, swiss chard, carrots, radish, potatoes, and peas. Depending on how the next few months go I plan on trying to grow some brussel sprouts or broccoli come August.

The warm season vegetables are planted in late April to early May (mid-May this year as it has been unusually cool for this time of year). The most common species are tomato, pepper, eggplant, corn, cucumber, green beans, sweet potato, squash and melons. ​

Perennials grow all year round and include things like asparagus and rhubarb. ​

While the above types dictate the approximate dates in which vegetables should be planted each variety has its own specific timeline -some early and others late. One should also keep in mind the the last average frost date and the first killing frost date - in Missouri its April 15th and October 15th.​

How: There is really two options: a container or in the ground. Since we are renters, this really wasn't a choice for us. Unfortunately, this means we are limited on space and will have to invest more upfront for the cost of the container (completed) and its preparation -lining and finding soil (not done and will probably require a whole other post)​.

What: I had a rough idea of what I wanted to grow but not if it was possible. One this list was: tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, onions, and lettuces. What I discovered that is that I could grow everything (lettuce is a bit risky but I am going to try it anyways) except the onions. I also decided I would add sweet bell peppers and some strawberries and that I would get two separate pots to plant basil and dill. 

Thus after more research that would surely bore most of you I made a plan.

​images via Missouri Botantical Garden

Any experienced gardeners out there see any problems with the plan? ​Please let me know if you do!