The Harvest.

Not sure if I am too late for my Harvest, we have been picking tomato’s and cucumbers for the past few weeks (cooking/eating these is another issue) but now it looks like frost is going to be coming. In fact this morning there was some frost around but I am hoping that it did not kill everything in the garden.
So now we need to pick everything, that is of course the easy part, the hard part is figuring out what types of things we can cook with what we have, here is the list of things that we have:

1. Tomato’s (mostly cherry but a few that are maybe 2-3 inches across can’t remember what type they are).
2. Cucumbers (good size ones too, most are 8-10inch long and 2inch in diameter)
3. Zucchini (only a few right now but the ones that are growing are big 10-12 inch long, 2 inches in diameter)
4. Carrots (small finger size carrots, I think I put then in the wrong place in the garden and planted them a bit too close)

So there is my current list, not too bad for an 8ft square garden.
The next big challenge is finding ways to cook these things in interesting ways, I really like spicy foods so if anyone has some good ideas around what I should do with all these vegs please put your receipt in comments.

The Garden update.

With August just about over I figured it was about time to give everyone a garden update. Things have been going well; we have had lots of lettuce, a few beans, some cucumbers and some very small carrots. We still have cherry tomatoes, more cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots (hopefully bigger ones this time) and maybe a few big tomatoes left to harvest.
This year was also the first year that I figured out what to do with our sour cherry trees, we have 2 smallish tree’s about 10-12ft tall that produce all kinds of berries, I think I got about 2 buckets full. So far I have tried making sour cherry pie and sour cherry & strawberry pie. If anyone has any suggestions for next year’s crop please let me know.
Well here are a few updated pic’s of the garden.

Left: tomato's Mid: cucumbers, zucchini Right: lettuce

Here is one of the tomato plants, hopefully they all ripen before the first frost.

Does anyone have ideas for what I should do with my extra tomato's?

My Vacation Project

I have not been very active with my blog in the past while, this is mainly because I have been very busy working on 3 houses for Habitat for Humanity.
To add to my work I decided to finally redo the floor in our front hallway, this is something I have been wanting to do for a very long time. I am not sure that is was the smartest thing in the world to pick the hottest 3 days of the summer to do it, but as I had a bit of help from a brother in law that was staying with us this was the time to do it.
Here is the before Pic

and Here is the after Pic

I am very pleased with how it all turned out. Hopefully when the temperature goes down and the humidity changes we don't end up with lots of big gaps in the floor.

BTW, here is an official thanks to my brother in law for all his help.

Our Garden This year

Here is a bit on my latest project, my garden. We have tried this in the pass but each time the weeds have basically taking over. So this year’s garden is my attempt at fixing my weed problem.
Here is a picture of the garden, it is 8 ft x 8 ft.

The raised bed are 2 ft wide and either 6ft or 8ft long, this idea came from another website about doing gardens in 2ft squares, it makes it easier to weed and control.

(These are tomato's and Peppers)

The irrigation system that I put in is made of weeping tubes, I found that ½ inch copper tubing worked great for connecting it all together. This should help reduce the amount of water that is needed to keep the plants going during the summer. (here are a few pictures of the irrigation system)

(Here is where the hose connects to the system)

(This shows how the coper tubing connects it together)

(This is the system working, water just seeps out of the tub)

My environmental rant for the day.

With summer fully in swing I thought I would write a bit about one of the worlds great inventions for your lawn. As many of you have experienced when trying to mow ones yard there is a lot that can go wrong with a lawn mower, not being able to get it started, running out of gas, wondering if it is too late/early to wake up the neighbors, or the sound of that rock that you ran over wiping past your ankles as you remember that you crocks don’t have steel toes (or ankles).
Well why not try using a Reel Mower, quite, starts every time, and best of all kids can use it, once tall enough to reach the handle (ok, so they can use it but getting them to use it maybe another issue).

By the way, as a reel mower owner, they are not the same as your grandfather’s mowers. The new designs are light weight and roll across you lawn as easily or maybe easier then a heavy power mower (you can also get electric version that are even easier to push).

For those of you who want that perfect looking lawn, keep in mind that the golf course use reel mowers because they are much gentler on the grass and result in a much nicer/heather lawn.
The final and my person biggest reason for using a Reel Mower is that they are much more environmentally safe, not only do they not use gas and omit toxic gases, but they produce a much healthier lawn so you don’t need to use fertilizer or weed killer (not that you should be using them any way)

As a final note about your gas powered mower, think about this:
In 1hr of cutting your grass with a gas push mower you will produce the equivalent smog as driving your car for over 560km, and the smog gasses sit right in your back yard. A ride on mower is even worse some time as much as 5-10 times worse, it may actually be more environmentally friendly to drive you Winnebago across the country then to cut you lawn for the summer.(not that I am suggesting anyone drive a Winnebago across the country)
According to a CNN report, in a single day Southern California's lawn tools spew out more pollution than all the aircraft in the Los Angeles area.

Net Metering In PEI

I have contacted our electrical utility to see what the deal is with net metering. I don’t think that I will be going the way of solar electric right now but someone may find this interesting. (I am not going solar electric right now because we only us between 200-300kw per month, this means we have an electric bill of around $50/month, most of this cost is the monthly connection fee)

Here are some of the points on the Maritime Electric Net Metering program.
1. They will pay you the same price that you pay for your power (~10cents/kw). This was forced onto the utility by the government; you can tell from their document that they don’t like it. They wanted to pay the price that they purchase electricity for ~7cents/kw.
2. If you create more then you use you can bank the extra for less productive months.
3. Banked production gets reset to zero each Oct.
4. You require 2 meters, both supplied by Maritime Electric, not sure if there is any extra cost for this. (it looks like there is not)

Another cool solar electric system.

I have found another every interesting product for anyone looking for solar electric systems. It is called BlueLink solar.


It is basically an all in one solar electric system that comes on a pallet; you basically unfold it and plug it in.
Ok so it is not quite that easy, but very close.
The system has all the controls and converters on the actual unit and the unit comes fully assembled. The main thing that has to be done is setting up the connection to the house electric panel. I am not exactly sure how this is done or exactly what is needed to make this connection but from the other sites that I have read it sounds like the system has everything including 3 BP 160Watt solar panels, inverter and AC/DC disconnects, this should mean that you just need a connection to your panel, likely another disconnect (shut off switch) and a net meter (most power companies will replace your current power meter with a net meter power meter if you ask).
The cost is not too bad around $4500 US (~$4900 Can) + delivery $450 US. This does seem to be cheeper then other types of solar panels because you get the inverter, disconnects and mounting stand.

Cheap Solar Panels

I have been away for a bit but now I am back and continuing my search for solar alternatives.
Here is an interesting and some what cheaper option, it maybe worth getting one of these panels and testing it out to see how much heat it can produce.
http://www.solar-systems.ca/poolheaters.php
It is actually used for heating pools but I think with the right setup it would work well for a test bed for heading a house. At the price of only $400 for panel, pump and solar electric panel (for running the pump) it is by far the cheapest way to start off. I may just get one to try and see what I can do with it (if you just want the panel by it’s self it is only $299).

The OLD Heating System

Here is a diagram of what my heating system currently looks like. It is a very simple system where the thermostat turns on the circulating pump and the hot water in the furnace circulates to the Rads.

This system is not very energy efficient or comfortable because the Rads heat up to full temperature (160-180 deg F) by the time the room heats up enough to turn off the thermostat there is enough thermal mass in the rads to keep heating the room a few more degs. This means the house heats up and gets hot then cools down then heats up etc. See the earlier post of the new system setup that should hopefully fix this problem.

Retrofit Your Home and Qualify for a Grant!

I found this as I have been looking at websites. It is a Grant problem by the feds for retrofitting you home with energy efficient equipment.

Gants range from $3500 for installing ground source heat pumps, to $500 for solar hot water systems down to $20 for replacing a window air conditioner with a Energy Star unit.

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm

The best hotwater system setup

As I am waiting for more details on the up coming government program for renewable energy, I had a long talk with someone that deals with heating systems every day. He told me about a way to setup your hot water heating system so that it will operate at it's top efficiency.

Most contractors setup heating systems by just connect up a thermostat to the control unit that runs the circulating pump. When you need heat it turns on the pump and you get heat. This is actually the worst way to run a hot water system because your heating system will keep over shooting the temperature that you want. You will find that the house will get really hot, then cool then hot again. This all takes a lot of extra energy. It also means that the furnace it's self keeps will run for 2-3 minutes at a time trying to stay hot. When it takes a minute or so to heat up all the parts of the furnace before it starts heating the water again you can see how this would reduce your efficiency.

The (not so new) setup that I was told about is much more efficient because it allows the furnace to cool off, right down to room temperature when it is not needed (like during the summer and maybe night time), when heat is needed the furnace will turn on and heat up, the pump that is connected only provides enough heat to the house to bring it to temperature. The control that is used keeps track of the water temperature that is in the radiators, the temperature outside and the requested indoor temperature. All of this data is used to tell the system exactly how hot to make the water that is pumped into the radiators. So for example, if it is -20degC out side then the system may need water temperatures of 180degF but if it is only -5degC out side then the system may only need water temps of 130degF (or maybe less). This means you get a much more even heated house and a system that uses less energy/oil.

Here is a diagram of the basic system
(This is very basic diagram so don’t try to use it to setup a system. You things like heat traps, expansion tanks etc. Once I get it all figured out I will post another diagram with more details)
Pump#1 – this pump is controlled by the furnace and will only turn on when the furnace is running at a set temperature, this is what allows the furnace to be turned off completely when no heat is being called for. (Prevents cold water from being circulated)

Pump#2 – this is a variable speed pump. The control senses the temperature of the zone pipes as well as the outside temperature then decides how fast to run this pump to get the radiators at the correct temperature. (This is basically a mixing pump; it pulls just enough hot water out of the furnace to get the water in the radiator loop to the target temperature)

Pump#3 – this pump is used to keep all the radiators at the same temperature, it just circulates the water with in the radiator loop.

Pump#4 – used when the hot water tank calls for heat (I am not sure that I put this in the correct spot) the hot water tank is an indirect tank, it has a coil in it that the water from the furnace circulated in to heat the drinking water contained with in the tank.

Each of the zones would also have a zone valve on the return so that each zone could be controlled individually.

Goverment Program

Well it looks like the government of PEI will be putting together another renewable energy program for home owners. The details of this program have not been announced but hopefully it will be some kind of grant/loan program.

Bad News

Well it looks like the PEI government has stopped their loan program for renewable energy, this is going to be a bit of a blow to my project. We will have to see what other options are available to us.

Solar Shadows

Here is the solar shadow model that I created using Google SketchUp. This software allows you to actually set your place in the world by using Google Earth. all very cool.

When you watch the video you will see the shadows going across the house (takes a few seconds to start, ok more like 10 seconds to start) The first time the shadow go across the house I have the date set to Jan 15th second time Feb etc. Each time the shadow goes across the house this represents a single day. Just for reference the house being studied is the one with the shadows on it.

Help on types of Solar.

I have decided to put a solar hot water system on our house, but now I have to decide what type of solar system to use to generate the hot water. From my understanding there are two types of systems that are normally used; flat panel collectors and evacuated tube collectors.

I have done some research into both but still can not figure out which is best for the PEI climate.

Here is what I know so far:
Flat panel systems – are less expensive, and work well when in sunny conditions and when it is not too cold.
Evacuated tube systems – more expensive, but work even when it is cloudy. Can produce very high temperatures.

So it looks like price is the big thing that stops people from using the evacuated tubes (I think) so here is some of the pricing I have gotten so far (I will update this as I get more pricing) these prices don’t include installation because I am planning on installing it myself.

Flat panel system (manufactured in NS) ~ $5000

• (2) 4’x8’ panels
• (1) photo electric panel to run pump
• (1) storage tank (just a hot water heater)
• (1) heat exchanger/pump/control unit that run on 12vDC from photo electric panel.

Evacuated Tube system (sold by company in NS) ~$4500

• (1) 14 tube collector (exact area is not clear but I think it is around 1.4 sq m)
• (1) storage tank (not clear on the size) super insulated tank. (contains the heat exchanger inside it)
• (1) pump/control unit that runs on 120vAC

The 2nd system is cheaper but it is not clear if everything is included in this price.

Does anyone have any further info about these systems?

Looking for co-authors....

I am looking for input from other people that have used or have done research on solar hot water heating. (and other types of environmental endeavors)

I would like to create this blog as more of a community blog, so if anyone else has or is the process of doing environment things such as using solar, wind, ground source heat, etc. I would like to add you as a co-author of the blog, to do this please post your email address in a comment and I will invite you as a co-author.

Home made Laundry detergent. (Cheap & more environmentally friendly)

This comes from an environmental workshop that I have been going to over the past few weeks.

We have just started trying this out, we used some of it this weekend and it worked great. We also figured that $15 of supplies would replace over $80 of store purchased detergent.
(you may actually save more then $80 becuase the $15 of supplies make 9-10 gallons of detergent)
One note is that the soap does not produce many suds but it still cleans really well and is good for the pocket book and the environment.

Apparently it came from the following website: www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

1/3 bar laundry soap (such as Sunlight laundry soap)
½ cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer)
½ cup borax powder (20 Mule Team)

These products are all widely available at most grocery stores.
Here's what I paid for each item:
2 bars of Sunlight laundry soap: $1.99
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda: $5.19
20 Mule Team borax: $4.99

You will also need a small bucket (about a 2 gallon size)

1. Grate 1/3 of soap bar and put it in a sauce pan.
2. Add 6 cups water and heat pan until the soap melts.
3. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.
4. Remove saucepan from heat.
5. Pour 4 cups hot water into a bucket.
6. Add the soap mixture and stir.
7. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.
8. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.

You use ½ cup per washing machine load (for a front loading washing machine). (If you have a top loading washing machine, you may have to use 1 cup.)

The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gelthat some people have described as an "egg noodle soup" look. Before using, you may want to stir the soap to break up the gel - or if the soap is stored in a container, you may want to give the container a shake to ensure the contents are well mixed.

Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scentthis with ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice.

THE START....

I am starting this blog as a way hopefully spread some of the things I have found as I have been doing the following projects:

1. Trying to convert my house to use more solar energy (Mostly solar hot water)
2. Trying to start a small back yard garden, to reduce the number of miles my food has to travel to get to me.
3. Building homes as part of Habitat for Humanity and my attempts to make these homes a bit more environmentally friendly.
4. Any other projects I happen to start, including slamming political parties for doing stupid things.

For the information of those people that may follow my solar endeavors, I am located in Prince Edward Island, Canada (~ 43deg N, 63deg W).