Door Headboard

Materials:

• 1×4, 1×6 and 2×4 lumberdrill
  3″ decking screwsdecorative trim
• 3 puck lights
• wood filler
• sandpaper
• primer
• paint (base coat: Croissant SW1114 (satin), top coat glaze: Ralph Lauren Harness Brown (LE01))
• awl
• self-anchoring Molly boltslong
• drywall screws

Steps:

1. Cut the door to the desired width. Cut 2×4s for the legs to the desired height and the top and bottom rails the same width as the door to make a frame for it.

2. To attach the frame to the door panel, drill pilot holes through the top and bottom 2×4s, and then use screws to secure them in place. Repeat the procedure to attach the legs (figure C).

3. To give the headboard a unique topper, attach a 1×6 to the top rail, and then case it in with a 1×4 edged with decorative trim (figure D).

4. Fill the screw holes with wood putty and let dry. Sand the entire piece, prime, and then paint it as desired. For a distressed finish, randomly scratch and sand it.

5. For a finishing touch inside the decorative topper, install small puck lights that function as reading and accent lighting (figure E).

6. To attach the headboard to the wall, drill pilot holes in the panels in the center of the door (about three inches above the top mattress) and push an awl through the hole to mark the wall. Use self-anchoring Molly bolts and drywall screws to secure it to the wall. Fox did this in six places so as not to damage the wall too much.

Source : http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/decorating/article/0,,HGTV_3545_1665282,00.html

Ewwwwwww!

How to Start a Vegetable Garden

Eating fresh-picked corn or vine-ripened tomatoes is a life-altering experience. But where do you start? How do you choose from racks of seeds, catalog after catalog and rows upon rows of nursery seedlings? Successful small-scale farmers know what and when to plant, and how to start the crops.

Instructions

STEP 1: Grow only those vegetables you enjoy eating. Give priority to those prized for incredible flavor when eaten fresh from the garden: sweet corn, beans and peas, tomatoes and young spinach, among others.

STEP 2: Prepare a plot of flat ground that gets full sun nearly all day. Break up and turn the soil and add compost or other organic material. A full day of blazing sunshine is especially important if you grow vegetables in the cool weather of early spring, early fall or winter.

STEP 3: Figure out how much growing space you have and plant accordingly. Lettuce, for example, can be grown in a solid mat, but tomatoes need to be spaced about 2 feet (60 cm) apart. Give pumpkins at least 4 feet (120 cm) of growing room. Growing requirements are provided on seed packets, in catalogs, and on nursery tags, as well as in books on growing vegetables.

STEP 4: Choose crops that require less room if you have a small garden or grow vegetables in a container. Lettuce is a great pot plant, and ‘Patio’ or ‘Tumbler’ tomatoes will grow well in a hanging basket. Plants that climb and vine, such as cucumbers and pole beans, can be trained up a trellis to take up less room horizontally. Tuck herbs and parsley into flower beds.

STEP 5: Schedule plantings around the two main growing seasons which vary by region: cool (spring and fall) and warm (summer). Common cool-season vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips. Warm-season crops include beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes.

STEP 6: Sow some seeds directly in the ground as they grow best that way: beans, beets, carrots, chard, corn, lettuce, melons, peas, pumpkins, squash and turnips. Starting seeds is, of course, much less expensive than planting seedlings sold in flats, packs and pots.

STEP 7: Start with nursery seedlings of certain other crops unless you are an experienced vegetable grower. These plants tend to do better when set out in the garden as seedlings: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Squash and cucumbers are among a few you can plant just as effectively as either seeds or seedlings.

STEP 8: Buy seeds at nurseries or by mail order starting just after the New Year, when the selection is freshest. Look for seed packets marked as having been packed for the current year.

STEP 9: Buy vegetables online and from mail-order seed companies for a far greater selection than you’ll find at neighborhood nurseries. Burpee (burpee.com), Johnny’s Selected Seeds (johnnyseeds .com), Park Seed Company (parkseed.com) and Thompson and Morgan (thompson-morgan.com) are a few long-established sources.

STEP 10: Shop for seedlings when your soil is prepared and you are ready to plant. Keep them moist and don’t let them sit around for more than three days. Buy healthy and vigorous seedlings. They should stand up straight and be stocky, not lanky, with no yellow leaves or bug holes.

STEP 11: Save money and get truly involved with your garden by starting seeds indoors in winter and transplanting them into the garden in spring. It’s simplest to start with complete kits, sold at garden centers and through catalogs, containing fluorescent lights, soil mix, containers and watering devices.

STEP 12: Sow seeds of colorful radishes or giant sunflowers to introduce children to the satisfaction and fun of growing their own food. Or lean 3 stakes together, tie them together at the top, and train pole beans up the stakes. Voila`! A bean teepee.

WHEN TO PLANT / SOW SEEDS / SET OUT SEEDLINGS

Early to Mid-Spring / Lettuce, spinach, beet, turnips, peas, radishes, carrots, chard. / Onions, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, potatoes, kale.

Late Spring / Beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins, radishes. / Squash, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onions.

Late Summer / Lettuce, spinach, greens for fall harvest, beets, carrots, radishes, peas. / Broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower.

What To Look For

Sunny spot and good soil
Seed packets marked with current year
Vigorous seedlings

Overall Tips & Warnings
Shop for all kinds of seeds in early spring to midspring– when selection is best–even if you don’t plant them right away.

Plant cool-season seedlings during late winter if you live in a warm climate, such as the Southwest, Southern California or the South.

Keep extra seeds in an envelope in a dry, cool place, such as a plastic storage box in the basement. Many vegetable seeds can still sprout after a year or more in storage.

Just because you can grow zucchini doesn’t mean you should.

Source : http://www.ehow.com/how_110539_start-vegetable-garden.html

How to Grow an Herb Garden Indoors

You say you’re longing to have fresh herbs at your fingertips, but home (at least for the moment) is a gardenless apartment? Don’t despair. With a sunny windowsill and a bevy of pots, you can keep yourself supplied with seasonings, teas and potpourri fixings year-round.

Instructions

STEP 1: Choose a spot that gets at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day. (Augment the supply with fluorescent lights if necessary.) Most herbs like some ventilation but no direct drafts and no great fluctuations in temperature.

STEP 2: Decide what herbs you want to grow. Study books about herbs and peruse catalogs, and think about what you want to do with your herbs: cook with them, make potpourri or simply enjoy their foliage and fragrance.

STEP 3: Buy your plants at a nursery that specializes in herbs. Your selection will be much bigger than it will at a general nursery, and the staff is almost guaranteed to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

STEP 4: Use containers that are at least 8 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches across for each plant. To group multiple plants in a larger container, simply allow 6 to 8 inches between plants.

STEP 5: Lay pieces of screen mesh over the containers’ drainage holes and add a premium-quality, well-draining potting soil mixed with coarse sand and mushroom compost. (Nurseries sell it in small bags.) Further ensure good drainage by setting the pots on a tray filled with gravel.

STEP 6: Set the plants into their new quarters at the same depth they were growing in their nursery pots and water them well.

STEP 7: Be careful not to overwater. A good soaking once or twice a week will keep most herbs happy. Stand each pot in about an inch of tepid water until the soil is moist but not saturated.

STEP 8: Feed the plants once a week when they’re actively growing, using seaweed extract or fish emulsion.

STEP 9: Harvest indoor herbs with care. Clip outer leaves or sprigs as you need them, but always leave plenty of vigorous growth on the plant.

Tips & Warnings

In general, bushy perennial herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and winter savory, perform better indoors than those with soft stems, such as mint and tarragon. Scented geraniums make wonderful, fragrant herbal roommates, as do lemon verbena, basil, coriander and some varieties of lavender.

When you visit the herb nursery, ask for suggestions about what to grow – even if you think you know exactly what you want. The plant of your dreams could turn out to be one you’ve never heard of before.

Indoor herbs don’t like the cooking fumes and fluctuating heat in a small kitchen and the hot, dry air directly above a radiator.

Source : http://www.ehow.com/how_312_grow-herb-garden.html