Masonry Heater: Progress on the Thermal Mass

Continued from Masonry Heater Project

One decision that had to be made was, how should the top of the stove be finished off? Flat one-piece? Flat bricked? Arched? Corbelled? How did we want it to look? Which would be more practical? Which would be easier to build? Each idea had to be analyzed in terms of time, skill, and resources. 

Dan continually asked for my input and preferences, but I was honestly okay with any of the above. I told him to choose the option that he felt most comfortable with. The following photos will pretty much speak for the process.

Form for a brick arch. There isn't anything you can't learn on YouTube.

If you recall, the woodstove alcove walls above the bricks are cement board.

Dan cut the bricks to make the circular shape

One question that might come to mind is, how did we know how big to make it? There's a formula for that! Ours is a 6-inch system (based on the size of the chimney pipe), so we aimed for an internal surface area (ISA) of approximately 57 square feet. 

Masonry Heater: Progress on the Thermal Mass 

© Sep 2024 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Garden Notes: August 2024

Rainfall

• 1st: 0.03"
• 8th: 0.37" (Debby)
• 9th: 0.11"
• 11th: 0.59"
• 13th: 0.02"
• 16th: 0.2"
• 17th: 0.06"
• 18th: 0.01"
• 29th: 0.58
• 30th: 0.06"
• Total: 2.06 inches

 Temperature

• range of nighttime lows: 58 to 72°F (14.5 to 22°C)
• range of daytime highs: 82 to 95°F (27.7 to 35°C)

Weather Notes

• first half of the month gave us hot, humid, August-like weather
• second half of August was mostly cooler, dryer, September-like

Garden Notes

• Schedule
• mornings - pick
• afternoons - preserve
• Not a bountiful year for fruit, I'm afraid. Between loss of our fig trees, poor production, and stiff competition from the birds and squirrels, we ate most of it fresh, although this month I'll be processing pears, which seem to do reliably well.
• Problems
  • Pickleworm in the cucumbers. They've been struggling anyway, and the worm hasn't helped. No pickles for preserving this year, but we do get baby cukes for salads every couple of days.
  • Large wasp nest in the muscadine vines. Right under the eave of the house!
  • Groundhog! And an extremely tricksy one at that. It's resisted all the baits Dan has tried in our live animal trap, and continues to do its damage in the garden and orchard.
  • Not enough rain.
  • And, of course, the fig trees dying. I really miss our fresh August figs!
• In summary, it hasn't been a great year for gardening. Mostly I harvest handfuls, but at least we're eating well. 

Planted

I don't usually plant in August because the heat and scanty rain aren't conducive for growing. I feel like I'm taking a chance by planting early this year, due to our cooler temps!

• carrots
• beets
• lettuce

Harvested

• green beans
• slicing tomatoes
• cherry tomatoes
• daikon leaves
• chicory leaves
• lambs quarter
• okra
• summer squash
• basil
• cucumber
• oregano
• thyme
• pears
• muscadines
• elderberries
• sweet peppers
• yamberries
• Egyptian walking onions

Preserved

• pizza sauce, canned
• pear sauce, dehydrated
• green beans, canned
• muscadines, frozen
• summer squash, canned
• elderberries, frozen

Photos

We didn't get many apples, but I made sure we got a pie!

Pear production hasn't been great either, but I did dehyerate some
pear sauce. I also tried dyeing with pear leaves! My results here.

I had some old (2020?) Jing okra seed and planted it along with
my usual Clemson spineless. I was surprised so much came up!

It's a pretty plant and adds interest to both garden and picking
 bucket. It doesn't retain it's red color with cooking, however.

Early August salad: cherry tomatoes, cucumber, baby green beans, 
a variety of greens: lambs quarter, daikon leaves, chicory, goat feta.

Late August salad: by the time the greens fizzled out, I started harvesting
summer squash. Laying also picked up so I could add hard boiled eggs.

Tatume summer squash (I think!). My garden planting didn't make it, but this
was from seed I tossed out in the pasture, where the plants are producing.

Based on the shape, however, I'm thinking this might be baby sweet potato
squash. No matter. We love it sauteed with onion and fresh herbs, or roasted.

The yamberries produced well.

These are a starchy vegetable, good roasted or tossed into soup.

Our prettiest pepper so far. Fresh grated goat mozzarella on the left,
fresh pizza sauce in the jar, and Egyptian walking onions on the right.

We started the month with a fresh apple pie and ended it with a fresh pear pie.

Your turn!

Garden Notes: August 2024 © August 2024

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Greenhouse: Getting Ready to Finish the Interior

Our summer is too hot for greenhouse growing, so except for a tomatoeless volunteer test cherry tomato plant, not much has been happening there. One of Dan's rainwater tanks started to leak, but we delayed repair until later. I will mention that between the solar vent fan and the shade cloth, we're avoided the greenhouse effect, but it's still too hot in there for plants to be happy. But we never planned to use it in summer, so except for the tank leak, it's all good. 

What's left to do is build some benches and the floor. For that, I think Dan wants to put down stone.First though, we agreed the framing should be painted. Last week, we had some deliciously October-like temps, which was perfect for working in the greenhouse. While Dan worked on his stove project, I got started on the painting. 

We're back in a summer warming trend, so it will likely be awhile before I finish. But it's nice to see it starting to look fresh and bright. It's nice to make even a little more progress toward finally getting it done. 

Greenhouse: Getting Ready to Finish the Interior 

© Aug 2024 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com