Garden in review 2014

It has been so good to garden this year!

I have been slowly adding raised beds as the opportunity arises. I refuse to pay full market price for lumber for garden projects so, I wait till I find a great deal on culled lumber.

Strawberry barrels - they dry out way too fast so I will be re-doing the soil mix and replanting the current one and, will make another. I love harvesting and weeding them. Super EASY!





























Pepper Tires - I think i found my pepper solution in using these tires.

These were GREAT!
A mole screen, compost soil mix, keep them pruned...
my solution for growing great peppers in the PacNW!

















I put the tomato in the raised beds and so far so good. Organic EarlyGirl Bush variety did the best. Still not enough though.



The shelling and snap peas were confused and i ended up just shelling all of them. Ended up with a gallon bag full and am not sure the time and real estate was worth it.

Summer squash were prolific.
I think I will cut down to 1 each for 2015.

Green beans did great. Gonna put those in the new raised beds next year.

Cukes love the containers so long as i keep them watered.




I accidentally ended up with lots more pumpkins than i thought i planted.





Wild berries were good this year.
Last Year, the Blackberries got all molded out by a freak rainspell just before harvest time (I lost my tomatoes to that rain spell too).

Springtime garden

I found all these pinks for under $15 a few days after mothers day!
I got rid of the sedum. It got too ratty looking during the winter.
Planted these and added the rock "mulch".
These smell FABULOUS when in bloom.

Garden in November with new raised beds

Great gardening year that produced about $700 worth of fresh, Organic Produce!

Looking forward to 2015. I think I am starting to get the hang of PNW gardening.

I will be trying corn again. Planting it closer together and a variety with a shorter time.
I have a PNW variety of garlic already in the raised beds and cant wait to try it.
I have found a new love of parsnips! Roast chicken and parsnips is a perfect combo.

I don't need to cope.

How to cut crown molding with a miter saw and NOT have to cope.

* Don't be a dummy. Be safe when handling power tools by following manufacturer's instructions and always using appropriate safety equipment. *

My order of crown molding arrived and I watched a few how-to videos about cutting and installing.
All of them said you have to cope some joints. Coping is taking a fine hand saw and manually cutting an angle so the corners fit.

If you know me, I thought there HAS to be a better and easier way!
So I played with a scrap for about 5 minutes and found the answer.
C'mon guys! I am not a pro contractor or an engineer and it took me FIVE MINUTES to figure it out.

This is not an all-inclusive how to on crown molding - just a description of the 2 cuts to make to get 4 different 45 degree corners WITHOUT having to cope.
I don't do videos so, I hope this visual helps you to make quick and easy interior and exterior corner cuts for your crown molding install.

Tips:
Not all corners are square.
I cut about 1/4 inch longer than measured to give a little wiggle room to adjust.
Be prepared to make lots of minor adjustments because your house may not have square corners.
Order a few more pieces than you need because 1) there WILL be damaged peices in the shipping 2) you can practice with one 3) you can be less stressed about making a mistake 4) you have extra in case something happens later on.

EXTERIOR CORNERS














Exterior Right Corner

Set the saw angle at 45   pointed to the Right.
Set the molding upside down on the saw.
The corner you are cutting needs to be facing toward the Right and on the left side of the blade.

My hand is there to hold the molding for photo only

Exterior Left corner

Pretty much opposite of the right side.
Set the saw angle at 45   pointed to the Left.
Set the Molding upside down on the saw.
The corner you are cutting needs to be facing towards Left and on the right side of the blade.

As seen in the photo above... one cut makes 2 different corners. It depends on what side of the blade your cut is as to the corner you are making. Make sure your cut is lined up. I mark the bottom edge of the molding that touches the wall on the back side of the molding and line that up. But, there are other tutorials on the web that can show you how to measure. 

INTERIOR CORNERS

Inside Left corner

This is an Inside Right Corner cut.

Set the Saw angle at 45  pointed to the Right
Set the molding upside down on the saw.
The Corner that you are cutting needs to be facing toward the left to make the cut on the right side of the blade.


Inside Right corner

Set the saw angle at 45  pointed to the Left.
Set the molding upside down on the saw.
The corner you are cutting needs to face toward the Right to make the cut on the left side of the blade.

So, That is it. Easy peasy.

More tips... I painted mine BEFORE cutting and installing. SO way EASIER!
I also used carpenters wood filler putty to smooth the joints, fill any gaps and fix minor damage. It can be sanded and painted over for a smooth and seamless look.