william, great plans(lies). I need winter projects to keep me busy. This retirement thing is strange...............not sure I like all aspects of it. I need a list like yours.

I have one of those fluorescent grow-light stands that holds 12 flats. I can start anything I need with it. I have had it about 3-4 years now and couldn't do without it. I bought mine but have seen others build them with pvc pipe and shop lights.

BTW, good luck with the projects.

gldno1- my brother told me the only bad thing about retirement is you can't take a day off! cracked me up.

i have my bench about 80% finished. when i was in china the top was cut out of marble. i had 2 i built. marble is cheaper then wood there. wood here.

years ago when i lived in ga i made protective socks out of window screening [fiberglass] for CRW tomato cages to keep the bugs etc out of my tomatoes. they worked great. i was thinking of making the same thing for my raised beds. like a small minature hoop house on hinges. i am in a new area so don't have the same resources, things will be a little tougher to get done.

i am sure the list will get bigger. i know i need to make some bluebird birdhouses and a gizmo for some aeriated compost tea!!!!!!!!!!!!

william

Have you thought about using a polyspun material, like Remay, for your covers. I use it to cover the strawberries until they are ready to pick. Sun goes through, rain goes through, just no insects and it raises the bed temperature a few degrees.

Sounds like you've got some good projects to work on over winter.
Who is SSE?
I still have some things that I'd like to get done outside BEFORE winter. There's a large yew at the front of our house that needs to be removed. It was a poor choice and has gotten too large. We also have a burning bush along the front of our house that should probably be removed. It's too big too and if I prune it, it doesn't get good fall color so there's really no point in leaving it there. It would be nice to get both of those taken out and have the area ready to plant new shrubs in the spring. It would be reeally, reeally nice if I could enlarge my foundation beds but it's edged with windsor stone and it would be a lot of trouble to move it.
Ok - Winter projects (since it's ok to lie in this post) - I'm going to go through my seed box and do something with all those leftover seeds that are three or four years old now (ok maybe five). I'll do LOTS of winter sowing. I'm going to remodel my kitchen and bathroom, have all my Christmas shoping done by December 1st, and clean out my storage room and garage AND I'm going to exercise every day eat right too. : )

i will take a look at remay. i still haven't figured out how to do the arches for the bed. good idea though.

SSE is seed saver exchange in decorah, iowa. nothing but heirlooms/ op's.

" eating right" here is very difficult cause my wife thinks a dumpling is a vegetable!

william
yellville, ar

I built a hoop greenhouse using pvc pipe bent in an arch. You might try an 8-foot section of it and see what lengths you could bend to fit that 3-foot bed; another idea would be sections of woven wire fencing which is pretty stiff, but would handle nicely.

sweetwm, goodluck on your winter projects. Wish i could add a suggestion but i have to get out and try all kinds of things,sometimes they even work but than i never know how i did them.
Christie, since we,re all lying here i've got the same list of winter do,s you do. Except no lie,i bet i've got older seeds than you do.
I've bought 2 Christmas gifts already.
I have got to clean 2 closets out soon,i mean really got to.
vickie