We have needed a new water heater for a few months, since discovering that our hot water was slightly discolored with rust. (Harmless, but kinda gross and indicative of bigger problems with our nearly 20yr old water heater.)  That need increased this week, when I discovered that it had begun to leak.

Thus, research ensued.  I was already familiar with the Federal incentive for high-efficiency home improvements. (30% of cost, labor included. Learn more at the energystar.gov website.)    I also learned that our power company, PSE offers a 150$ or 200$ rebate (for units with an efficiency rating of .82 or higher, or .90 or higher accordingly. link), depending on the efficiency of the model.  For water heaters, the only options on the market that meet the efficiency requirements set by the government program and PSE are what are called ”tankless water heaters”.

This was enough info to start calling contractors… I used highly rated listings on the convenient Angie’s list website to find the best price, and the best product offerings.  Most tank based systems sounded like a ~1500 replacement, which would have been even less if our old unit wasn’t a more costly direct vent model.  The premium is required of a water heater that can vent out a side wall instead of the roof.  (Traditional tank-based systems are closer to 1000$ installed.)

This put tankless systems in a competitive price point, with the combination of PSE and Federal rebates.  I found that the Fast Water Heater company had particularly good prices, and they offered a extremely interesting product for a great price.  They had a traditional tankless system by Noritz with an efficiency rating of .82 for 2229$ installed, which seemed like a good price.  They also had a “hybrid water heater” by Eternal for 2569$.  (eternalwaterheater.com)

The hybrid offered a couple benefits over the traditional tankless unit:

• Even higher .96 efficiency rating. (eligible for additional 50$ rebate from PSE.)
• It is designed around a small 2 gallon “tank” which means that you get hot water more quicky, since it doesn’t need to start up the gas to get hot water flowing.
• It is self cleaning, meaning that there is less need for regular cleaning of the heating element, which is required for tankless systems.

My enthusiasm for the feature list was slightly moderated by some real concerns too: The Eternal product has a great 10 year warranty, but it is hard to know how reliable it is since it is based on 3 year old technology.  The hybrid units are also larger than the true tankless units;  It would save space compared to the old 50 gallon tank, but not as much.

I decided to go for the hybrid for the reasons identified above.  I felt like the point of the Federal incentive is to drive the adoption of new technology, and in a way, the government is paying us to take a gamble on new technology, which will over time result in greater adoption and better quality products.  I sure hope that I bet on the right product, but only time will tell.  What I can say now is that it is pretty nice to be able to clean out the hot tub, and fill it right back up with hot water; no need to wait a day for the water to heat up.

Note: There is one important detail that is not entirely clear when comparing tankless units.  They all come with a GPM rating, which is used to determine which model is big enough to meet your home’s needs, but this rating is misleading.  You might calculate that your home needs 5gpm of hot water for peak usage. (ex: washer, dishwasher and a shower)  This does not mean that a unit rated for 5gpm unit will meet your needs in a location like Washington.  The rating on the unit is based on the assumption that the water heater only needs to increase the water temperature by a certain amount, maybe 30 degrees.  In Washington State, the water temperature coming into the house is quite cold, so it will take more energy, and a higher powered unit to raise the water temperature by a greater amount.  The eternal unit we purchased is rated for up to 14.5gpm, which will probably be closer to 7gpm maximum here in WA.

In learning about growing potatoes (since our potatoes should arrive in the next couple days),  I stumbled into an article about the dollar  value of produce a small home garden can produce.  Link: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Square-Foot-Gardening-Food.aspx

That article was based on an assumption of 100 square feet of growing space.  We have almost 160 square feet, all with a perfect southern exposure.  Their analysis led to a figure of 700$ in produce from just a small garden.  There are several techniques one can employ to increase the value from their garden: grow small, high value crops. start plants indoors and plant several crops in the same location every season.  Radishes and greens can come out in time to make room for Tomatoes.  As always, grow what you like to eat to minimize waste.

I doubt we will weigh and log our food production to know for sure, but a 700$ figure gives me a little more wiggle room to justify the myriad 0f costs this year in Seeds, Seed propagation equipment, Wire Shelving,  Lighting,  Compost, Wood, Water and Electricity.  Thankfully, this year’s purchases were largely one-time investments which we will enjoy for years to come.  Next year we should be able to get by with some compost, a couple fun new seed varieties and the usual mix of water/electricity/my time.

I didn’t really know this until recently, but it turns out Tomatoes come in one of three “Habits”. Those three habits are: determinate, indeterminate, and semi-determinate (less common.) 

Determinate plants produce all of their fruit pretty much at once, and are generally shorter and bushier than their indeterminate relatives.

Indeterminate plants grow as long as the season will allow, and can reach many feet high with the right conditions. They can be grown in cages, but will overwhelm the cage when they get a particulary good growing season. They can also be grown vertically on a trellis, which will allow them to reach for the sky and receive plenty of light.

I did some research to better understand the habits of my young plants. It turns out all the plants I worked with last year except the Roma Tomatoes are of the Indeterminate variety. This certainly explains why my Roma plants were relatively small and many of the other varieties outgrew their cages.  One new variety for this year, Siberian, is also of the determinate variety.

This year, I plan to build trellises for the four new fully raised beds that aren’t already earmarked for Potato Production. I will probably use one of these to grow additional beans, and the others to grow tomatoes. This is also a good way to begin a crop rotation to minimize pests. I can train some of my indeterminate tomatoes to grow vertically in the back rows of my beds one year, and plant beans in the same location the next year.  Much of this learning and the idea to grow tomatoes on trellises instead of in cages come from a couple great articles on Judy’s Square foot garden blog. 

Ofcourse, we may also have to try a Topsy Turvy which grows tomatoes upside down this year.  They are all the rage, and Amy would like to try one for fun.  I’m not one to say no to garening projects and products.  (JK and Ingunn had good luck with their’s last year using extra tomato starts which I grew.)

Just as the east coast has gotten pummeled with 30 inches of snow, a false spring has struck Seattle.  On our walk today I saw many signs of  spring including small tuliplike flowers, greener grasses and the smell of sweet jasmine flowers even though we couldn’t find the source.   

The warmer weather has confused the garden as well.  Today, I discovered that the hop plants had set new runners, just breaking the surface in the last day or two.   The winter garden has picked up a good deal too.   The reasonably tough Speckled Lettuce has set new leaves after losing some of it’s larger leaves to the colder weather in December and January.  The Onions and Garlic are still doing very well; if this keeps up we will see an early harvest.  The snow peas which I planted two weeks ago on a whim actually sprouted in the last few days.  (I am using shredded newspaper as a free, no-impact mulch to insulate and warm the soil.  It is a great way to extend the season.)

Snow Peas breaking ground level (left), Miner’s Lettuce (right) is doing very well as an unprotected winter crop.

Miners Lettuce is a new crop for us.  It is similar to lettuce, but grows in much colder weather.  It has flourished this winter with no protection, giving us small leafy greens to supplement our winter diet.  I have added it to store bought salads, added it to stirfry and pasta for a splash of green and used in place of lettuce when making a sandwich.  A northwest native plant, it was named Miners Lettuce as it was eaten by prospectors in this region to fend off scurvy.  The flavor is similar to lettuce, mild, if slightly nutty, and a little crisper.

Hops trying to grow a little too early.

 Shallots are a multiplier onion.  You plant one shallot in the ground, and up to 8 plants grow from a single bulb.

The indoor starts are also doing very well.  I had to put one light fixture on each schelf as it slightly increases the number of plants getting supplementary light.  I may have to get one more fixture when all the young tomato plants move into the 3″ squares.  I will have to give an update on the starts soon!

I created a short post a few weeks ago with directions for building a Raised Bed.  I wanted to expand on that article by showing the three raised bed modules which I have designed and built, and show how they work together in our garden.   

Overview of the three module types.

The first 5 beds in the garden which I built several years ago were Partially Raised Beds.  To establish them, I dug down 12-20 inches to break up and enrich the existing soil.  To increase planting depth, I built a 3.5″ riser of inexpensive Cedar Decking.  This year, I have rebuilt / replaced them with 7″ risers made with two planks of the same Cedar Decking.  They now match the height and exact dimensions of my fully raised beds.  When all of the beds have the same dimensions, you can build accessories that work for all of your beds such as the 7″ riser described below. 

 Materials for one partially raised bed: 

• 4- 2″x2″x16″ vertical posts.  Cedar. (5$)
• 4 – 3’10″ sections Cedar decking. 
• 4 – 4′ sections Cedar decking. (Decking is a nominal 4″ wide, actual dimension is 3.5″x1″) (4 boards @ 3.50 = 14$)
• 32 – 2″ Wood Screws rated for outdoor use.  (1/4 of 8$ box)

Three Assembled "Partially Raised Beds" before installation.

I already detailed the Fully Raised Bed design, so you should refer to that article for more details about it’s design. 

Because both types of garden bed have the same dimensions and the same notched corners, I can create modules that sit on top of the standardized dimensions. The first modular component I built was a 7″ Riser which sits on top of a bed to increase it’s depth.  So far I have built only one, and I made it as an aid to preparing a bed for the new year.  By temporarily adding 7″ to the sides of the bed, it is buch easier to work the soil without spilling soil into the road.  This is especially useful when significantly rejuvinating a bed or estabilishing it for the first time since you can rake the soil vigorously without worrying about making a mess.  It has an obvious second use to raise the depth of a planter for a root crop.  We plan to use at least one riser to plant potatoes in one of our raised beds this summer. 

 A riser is easy to build with the following materials, or you can build it with scraps based on this design: 

• 4- 2″x2″x6.5″ vertical posts.  Cedar. (Use scraps if you can… 5$)
• 4 – 3’10″ sections Cedar decking. 
• 4 – 4′ sections Cedar decking. (Decking is a nominal 4″ wide, actual dimension is 3.5″x1″) (4 boards @ 3.50 = 14$)
• 32 – 2″ Wood Screws rated for outdoor use.  (1/4 of 8$ box)

Some tips in assembling raised beds:This year, I built two fully raised beds, rebuilt 2 partially raised beds and built 3 partially raised beds from scratch.  Along the way I picked up a few tips to assemble them quickly and efficently: 

• The easiest way to assemble the raised bed is to assemble the short sides first by screwing the 3’10″ boards onto the 2″x2″ cedar vertical board.  When assembling, make sure you leave space for the riser fit in the corners.
• It is useful to not only screw the boards onto the cedar 2″2″ but also use one screw on each corner connecting the edges.  This seems to make the whole bed more stable.
• If you are committed to building many raised beds or other outdoor projects, just go ahead and buy the 5# box of screws.  8$ for a one pound box of screws is ridiculous.  I learned the hard way.
• To slow deterioration, I applied a clear stain on the exterior facing sides of the box, and allowed several days for it to dry before installation.  I would have stained all surfaces, but I do not have a non-toxic stain and I do not want chemicals leaching into the garden.  (This soy-based stain claims to be non-toxic and is reasonably priced.  If it extends the usable life of your raised bed by a couple of years it would be worth the cost.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a local distributor easily.)

I hope these directions inspire you to create a first garden, or make your existing garden more efficient.  If you have a better or alternate design, or suggestions to make this design better, let me know.  If you find these instructions interesting or helpful, send me an e-mail or leave a comment!  (email: Tom (at) tomalphin (dot) com)  Thanks!