Blog
Schedule a Rhode Island Plumbing or RI Heating Appointment with Five Star Plumbing and Heating
Five Star Plumbing and Heating Online Coupon
Like Five Star On Facebook

Your own Vegetable Garden

Written by Darlene Murphy on March 3, 2013 — Leave a Comment

With springtime right around the corner, a lot of us are already thinking about our gardens and what we would like to grow this year!

Planting your own garden is not only fun, but can be very rewarding seeing all your hard work pay off.  Growing your own vegetable garden is a great way to save money and enjoy fresh, nutritious vegetables at the same time. Often times it’s hard to find the freshest vegetables in your local markets and the ones you can find are usually costly.  So not only will you save money, you will be able to provide your family with the best possible produce.

The first thing you need to do is to plan where you want your garden. Just make sure that whatever spot you pick gets plenty of sunlight. You will need to start with the proper tools, especially if this is your first garden. The tools can be purchased at any of your local gardening stores or nurseries. A few basic tools you will need to get started are a garden hoe, a shovel, a rake and a watering can or hose. Along with the proper tools you will also need soil, fertilizer, seeds or plants. Depending on what region you live in will be when you need to start your garden. For all of us in the Northeast region, you will start in the spring and harvest in the fall. Usually late April or early May is a good time to start. Timing is very important because if you start too early in the season, before the last frost, your plants will freeze and die. However starting too late will cause the plants improper growth and most likely will not be ready for harvest time.

Seeds or Seedlings? That’s a good question. Well because of the short growing season and the amount of time some vegetables take to mature from seed some plants are best started indoors like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. For that reason it is better to either start your own plants or purchase seedlings from your local nurseries. Your local nurseries are a great place to find out which vegetables need to be started indoors. Also most seed packets will give you most of the information you’ll need about whether to direct seed in the garden or whether you’ll need to start them so many weeks before your last frost.

Here is a list of vegetables that are direct seeded:

Beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, micro greens, peas, pumpkins, radishes,  squash, turnips and watermelon to name a few.

Here is a list of vegetables that transplant well when started indoors:

Basil, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, chives, collards, eggplant, endive, escarole, kale, , leeks, mustard, okra, onions, parsley, peppers,  and tomatoes.

Whatever you’re going to choose, either direct seeding, seed starting indoors or purchasing seedlings at your local nursery, it’s best to decide while you are planning your vegetable garden. It’s best to get your plants in the ground as early as possible to acclimate to the weather and to give them the longest growing season possible.

After you have your garden layout and seeds or plants prepared you need to prep the soil before planting. The best material to grow vegetables is compost. The soil needs to be rich in nutrients and moisture in order for plants to grow properly.  You can purchase compost or, you could start your own compost pile.

Now it’s time to plant! Most nurseries or seed packets can tell you how far apart to plant and which plants can be together. Spacing and depth is a really important step to take to ensure proper growth. With lots of water, weeding and care you could have a beautiful, healthy vegetable garden of your own!

Lastly, if the above is not enough to intrigue you to start your own garden maybe take a look at some of the health benefits of growing your own.  For example, growing your own food lets you limit the amount of chemicals and pesticides you’re ingesting and by doing that you will be able to eat more of the skin on the fruits and vegetables where most of the nutrition is found. So it also allows you to get the benefit of full nutrition from the food. By harvesting your own produce it enables you to eat fresh food right away before essential vitamins are reduced or lost and the taste is far better. Another benefit of you own garden is to turn it into valuable family time.  Care of your garden requires a daily commitment, but can be used to educate your children about the nutritional value of the foods they have helped plant. It’s a great bonding experience for the whole family and you may even get the kids interested in trying more new vegetables!

Here is a great website to visit to answer all your questions as seen on NBC 10 news. http://www2.turnto10.com http://www.urimastergardeners.org.   You may even be able to get free seed if you are a civil organization or group. There are also garden layout ideas and recipes.

Posted in For Fun, Uncategorized

Backyard Birds Surviving Winter

Written by Darlene Murphy on February 8, 2013 — Leave a Comment

I often wondered what birds eat in the winter when food is scare. I also wondered how they survived the harsh elements of the cold weather.

IMG_1019

Unfortunately because of the cold weather there is not much of a food source for the birds. In the spring they are able to eat small insects and berries from the trees.  Some birds will “hide” food sources called caching in the warmer weather and go to it when it gets colder and food is scarce. It is like the squirrels hiding their acorns in the fall. Not all food sources will remain where the birds hide it because there is a lot of competition for food.  Sometimes they will eat dormant insects in the crevices of tree bark if they can find them.  Other birds will work as teams to hunt out the backyard feeders.

What can we do?

Well you can help by providing feeders in the winter. The best time to start the feeders for the winter birds is at the end of summer like August for example. You want to get the birds used to where their food source is going to come from. The only thing is, once you start, the winter birds will depend on you for their food source so you will have to be committed to feeding for the winter season.  The best foods or seed to feed are high protein source foods like suet, thistle-seed and black sunflower seeds. These provide the higher caloric intake that birds need in the winter. Another idea is putting out peanuts or chunky peanut butter. You can really keep it simple by using items around your house to put outside.  For example, simply toast a piece of bread, smear the peanut butter on and roll in the bird seed.  You can attach with a simple ribbon or twine to your tree branches.

Suet is a great inexpensive way to feed your birds in the winter too. Suet helps to maintain their body heat and energy levels. You could either purchase suet from you local bird store, or you could make your own. What is suet? Well is it animal fat that has been rendered to form a hard mass. You could purchase suet or beef fat trimmings from a local butcher. This is a less expensive option and depending on your butcher, you may be able to have these scraps for a drastic discount or even for free. Also you could save the bacon and pork drippings from your meals to create your own suet. This will be a little softer than rendered beef fat, but will still be suitable for the birds. You could even just purchase lard at your local grocery store. Lard is usually found in the baking needs aisle. The lard that you purchase does have to be rendered down at home and filtered before it can be fed to the birds, but it can be a fun and easy project to do.  Get creative too! Once you’ve rendered the lard you can add whatever you want.

  • Here is an easy recipe:
  • 1 Cup rendered suet
  • 1 Cup chunky peanut butter
  • 3 Cups stone ground cornmeal
  • 1/2 Cup white or wheat flour

So how do birds stay warm?

Well some species of birds can grow additional feathers when the temperatures start dropping, which thickens their insulation. Some birds will use the practice of “feather fluffing”. This is a process that puffs out the down feathers to create air pocket, which helps insulate and traps in the bird’s body heat.

Some birds can lower their metabolic rate to an almost torpor-like state. In this state their heart rate slows down and their body temperature declines. They burn fewer calories in this state, which helps them survive the coldest nights.

Other birds, especially the more social species like chickadees, stay warm at night by roosting with other birds in tree cavities or nest boxes that you can also provide. Please make sure to clean out the boxes before the cold weather. Cleanliness is vital for keeping birds healthy!

Lastly, make sure you provide a good water source for your birds. Water is scarce in the winter because most of the sources become frozen. Dehydration can be a bigger threat than starvation. Water is not only important for hydration, but it also helps birds preen their feathers. Without proper preening, birds’ feathers can’t stay positioned and aligned. When their feathers come out of alignment in winter it can create gaps in their “insulation”, which makes birds lose body heat faster. The simplest way to provide water is either put in a heated bird bath of purchase a heating element for an existing bath. Most of these units have an automatic turn on and off when temperatures dip below freezing.

Birds are a beautiful part of nature that surrounds us all year long. Although wintering birds have done quite well in order to survive the coldest months, they’ve also learned to rely heavily upon humans for their food, water and roosting nests. The more we do to help, the better their chances of survival and simply enjoy our feathery friends!

Posted in For Fun, Uncategorized

Punxsutawney Phil crawled out early this morning and did not see his shadow, signaling it will be an early spring !!! a few tips to help keep your plumbing trouble free.

Written by Kevin Omar on February 2, 2013 — Leave a Comment

Happy Ground Hog Day!!!

Punxsutawney Phil crawled out early this morning and did not see his shadow, signaling it will be an early spring !!!

So with that said and with spring right around the corner (YAY) !! I thought I would offer a few tips to help keep your plumbing trouble free.

  • With the snow and heavy rains we have had in our areas recently Spring is the perfect time to clear your yard drains, downspouts and gutters. You want to make sure they are free and clear of all debris to ensure they are functioning properly.
  • Check exposed pipes under sinks and in the basement for signs of leaks. The cold and freezing temperatures we’ve had can cause your pipes to expand and contract. This can cause cracks in your pipes.
  • If an outdoor faucet drips or if there is leakage inside your home when you turn your hose on for the first time of the season, you may have had a frozen pipe that cracked and needs to be replaced.

    • By doing a little bit of Spring cleaning you can avoid any plumbing headaches and Enjoy your Spring!

    Posted in For Fun, Plumbing

    Sewer Gas Smell in your Home

    Written by Darlene Murphy on February 2, 2013 — Leave a Comment

    I was interested in researching this topic because I am experiencing this same sewer smell or rotten egg smell in my bathroom and although I knew it was coming from one of the pipes, either from my sink or toilet, I did not know exactly what it was or what was causing it. Sometimes the smell is so overwhelming I wondered if it is dangerous to my health and the health of my pets. Well after researching I found out that this gas called hydrogen sulfide is not healthy to be breathing in. Hydrogen sulfide is dangerous even at low levels. Prolonged exposure to this gas can cause irritability, headaches, fatigue, sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, loss of appetite, poor memory and dizziness. It affects people and pets that are exposed to it over a long period of time. Even if the smell comes and goes it needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

    After further research, I found out the possible cause is from the drain vents. Drain vents are an essential part of all plumbing systems. These plumbing drain vents perform some key functions in plumbing because they equalize the air pressure in the drain line which allows air to flow through the pipe as well as the water itself. The drain vents allow the air to escape from the waste water pipes as the waste water pushes it along. When the home’s plumbing system is working properly, the naturally-occurring hydrogen sulfide is directed up and out of your home through a vent system, which exits through the roof. No smell should be present. They also permit air into the waste pipes so that waste water is not hindered by low air pressure. That enables these vents to safely dispose of the stinky sewer odor or “rotten egg” smell through a roof vent rather than the odor being trapped and entering your home.

    When do you need a drain vent repair?

    The first tell tale sign is if you begin to smell sewer gas. This could be a sign of a drain vent problem. Some people also hear a gurgling sound during drainage. That could mean a bad venting pipe or clogged drain. This sound occurs because the air is not properly vented through the plumbing vent like it should, but instead is being sucked in through the drainage pipes.

    Plumbing vents that accidentally get blocked or closed off or leaking plumbing vents that are not properly sealed can cause problems with your plumbing system.  There can also be plumbing vent stack leaks inside the walls of your home when installation is not completed properly and will cause pipes to become disjointed.  So if you smell rotten eggs in your home, the problem could be more serious than you think, especially when your health is at risk! Call a professional plumber as soon as possible!

    Posted in Plumbing

    Happy Martin Luther King Day!

    Written by Darlene Murphy on January 21, 2013 — Leave a Comment

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the course of history and inspired us to build what he called “the beloved community”.  It is a day for Americans from all walks of  life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. It’s also a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background.

    MLK Day is a chance to start the year off right by making an impact in your community.  Many people consider this day, a call to service. There are so many different ways you can help your community, from lending a helping hand to a neighbor to donating food and even volunteering at a local shelter or wherever you choose. Each of us should take a moment to think about how we could make a difference in someone’s life. Even the smallest act of kindness can have a big impact on someone’s life.

    Help us make our community a better place!

    Below is a list of some organizations that are looking for volunteers to participate in their programs.

    Organization ProfileWomen’s Center of RI

    http://www.womenscenterri.org

    The Women’s Center of Rhode Island is a private, not-for-profit organization providing safety and support to women and their children who are experiencing interpersonal abuse or are homeless due to a personal crisis.

    Judy’s Kindness Kitchen

    http://www.judyskindnesskitchen.org

    Our mission is to establish a soup kitchen that: provides warm, nourishing meals to people in need; strengthens our Providence community by encouraging members of different groups to work together to fill a need; secures funding and a broad volunteer commitment to assure sustainability over the long-term.

    Serve Rhode Island

    http://www.ServeRhodeIsland.org

    Serve Rhode Island transforms the lives of Rhode Islanders by increasing the number of people engaged in volunteer and service activities in their communities. For over 40 years, The Volunteer Center of Rhode Island (VCRI) has been connecting people and opportunities for effective community service. On January 1, 2009, VCRI merged into Serve Rhode Island to become the Volunteer Center at Serve Rhode Island. This merge creates one statewide organization dedicated to meeting the volunteer service needs of the Rhode Island community.

    Books Are Wings

    http://www.booksarewings.org

    Books Are Wings is dedicated to putting Free Books in the hands of children. Books Are Wings believes that having access to books in their homes will help children develop the literacy skills that they need to succeed. Choosing books that interest them, that are theirs to keep, motivates children to read more. Reading gives children wings to soar!

    These are just a fraction of  the many organizations out there in our state that are looking for volunteers.  There are too many to list here. Please visit www.serverhodeisland.org for information on where you can volunteer in your local community.

    Posted in Uncategorized
    « Older Entries

    Website Design and Web Development by CDKWeb | St. Louis, MO
    Five Star Plumbing and HeatingSM of Johnston RI is fully licensed and insured. MP1821 MPF6423