|
Post by Alan on Jan 4, 2010 16:48:31 GMT -5
I decided to switch up some things in the big greenhouse this season.
When we first built the greenhouse it was built with seedling production in mind complete with a packed gravel floor covered with a weed barrier, my needs and business have changed in the previous few years and so now I focus mostly on producing food in the greenhouse, mostly in pots, but I figured the system could be a bit more efficient.
A raised bed! A friend of ours runs a smalle pallete manufacturing company and this gives us access to sawdust which is well composted from 10 plus years ago, essentially it is soil, and we use a lot of it on the farm as mulch, a soil amendment, and as a worm feedstock. Yesterday I loaded a dumptruck load into the greenhouse finishing half of the floor up with a 8 inch depth of sawdust. I am currently awaiting the second load which will finish the project.
Afterwords I will amend with a heavy dosage of lime, chicken compost, and worm castings, and install some old walking stones to make the raised bed greenhouse more easily navigable. From here I should be able to produce many crops year round with little to no heating, particularly when coupled with the low tunnels I bought a couple of years ago, my goal is to make the greenhouse amenable to some type of crop year round with a "living soil" base to which I can add some composting worms and terra pretta.
|
|
|
Post by Jim on Jan 4, 2010 16:49:44 GMT -5
sweet... pictures ?
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Jan 5, 2010 23:21:34 GMT -5
As soon as I get the rest of the sawdust in place and the blocks where they need to go and everything amended I'll take a couple quick pics. I'll probably start planting garden crops in there in March and when it is in full growth I'll get some even better pics. When I replace the plastic next fall I'm gonna use that polly weave stuff and run some 2 x 6 boards down the side at the bottom break of the frame so I can throw some roll up sides on there, then I'll purchase some more heavy duty 60% shade cloth, put it on a roll up system and use the greenhouse during the summer to grow lettuce! Big Ideas! Too many of them sometimes!
|
|
|
Post by Dan on Feb 27, 2010 11:56:28 GMT -5
Any news or pictures on this Alan? i know your still probably getting snow, just curious to hear of any progress.
|
|
|
Post by Alan on Mar 1, 2010 22:52:15 GMT -5
Waiting on another load of sawdust which will hopefully show up this week, if not though no big deal as I'll use the back half of the greenhouse for raising early crops and the front half for my nursery stock that I'm selling this year. In a few days I'll get some pics up of some stuff, so many things going on right now I can barely keep up. Rabbits Kindling, Guineas and Turkeys arriving in the mail, turkey eggs in two incubators, grafting trees, potting plants, making soil blocks, starting seeds and on and on and on...... I love it though!
|
|
|
Post by Dan on Mar 2, 2010 18:56:39 GMT -5
The life of a farmer....
|
|
|
Post by lavandulagirl on Mar 17, 2010 10:55:44 GMT -5
So... pictures now?
|
|
|
Post by Dan on Mar 17, 2010 18:47:09 GMT -5
Maybe if we badger him enough he'll get some
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 15, 2010 16:21:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 15, 2010 17:27:25 GMT -5
Keep 'em coming Jo. Now what varieties are in this pic?
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 15, 2010 19:02:08 GMT -5
uhhh... green butter head and red butterhead? I'm sorry Blue, I really didn't expect these to show up. I planted them last year and got frustrated because they fizzeled and did nothing nearly so lovely as this. I'm figuring they are both butterhead types though because that's the kind I like best. The red MIGHT be red sails? Don't quote me on that though.
|
|
|
Post by Penny on Apr 16, 2010 5:48:44 GMT -5
Awsome Jo!
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 17, 2010 3:53:53 GMT -5
Thanks Penny! It's rather interesting that it came up so much nicer the second year after planting. Interestingly, I'm finding other seeds, sewn in the past, coming up now. Bee Balm that I THINK I planted 3 years ago is finally showing up. I'm really pleased with this as it means that it competing successfully against the grass. I detest grass for some odd reason. Even the inedible wild onions are preferable to the grass!
I purchased some green butter type lettuce today and I'll sew it with the idea that I'll eat it next year! I'll have to get some more of the red leaf as well, it's just so beautiful. We had some of it for dinner tonight. The beauty is more than leaf deep!
|
|
|
Post by bunkie on Apr 19, 2010 10:35:39 GMT -5
awesome pics jo!
i had trouble with germinating alan's cotton too. only maybe a third germinated.
your peach trees are way ahead of ours! ours are just starting to bud a bit.
neat idea with growing the bird feed. we want to do the same!
great idea of putting the horseradish in pots in the potato bed!
that's amazing all the plants coming up that you had planted years ago!
'death of a cabbage'! wonderful pics jo!
|
|