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Post by dg on Sept 24, 2010 10:01:28 GMT -5
This will blow your mind.
One fall many years ago, I had a very nice group of tomato plants and pepper plants in one section of my garden that were full of fruit not quite ripe. I knew a 20 degree freeze was going to occur that night and for 2-3 more nights, after which we expected indian summer. So I set the water sprinkler on them overnight. (this was at a time when water bills were not based on usage in my neighborhood area)
By morning, in the freezing cold, everything was covered with ice. The white patch in my yard had car traffic stopping at my yard in wonderment. By noon, all the ice had melted and everything was in great shape with no damage at all. I continued this practice and long story short I had the plants and fruit all the way thru indian summer.
Later on I learned that orange growers in florida do something similar to this when there is danger of frost. So if you can run a water sprinkler in your greenhouse every night .....
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Post by sd on Mar 27, 2011 16:35:27 GMT -5
The book in this thread about year-round gardening looks very interesting. I will have to get a copy for this fall as we're planning to gradually increase our garden to provide more. This year trying lettuce,spinach,cabbage,swiss chard,chinese cabbage,leeks,onions,garlic,tomatoes,cucumbers,watermelon, cantalope ,peas, bell and hot peppers.. It will be good to extend the growing season and also to start crops and seedlings much earlier in the spring. With food costs continually on the rise, this seems to be worth looking into to be more self-productive. About a month ago, I decided to construct a 'poorman's" coldframe greenhouse , and I found that it also works well as a solar oven if not vented on sunny days (Fried my first batch of seedlings).Starting over - Wish I had started this Jan 1. It is lightweight and moveable . It covers a space 8 x 12 with a 6' high ceiling point in the domed center, 40" at the sidewall. If I lived in an area with snow loads, It would require a center support and perhaps a steeper pitch for the sides. Since we're getting some potential frosts , I am protecting some of the inground plants by placing wiremesh on concrete blocks above and covering with plastic. I will open the sides up during the day, because there is still heat gaineven on a cloudy and overcast day. Photos follow, and if anyone is interested,followed by some explanation on the coldframe construction. Relatively inexpensive to construct on a trial basis. I used 6 mil reinforced plastic mesh vs unreinforced. It comes in rolls 20' wide up to 100' long $77.00 2 months ago at a construction supply house. Had some leftover, and so didn't want to purchase greenhouse uv protected plastic for this first experiment. Reinforced will not tear like regular plastic, but it will also degrade over the course of a year or so from the UV. I took 2 pieces of concrete wire mesh 8' x 20' long - The mesh has 6" x 6" squares between the wires. I bent the last 3 squares on each end up, and then raised the middle of the mesh up in the center to form a domed frame about 6' high in the center. I then took 12' long -1/2" rebar, and bent it (easily done by hand) to form the shape of the semi-circle. (This can be done first. The 12' pieces I overlapped to each other and tied with tie-wire. The sidelegs came up 4' straight before I started to curve the bar. Easily modified by standing on it with one foot while lifting with the hand. I tied the rebar at 12" intervals to the wire mesh with tie-wire- one rebar frame at the front, one at the rear. I then took 4 rebar stakes at each corner, and drove them into the ground 12" or so. I tied the stakes to the 4' vertical leg of the rebar corners. Draped the reinforced poly over the frame. It takes approx 24' x 20'wide poly to cover the top and drape over both open ends allowing a few feet extra to weight down on the ground. The end frames can be framed easily if desired, providing doors on either end. The frame will need the ability to be adequately vented though, because it can get quite hot on sunny days. I also have placed 2 55 gallon barrels filled with water inside to help temper the temperature, and to release some heat gained during the day back into the structure at night. I was thinking that if needed during really cold cloudy periods of sustained sub freezing temps, a $25.00 cattle water trough heater from an agricultural supply would keep the water in the barrels above freezing and the minigreenhouse climate able to sustain even tender plants.
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Post by bankedout on Mar 27, 2011 19:10:18 GMT -5
That is awesome SD! I can see you used resources readily available to you. Since I'm not in the construction industry, I'm going a different route. EMT electrical conduit for mini row cover low tunnels. Benders are quite reasonable: lostcreek.net/I'm trying to decide between the 3' or 4' width. I'm thinking with 3' I could probably just open one side and work with the entire row. 10' sections of 1/2" EMT are less than $2 each. I have seen it recommended that for the ends you use 3/4" EMT which is slightly more expensive. For row covers you use clear plastic in the early and late season. If you want to grow lettuce in Summer you can use shade cloth. One source for these supplies is: www.johnnyseeds.com/c-5-tools-and-supplies.aspxThere might be better deals out there. Great to see someone putting forth this effort. I will post photos when I make it to that stage.
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Post by sd on Mar 30, 2011 20:21:09 GMT -5
Good information Bankedout- I think the hoop house/rowcover is a great idea, and EMT conduit will last for years. I've seen these row covers done in some of the rural area's/farms, but never looked into it for my own use. . Good videos on those sites as well- I like the idea of a walk-in greenhouse , particularly for starting plants early etc, but the row covers are all one needs for growing most row crops. and much less expensive to construct, easier to maintain. As far as what size row-cover- Conduit comes in standard 10' lengths, and so I'd think a 12' wide pvc cover would be needed. I don't know if that would be a 3-or 4' wide row-Depends on the degree of benders offered. I would use whatever is standard. The plastic cover needs to be wide enough to be adequately weighted down against high winds.
I would access from both sides, and would devise a top rail that sandwiches the conduit at the center of the hoop, so you could lift one side and not have it blown completely off on a windy day.
I'd also look to employ some of the sq ft gardening approaches- Plant seeds not in single rows, but maximise the growing space by disregarding the 'row' spacing, and plant multiple plants at the recommended interval between plants- As long as you can reach in 2' from either side, you can access the harvest. Plants have adequate room to grow. Even in a cold climate such as yours, The sunlight will warm the rowcover area. Snow is a natural /insulator, but I would think that a layer of mulch on top of the ground alongside the rowcover would assist in slowing frost penetration into the rowcover. That would certainly provide an earlier and a longer growing season in all climates.
Had our first home garden- romaine lettuce salad tonight. I had purchased the seedlings a month earlier and planted. Later this year I will start my own seeds at intervals and try to maintain salad crops throughout the fall/ winter, using the row cover concept. It will be rewarding- even on a small scale- to push back against the winter months next year and harvest a Christmas dinner evening's salad- lettuce/spinach, cabbage, swiss chard, radish, carrot etc when everything around looks rather bleak.Tomatoes will have to come from a Florida hothouse I suspect, as well as cucumbers. But it's still inspiring to consider the possibilities.
Good Luck with your Garden! SD
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Post by bankedout on Mar 30, 2011 20:59:12 GMT -5
Sd, Did you read 'Square Foot Gardening' by Mel Bartholomew? I plan to incorporate his ideas. That is a great book. Since the EMT electrical conduit is 10' long, you stick part of that in to the ground. Supposedly 10' material will work with enough leftover for weights. Another concept from the book above is vertical gardening. I was going to use EMT conduit for that also, but today I bought 7'6" fence posts. I can drive those in to the ground and run string/twine between them and that should be good. This would be for tomatoes, peas, pole beans, cucumbers, squash, and anything else that usually wants to sprawl or climb. You would plant this North of your shorter crop main garden. On another note, I am trying to start a new business based on the food industry. It might be similar to: www.jsonline.com/business/98569659.htmland/or I tried typing the link but for some reason the forum software keeps changing it no matter what. You will have to Google 'Sweet Water Organics' I can't put a direct link to their site here. This would combine fish and produce. I think the food industry will be a great place to be as inflation occurs. Food prices will continue to rise with oil/energy prices. People can't live without food. At some point it will make economic sense to buy local food.
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Post by sd on Mar 31, 2011 20:37:34 GMT -5
Aquaponics is really innovative! Exciting way to utilize abandoned buildings, combining hydroponics with growing fish for food and fertilizer.!contained system.
Yes, the energy/ lighting costs would be high, but allows one to have a 365 day environment with controlled temperature. Has to be expensive to set-up! It would be interesting to see one in action!
One could potentially experiment & make a prototype operation within a small area- such as a hoophouse /greenhouse, or even within a double car garage. Or a combination of the 2 areas. - I expect the aquatic food /fertilizer source could be raised in an above ground pool , and the crops in an adjoining hydroponic tank? Possibly in the adjacent hoophouse with the water being cycled via pump... Pure speculation on my part-
Having a controlled temp environment for the fish would likely be important for growth and also disease prevention. You'd want a fast growing crop - I've never eaten one, but I hear they are trying to get extobacco farmers in NC to learn to raise Prawns- freshwater shrimp- a 4 month to harvest crop....
It sounds very interesting, and likely a very expensive and marginal on a commercial basis. However, if one could get some start-up funding from those stimulus $$$$$ Hmmm- no telling where this could go.
As an after thought- and guaranteed to make the venture both almost immediately profitable and primarily supported with gov't funds- Find an abandoned warehouse in Washington State, Colorodo, or similarly inclined states, and start a hydroponic/aquaponic operation with medical cannabis as the vegetable crop!. It should get the support of the state agency that will tax the profits, (I understand that a number of states do this) and funding from the gov't job stimulus......Should be a shoe-in!LOL!
The Square Foot Gardening book- Yes, I think that was the book I was given a couple of years ago- And the idea that you don't need to worry about row width to adequately grow plants- I tend to plant in blocks with plants spaced equi distant . It seems to work very well with most crops- It allows one to minimise water and fertilizer within a smaller area. We have had problems with droughts in recent years. I plant closer together, often planting in the low area , and apply a mulch cover . Our season tends to get hot and dry. My daughter wants to employ a 'raised bed 'approach at her garden. I plant in the valley of the furrow to get the water to the plant. My neighbor with the tractor plants high in the furrow. On the hill- He's lucky to get a crop of anything in these drought times we have here. I hate to weed , and have no time or desire to do so; so I mulch between plants with an initial mulch application as the plants get developed. I have used commercial weed block with 2" of wood mulch- but even newspapers placed between plants with 2" of mulch/compost seems to work very well and degrades over the season. The mulch is essential in our area to keep the soil from baking hard on top and forming an impervious layer to the sporadic thunderstorms we experience in summer. Your climate may be different of course. Crop rotation is important over the seasons, as is perhaps planting a winter crop to restore some vitality to the soil. (Fish compost from the aquaponics would likely be all that is needed)
Growing crops vertically makes great sense- I take a few slanted stakes at my cucumbers, and tie a piece of wire concrete mesh to them about 5' high and allow the mesh to bend over above head high. I have also done this with cantelope- The vines easily climb the mesh , and the fruit simply 'hangs' down for the picking- It maximises the growing space by going vertically. It also reduces disease by providing good air circulation, and makes the harvest very obvious. You can also do the same thing with strings between stakes. I saw in one of the links you posted a video on pruning cucumbers- Have never tried that- only pruned tomatoes. May try that this year.
As you mentioned, you want to orient your garden so that the higher growing crops don't shade the others. Also, there are 'early'crops - the cold ones- that can benefit from shading as the season heats up.. Gardening is a great hobby as long as it does not become a chore. Effort put in initially to block weeds, automate watering and fertilizer is well rewarded later on mid season.
Good luck with your garden! It should be time to start some seeds for your area! Next year, I'm starting some plants 8 weeks before frost! SD
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Post by dg on Mar 31, 2011 23:45:09 GMT -5
I have used wide row (bed) gardening methods for several years. In essence I plant several close rows within each bed which is itself approximately 6 ft by 15 ft. I also plant several successive or protective crops in the same bed, such as radish and lettuce, followed by slow growing cabbage or kale or brocoli. I even do tomatoes wide bed as three alternating rows of cages. What I like best about the concept is the easy weeding job and the garden efficiency of space utilization.
Some crops that do not lend themselves readily to bed methodology are corn, squash and melons. Corn needs several rows with space for good pollination without overcrowding and squash and melons just ramble over large areas, following the sun.
Unfortunately, I can no longer use my garden in this way due to groundhogs. So now I just grow tomatoes, peppers, herbs and what few vegies I can crowd into super large pots (trash containers) on my sundeck. Were the worst to occur to our economy such that my garden became critical to survival, I would have to get out one of my pellet guns and do some ground hog hunting. So at this time, my garden is a grass and weed field enclosed in deer fencing.
But as I look out my window this fine spring day, I see new snow covering everything anew. Ah! spring! (yes, sarcasm)
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Post by bankedout on Apr 1, 2011 10:29:33 GMT -5
I moved in to my current house in late May of last year. I had a ton of work to do on the house so I couldn't put any energy in to the outdoors last year.
The house came with a couple of apple trees, a plum tree, a mulberry tree, and grape vines. All were in desperate need of major trimming. I did a little last Fall and finished up this Spring.
This Spring I have also planted a bunch of blueberry, black berry, and raspberry bushes. I'm currently working on a large row of asparagus. I'm trying to get these perennials started so I will have good things to eat in future years. I have a few seedless grape vines to get in right after the asparagus.
I'll be a little late on the traditional garden, but I do plan to get my row cover tunnels built in time to extend the harvest this Fall. I would like to eat cold weather crops as far in to Winter as possible. We shall see.
Once the perennials are done I have to make new garden beds. Everything is lawn right now. So it is a chore starting out.
I love fresh produce, so it is worth it to me. I also really like working outside.
I forgot to mention I also had to trim regular trees that are/were shading the space where I want to grow produce. So a few factors are slowing me down with the new house.
I'll have to look at pricing on that cement grid stuff. I have also heard of people using wire fencing type material for in between the stakes of vertical gardening.
I'm glad others here are interested in this subject.
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Post by sd on Apr 1, 2011 20:15:44 GMT -5
DG- My mom is also a great advocate of companion planting, Mulch , and Ruth Stout's 1970's methods. Would an electric wire inside your deer fence deter your ground hog intruders? I hear they are good eating as long as you trim around the scent glands! Deer are also a big issue here, and I have my garden within a 5' fenced area with wire lines higher on the wood's side. I'm trying some protective planting with onions, garlic, and radishes between & around some of the plants. Squash borers make yellow squash and zucchinini a short season here- even when planted in containers. I try not to spray vegetables. Bankedout- Sounds like you've had a lot on your plate with moving and working on your property! No need to rush things..... Grapes are an easy crop to propogate if you get interested in expanding. They will appreciate the pruning , and will be much more productive. Some varieties can also overcrop themselves if allowed to do so. You could check with the local AG extension office. They could likely be a good resource of information on crops and fruit growing in general, and it is likely free. A note on limiting fruit production: I had 3 white Niagra grapes that were 3-4 years old. I allowed them to grow quite lengthy, and they produced huge clusters of fruit on every available shoot- and died the following year because I didn't limit the production and the length of the vine. The plants gave a big crop and didn't have enough stored energy to recover the next year. Keeping the vines properly pruned will ensure quality fruit production. My visit to the local Ag extension office had me leaving with numerous pamphlets full of info for growing fruits and crops specific to this area. They also offer a very economical soil analysis for your property and recommendations for needed amendments- A great resource -even for the home gardener. (And paid for by your taxes) Check em out- Today I realized i will need to enlarge the garden- Go Figure! Guess That's what Sunday afternoons are for !- SD
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Post by dg on Apr 1, 2011 21:58:44 GMT -5
sd:
Ground hogs tunnel.
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Post by sd on Jun 8, 2011 20:54:12 GMT -5
This week our garden was invaded by 2 groundhogs. I didn't see any signs of tunneling, likely small gaps in the fencing allowed all the entry they needed. . The Terrier mixed dog (BOLT) that my Mother adopted from the pound last year has dispatched 2 of the critters in the past 3 days- They really did a number on the cabbage /broccoli type plants. - which had already been ravaged by small green caterpillars/cabbage worms. The companion plantings of garlic and onions didn't seem to have much effect. These critters could easily destroy a garden in just a few days. My recommendations for gardening are now inclined to include Chickens/guineas to scour for bugs and a good dog from the pound to scout out the big boys. Harvested somelettuce/radish/ cabbage & snow peas in the past weeks., and now the heat is on and the lettuce and such is bolting. First crop of cucumbers and squash this week. Tomatoes well on their way. I found that we did not take advantage of all the produce-that we had seeded- Mostly this is due to our busy lifestyle and limited free time to spend in the garden- It's a matter of priorities of course. SD
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Post by dg on Jun 9, 2011 22:53:58 GMT -5
My garden is on my sun deck again this year. Thanks to an early start, my tomato plants are nearly my height and are setting fruit already. I also have some hot peppers fruiting. Of course, I also have been eating lettuce and herbs for quite some time. Onions and kale are also planted and starting to grow. For fun I added two blueberry shrubs and two baby fig trees to the deck garden. Even the two eggplants are blooming (saved from last year) and my brussels plants are taller than my tomato plants.
Ironically, I now have seven chickens running around loose underneath the fenced-in sundeck much of each day. Today they experienced their first chipmonk. It was funny. No one was quite sure who to chase whom. Eventually the chipmonk got the hell out of there with three chickens in hot persuit. Funny!
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Post by blygh on Jun 12, 2011 11:57:34 GMT -5
When I moved from Kansas (edible tomatoes by the 4th of July - grown in 40,000 years of composed buffalo manure ) to Maine I tried and tried tomatoes (occasionally getting some by Labor Day) - I eventually took the gardening advice I given in some publication. "If you live in southern New England, plant your seeds in a sunny location - if you live in northern New England, plant your seeds in Florida
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Post by dg on Jun 13, 2011 15:18:21 GMT -5
nah! if you live in new england, buy your plants at home depot.
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Post by bankedout on Jun 16, 2011 8:36:42 GMT -5
I have only been eating Spring crops up to this point. Lettuce, spinach, radishes, & asparagus. My Summer crops are planted and growing, but not nearly ready to eat. I could have started some of them earlier, but for various reasons I didn't. My hope is to plant in August and do some Fall & Winter harvesting of cool weather crops for the first time. Below is a photo of my sweet corn racing my giant sunflowers. It was even for a while but the sunflowers are taking the lead. They are supposed to get 12' tall.
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