Lots of interesting videos here, from how to collect wildflower seeds to how to get rid of invasive trees: https://www.youtube.com/user/P...
Article about how to raise swallowtail butterflies from egg to adult: http://texasbutterflyranch.com...
Article from HIgh Country Gardens about perennials for naturalizing: http://www.highcountrygardens....
In 2017 (note: I began planning this garden in 2015) I will be starting a new area of planting specifically for butterflies, birds and bees... it will be in an unprotected spot so will have to withstand deer, bunnies, and other wildlife. Here is a list of possible plants that I will be able to put in this year, thanks to the Piggy Seed Swap on Cubits, plants that I can transplant from my perennial garden, and other leftover garden seeds and local wildflowers:
Amaranthus
Astragalus canadensis
Baptisia australis
Bleeding Hearts
Blue dogbane
Borage
Buddleia "Buzz"
Butterfly weed
Cardinal flower
Chocolate Joe Pye weed
Choke cherry
Cimicifuga (Actaea racemosa)
Columbine
Common milkweed
Cosmos "Bright Lights"
Delphinium
Dill
Dwarf flowered butterfly pea (Clitoria)
Elderberry
Forget-Me-Not (alpine/northern type)
Four O'Clocks
Foxglove
Hollyhock (various types)
Horsemint/Spotted beebalm (Monarda)
Hyssom officianalis
Jewelweed
Marigolds
Maximillian sunflower
Monkshood
Morning Glory
Nasturtiums
Nicotiana (flowering tobacco, woodland tobacco)
Partridge pea
Perennial bachelor button
Purple coneflower
Queen Anne's Lace
Rocky Mountain penstemon
Rue
Safflower
Sedum
Sweet Annie
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Wild lupine
Winterberry
Wintergreen
Yarrow
Zinnias
WS using vermiculite: (from Jonna Sudenius) "Fill half of the preparation container with dry vermiculite and pour water over it until just covered. Then immediately pour it in the sieve, so that the vermiculite doesn't get too wet. It's very important to pour it into the sieve promptly after watering; this will ensure the perfect moisture level for sowing the seeds. Gently shake the sieve a few times to get rid of the extra water. Now it's ready to use.
"Now you can begin to fill containers with your pre-moistened vermiculite. Prepare as many containers as you'll sow that day.
Using a large spoon or ladle, begin filling the containers. The layer must be between one and four inches high, depending on the kind and size of the seeds you're sowing. One inch will do for very small seeds that need light to germinate; while four inches might occasionally be used for very large seeds. Gently press the layer with the bottom of another container to settle the vermiculite. Once the desired depth has been attained, it's time to sow the seeds!"
This method can also be used for seed starting indoors; transplant the seedlings to potting mix once they have sprouted.
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Another link for how to winter sow: http://www.bachmans.com/files/...
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From wintersown.org
Seed lists for winter sowing:
Hardy annuals:
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo...
Common perennials:
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo...
Vegetables and Kitchen Herbs:
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo...
Native Plants:
http://www.wintersown.org/wseo...
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Some shrubs and trees may require a Double Dormancy to germinate their seeds. These seeds are sometimes called Two-Year Seeds.
For these seeds choose sturdy deep containers as they hold a greater amount of soil to retain moisture. Containers with a fourteen inch or larger diameter work well.
Site the containers in a partially shaded area where they can remain undisturbed for two or more winters. The shadier sides of a garden shed, garage or the garden utility area are good locations to nest containers for the many months needed until natural germination.
Wait it out. Check containers periodically for moisture, water as needed and remove weed seedlings.
Don't waste the space. You can use unsown areas of containers for sowing annual seeds. Gently remove seedlings so as not to disturb dormant seeds.
Expect staggered germination among any batch of similar seedlings, it can take several months to a few years for seeds requiring a double winter to germinate and grow.
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2016
All done from 2/9 to 2/11
#1 Amsonia/Blue Dogbane (seeds left from trade and plants to over-winter in HH) WS, needs strat
#4 Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) (2015 ATP swap) WS
#2 Aquilegia canadensis * (seeds, plus plants to over-winter in HH) WS or DS asap in spring
#2 Aquilegia; Purple Columbine WS
#3 Artemisia annua (Sweet Annie) seeds saved from 2015 WS or April 1
#3 Aruncus dioicus; Goatsbeard - seeds collected in 2015 WS
#1 Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate Daisy) (2015 ATP swap) WS, DS after frost danger
#4 Oenothera 'Sunset Boulevard'* (seeds collected)
#6 Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush) (2015 ATP swap) WS and March
#6 Chimaphila maculata (Spotted Wintergreen) (2015 ATP swap) WS in sphagnum peat (see https://courses.washington.edu...)
#6 Claytonia virginica (Spring Beauty) (2015 ATP swap) WS
#7 Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Hearts) (pink and white flowered, mixed) * WS
#7 Heuchera micrantha (Coral Bells) 'Palace Purple' (2015 ATP swap) WS and March 1
#8 Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) - Cream with green spots (seeds collected in 2015) WS
#8 Digitalis purpurea; Foxglove - mixed WS
#5 Baptisia australis (2014 seed) WS; scarify seed
#5 Iris domestica (Blackberry Lily) (2015 ATP swap) WS
#10 Liatris punctata (Dotted Gayfeather) WS
#10 Liatris spicata; Gayfeather (2015 ATP swap)
#11 Anemone canadensis; Canada Anemone (seeds collected in 2015) WS
#11 Nepeta cataria (catnip) (seeds collected in 2014) WS
#12 Papaver somniferum; Poppy 'Persian Blue'(2015 ATP swap) WS or DS (mix with sand)
#12 Papaver somniferum; Poppy 'Pepperbox' (2015 ATP swap)
#13 Papaver; Poppy 'Park's Black Peony'
#13 Papaver; Florist's Poppy (did not germinate in 2015)
#13 Papaver; Poppies, Mary's peony flowered
#14 Nicotiana 'Sylvestris' and Nicotiana 'Mutabilis'* (seeds left from trade, plus collected)
#14 Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon) (2 full pkts plus 1 partial, plants to over-winter) WS
Done on 2/15/16
#15 Viola tricolor; 'Johnny Jump-Up' (seeds collected 2015) WS; bring into GH on 3/15
#15 Viola; Pansy, 'Super Swiss Giants' (HPS 2016) needs 2 weeks cold strat.; WS and start in 6-pks for growing under lights; move WS seeds to GH and bring flat inside 3/15 to grow under lights
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2015
NOTE: For most of these I will also try starting seeds in the greenhouse as the weather begins to warm up.
Agastache
Amaranthus
Asparagus
Astragalus canadensis 2/5 (#5)
Bachelor Buttons 2/7 (#11)
Baptisia australis 2/2 (#3)
Blue dogbane?
Borage 2/7 (#10)
Buddleia "Buzz"
Butterfly weed 2/5 (#7)
Cardinal flower/Lobelia cardinalis 2/7 (#11)
Catnip 2/7 (#9)
Choke cherry 2/2 (#1)
Cimicifuga (Actaea racemosa) 2/5 (#5)
Clematis
Columbine
Cosmos "Bright Lights"
Delphinium
Elderberry 2/2 (#3)
Forget-Me-Not (alpine/northern type) 2/2 (#4)
Foxglove/digitalis 2/2 (#4)
Hollyhock (various types) 2/5 (#8)
Horsemint/Spotted beebalm (Monarda) 2/7 (#9)
Hyssop officianalis 2/7 (#9)
Joe Pye Weed, 'Chocolate'
Lobelia
Lunaria 2/5 (#7)
Maximillian sunflower 2/7 (#10)
Mint
Monkshood
Morning Glory
Nasturtiums
Partridge pea 2/5 (#5)
Plains coreopsis 2/7 (#12)
Poppies 2/5 (#6)
Purple coneflower/common milkweed seed mixture 2/5 (#7)
Redbud tree
Rocky Mountain penstemon (?)
Rue 2/7 (#9)
Sage - culinary
Sweet Annie
Sweet marjoram
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) 2/2 (#4)
Thyme, German Winter
Vaccinium ovatum (?)
Wild lupine 2/2 (#2)
Wine Cup/Callirhoe involucrata 2/7 (#12)
Wintergeen (Gaultheria procumbens) 2/5 (#5)
Winterberry 2/2 (#1)
Witch Hazel 2/2 (#1)
Yarrow
Color chart of companion plants: http://www.mysquarefootgarden....
from Mindy03 on the herbs forum:
Basil repels mosquitos and horse flies
Lavender repels mosquitos, moths, flies and fleas
Lemon grass repels mosquitos
Lemon Thyme reels mosquitos,
Mint repels mosquitos
Rosemary repels mosquitos, and vegetables pests
Bay leaves repel flies
Chives repel carrot flies
Lemon balm repels mosquitos
Dill repels aphids, squash bugs, spider mites, cabbage loopers and tomato hornworms
Fennel repels aphids, slugs and snails
Parsley repels asparagus beetles
Marigolds repels aphids, mosquitos and rabbits
Nastrtium repels white flies, squash bugs, aphids, beetles and cabbage loopers
Petunias repels aphids,tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, leaf hoppers and squash bugs
Common lantana repels mosquitos,
geranium repels leaf hoppers
Companion planting guide from "The Productive Garden": http://www.theproductivegarden...
Beneficial companions:
Basil: repels mosquitoes
Catnip: repels flea beetles
Marigolds: deter Mexican bean beetles, cabbage moths, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes, and maggots
Borage: repels tomato worms
Nasturtiums: repel aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, striped pumpkin beetles, Mexican bean beetles; destroys white flies in greenhouses.
Tomatoes: repel cabbage worms
Celery: repels cabbage worms
Onions/Leeks: repel carrot flies, deters "most pests, especially maggots"; helps keep root maggots from parsnips
Wormwood: repels carrot flies, parsnip root maggots
Chives: deters aphids and Japanese beetles
Soybeans: deter chinch bugs
Radishes: deter cucumber beetles
Green beans: deter Colorado potato beetles
Garlic: deters Japanese beetles and aphids; garlic oil spray deters onion flies, aphids, and ermine moths
Oregano: deters many insect pests
Rosemary: repels bean beetles, cabbage moths, carrot flies
Sage: deters cabbage moths, carrot flies
Thyme: deters cabbage moths
Dill: deters squash bugs
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Planting times and extending the season:
Winter gardening chart: http://www.territorialseed.com...
Spring planting guide: http://www.territorialseed.com...
Time intervals for succession planting - Vegetables: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-s...
Time intervals for succession planting - Herbs: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-s...
Time intervals for succession planting - Flowers: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-s...
Succession planting calculator: Link found on same page as above interval planting charts. (Succession Planting Spreadsheet in my "downloads")
Scheduling vegetable plantings for continuous harvest (PDF): (Link to download is found on same page on Johnny's Seeds as the above succession planting guides.) (Continuous Harvest PDF in my "downloads")
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"Trap Cropping is a vegetable garden planting strategy that involves planting something garden pests like better than the crop you’re growing, then uprooting and removing the trap crop once the pests have infested it. In the process, you knock back the breeding population of the pest." (www.grow-it-organically.com)
Vegetable companion planting chart:
http://www.ufseeds.com/Vegetab...
Companion planting guide:
http://www.motherearthnews.com...
Interplanting: grow mutually beneficial plants together, utilize different root zones, interplant crops that mature early with crops that mature later.
(excerpt from Gaia's Garden)
http://www.chelseagreen.com/co...
Vegetable intercropping:
http://www.gardeningknowhow.co...
Vegetable gardening planting strategies:
http://www.grow-it-organically...
Crop rotation: "There are two general rules of vegetable crop rotation:
1.Avoid planting members of the same vegetable crop family in the same place every year. For information on which vegetables are in each vegetable crop family, see How to Grow Vegetables.
2.Follow a heavy feeder with a light feeder, and a light feeder with a legume to restore soil fertility before planting a heavy feeder again. This basic rotation schedule reduces soil depletion and the buildup of pests and diseases."
(www.grow-it-organically.com)
The following are lists of toxic plants at the ASPCA website.
Plants TOXIC to Canine
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care...
Plants TOXIC to Felines:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care...
2017:
5/19/17: Weeded in the HH and replaced the "ring" tomato cages with the wooden ones. Moved a flower box that I recently planted with seeds of Bok Choy out to the HH and set it on top of one of the tomato cages. Definitely lacking room for seedlings, with just having a bench on one side of the HH. Still need to think about what I'll plant along that side once the seedlings are all planted out.
Should also mention that all spring I've been struggling with tears in the plastic covering over the HH; the piece that we used had been stored in the potting bench in the GH for a year or two and perhaps that is the reason, but at any rate tears are appearing in the "crease lines." I think I've gone through at least 2 rolls of clear Gorilla tape trying to hold things together. As soon as the weather warms up enough we will recover the HH, as well as the new greenhouse, with the 6-mil greenhouse film.
5/18/17: Temp tonight is going to be down near freezing again -- still using the heater.
5/14/17: Moved the strawberries and the onions that I had potted up for Bob and Mike out to the deck, and moved 3 of the 4 flats of peppers to the HH.
5/4/17: Despite the chilly nights, the plants in the HH are all looking great. I planted the 6 early tomatoes in the ground in the HH today (3 Viva Italia, 1 Health Kick, 2 Bush Goliath). Used ring tomato cages over them to support an extra covering of large plastic bags.
5/3/17: Potted up some of the seed-started herbs and moved them to the HH.
4/30/17: Potted up the 25 strawberry plants that I received from Jung Seeds and put them out in the HH, along with the flower box full of rosemary plants that was overwintered indoors.
4/22/17: The weather is not warming up very well, with nighttime temps going down to or near freezing on a regular basis; I did move 3 of the 4 flats of onions to the HH today, and also added some "draft stopper" panels of plastic inside the doors, as the gaps between the doors and he frames are quite wide.
4/14/17: Set up the propane heater in the HH.
4/8/17: Since we haven't yet been able to put the covering on the new greenhouse, I'll be using the hoop house for the seedlings this year (I had more or less planned on doing this, although was hoping to be able to have the GH ready). Today I moved the potted blueberry plants out of the HH, into the open garden), and set up a makeshift "bench" using milk crates and some of the wire shelving from the GH; hoping to be able to move some of the seedlings from the indoor light setup to the HH around April 15th.
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2016
10/9/16: The tomato plants did way better than I could have imagined; it was particularly evident from the Viva Italias, which I always grow. They are always the first to succumb to disease in the garden, and this year the plants, while showing some disease, are still growing and ripening fruit inside the HH. The Viva tomatoes themselves were huge and nearly flawless. Many of the Beaverlodge Slicers developed hard yellow shoulders, which I didn't like, but they were very productive and actually began ripening in July. The Martino's Romas were also very productive, and were great for using in salsa as they have few seeds and little "juice" in the seed cavities.
5/18/16: Cold out again last night (the temp sensor in the HH showed a low of 31F), but the weather forecast for the next 15 days or so the lows should all be above 40. As far as I can tell, the tomato plants haven't suffered any ill effects from the cold, and in fact every plant has flower clusters forming; the Beaverlodge that had the first cluster has started opening the flowers! I took the wire cages and garbage bag covers off today and put the wooden cages over the plants, along with tall support poles to tie them to.
The tomato plants this morning:
Have been trying to figure out what kind of larger hoop house I can replace the Rion with; found what looks like a nice one on the Farmtek site, a Growspan HobbyPro Gothic, which has a steel frame and a fitted cover that is supposed to be guaranteed for 7 years. At 16x20, it would fit perfectly in a north-south orientation, with one end over the space where the Rion is, and 12 feet extending into the garden, which would leave me the space with flooring for my seedlings and room to plant in-ground -- especially for more tomato plants if this year's experiment works out well. is that the instructions look like this will be quite a difficult assembly, involving a lot of drilling/screwing into the steel frame, as well as the materials are shipped by a large freight truck which is going to be a complicated situation in itself. The Growspan also would cost around $2500. So now I'm thinking about constructing a PVC HH, 16x20, and covering it with actual greenhouse film, which I'm fairly certain will cost less than $800 or so; actually found some plans for a 14x20 HH on the Garden.org site, which I can adjust to size and also incorporate ideas from some other sites. Ran this idea past John yesterday and he seems to think it is workable too.
5/12/16: Watered the tomatoes with a weak Miracle Grow solution. Noticed there is a flower cluster starting on one of the Beaverlodge Slicer plants!
5/5/16: Planted the remaining 4 early tomatoes in the HH (2 Viva, 1 Beaverlodge Slicer, 1 Martino's Roma), and put cedar mulch on the center path in the HH. Nighttime temps are still mostly going down into the 30s.
4/29/16: Planted 2 Viva, 1 Beaverlodge Slicer and 1 Martino's Roma in the HH, with a kitty litter jug full of water by each one to help keep them warm at night, all covered with a tomato cage and a large translucent garbage bag. Also used cut-off 2-L bottles with Aqua Cones poked into the ground for watering the plants. I think I could have started the early tomatoes at least 2 weeks sooner than what I did, which would be about 2/15.
4/17/16: Nice sunny day, high temp outside was 60. Sprayed the weeds as planned and the Roundup should take effect well with the higher temperature inside the HH (I think it's still to cool outside for it to work very well outdoors, the plants just don't take it up well this time of year).
4/16/16: Spring finally seems to be here; the snow is (again) all gone from the garden and we've finally been able to start working on the yard and garden projects. Today I dug out all the overwintered plants and repotted them, and put them under the hoop trellis temporarily. There are a lot of weeds and tomorrow I'm going to spray them with Roundup to try to get them under better control this year, then will work up the soil and plant the tomatoes in a couple of days.
2/21/16: We did recover the HH last fall, again using 3-mil, "regular" plastic, minus the foam pipe wraps. Recovering even this smallish structure is quite a bit of work, the way we are now doing it; first have to remove the wooden strips that hold the plastic to the boards, remove the old plastic, then put the new plastic over the frame and replace the wooden strips (which are screwed on. Somewhat problematic to do this even at the end of summer, since we had to make sure all the plants that had been growing nearby were gone by then, and there were also plants inside that were somewhat in the way. So, the next time we re-cover it I want to use greenhouse film, which should last for around 5 years before needing to be replaced, and am considering installing "wiggle wire" channels for more easily attaching the cover. Since I'm also considering replacing the Rion GH in a couple of years, using another simple hoop house, this would be a good trial run.
After we got the cover on, I planted a lot of the perennials that I had started from seed last year, as well as the wisteria and the Perovskia plants, inside, to over-winter; in the spring they will be moved to their permanent locations, most will go in the new "butterfly garden" location. Most likely I'll need to put them temporarily back into pots. As far as the coming gardening season, I mainly plan to grow 6 tomato plants inside the HH; the Viva Italias that I had in there last summer did much better than they normally do out in the open garden and were affected by "blight" much later in the year. I'll start 4 Vivas, 1 Martino's Roma and 1 Beaverlodge Slicer early, to put out there around April 15th; the cages will get covered with a clear plastic bag, and I plant to put jugs of water inside each cage to help keep them from getting too cold. I haven't decided whether to grow something else along with the tomatoes -- maybe some herbs, or even some garlic which would perhaps be somewhat protective. Lettuce would work but seems to get attacked by slugs even worse in the HH than out in the open garden. Possibly some of the short marigolds; that would be attractive as well as having some beneficial effects (and I have tons of seed).
2015
8/11/15: Update on using the foam pipe wraps over the tops of the hoops to cushion the plastic covering; apparently the foam rubber reacted with the plastic and deteriorated extra quickly. I'll definitely need to remove the plastic and recover the frame this fall, and will also take the foam wraps off!
4/12/15: Cleaned up inside the HH -- chives are coming up nicely, the corn salad (mache) and spinach have picked right back up where they left off and can be harvested at any time, and a few small lettuce plants are also coming up (not sure if they are regrowing from the plants that were there, or if they are from seeds that didn't germinate last year). Onions are a very nice scallion size right now and can also be harvested at any time. Dug up the carrots that I left in the ground in there, and was disappointed to find that many had rotten spots, as well as some were completely rotted. Likely will not try that again. The garlic that I planted in there last fall (just 16 cloves) is coming up nicely and considerably ahead of the garlic in the open garden -- if these plants do well it may be a good use of the HH, to plant most of it to garlic in the fall.
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2014
I'm trying to emulate Eliot Coleman and his "Four Season Gardening" concept. Growing cold-hardy vegetables that I can continue to harvest at least through Christmas, then probably a couple of months dormant, then start planting very early crops. All of this is presently on a very limited scale for me, as my hoop house is only 7x15 feet; if this seems really quite promising I would be tempted to put up a HH that is about 14x20, which would replace my greenhouse for starting seedlings and such, and also give me quite a roomy area for growing late and early season veggies.
Started putting wooden framing on the steel frame 9/28/14:
Details of construction of the framing:
The hip boards are fastened to the metal frame with pipe clamps
We used a separate board for each section between the hoops
The baseboards are also fastened to the frame with pipe clamps
Inside view of the end frame
A bracket fastens the wooden end frame to the top purlin, using the same bolt that holds the purlin to the hoop
The vertical and diagonal boards are outside the horizontal boards, but inside the baseboard
The baseboards are fastened together with "mending plates"
Wooden lath strips were used to fasten the plastic to the frame
The doors were made of 1x2's( sized to fit the opening) and then covered with the plastic film; hooks and eyes are used to hold them open and closed
Two of these brackets are attached to the top purlin, again using the same bolts that fasten the purlin to the hoops; the brackets are for attaching support posts in the winter
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2014
On October 10:
On November 8th:
On November 24th:
Harvested 12/28:
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In retrospect, I obviously didn't start some of the things nearly early enough; the carrots were planted on 7/15 and got to a nice size, and broccoli was started on 7/15 for later transplanting and almost got to a mature size , but other seeds (mini cabbages, kohlrabi, turnips) weren't planted until 9/3 and didn't have nearly enough time to grow before it got too cold. The lettuce was also planted at that time and was just about right, could have been perhaps a week or so earlier.
On 12/28/2014 I harvested a bag full of lettuce, spinach, chard, mache, scallions, 3 very small turnips, and 4 little heads of broccoli -- our temps are supposed to dip into the single digits for the coming couple of weeks, so that may pretty much be the end of things. I am somewhat rethinking my plan for how to best utilize the HH; some lettuce and chard in flower boxes in the greenhouse actually still looked better than the plants growing in the ground in the HH (and without the slug problems that I've had in the HH, as well as generally being much cleaner). Will consider using the HH for things like scallions, carrots, beets, turnips, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage, and grow the leafy greens, maybe some herbs, etc. in containers in the GH. Also will consider devoting more of the HH space to garlic if that grows significantly better than out in the garden. Could also possibly grow some perennial herbs in the HH that are too tender for growing in the outdoor garden (rosemary?)
Cabbage worms and slugs were definitely a big problem this year and will need to be a lot more proactive with them in the future; I did spray with Thuricide but there didn't seem to be much effect so possibly what I had was no longer good. Will try Sluggo and diotomaceous earth for the slug problem.
Also need to put something on the center pathway so it's not so muddy -- wood mulch? old carpet?
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To start early in the HH (March, April, May 2015):
radishes, lettuce, beets, carrots, broccoli, turnips, spinach
Starting in February and could put containers with wintersown plants (using vermiculite) in the HH
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NOTE: The info below has been transferred from my blog at the Dave's Garden website
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Big storm yesterday and last night, fortunately nothing severe in our area, just a lot of rain and some wind. Filled the 2 rain barrels up in short order -- they work great for filling the watering cans, fill them just about as fast as when I use the hose. I'm regretting now that I didn't set up soaker hoses in the hoop houses, which I had thought about and then didn't do; I'm pretty sure the barrels will supply enough pressure to water with the soakers, so that would be a super way to water in the HH's. I could have it hooked up during a rainstorm and use at least some of the water that would otherwise be runoff from the full barrels.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Had to put up a little trellis for the beans, they seem more like a half-runner than a bush type. Saw the first tiny baby bean this morning, so that's exciting -- last year we didn't harvest any beans (with just having the pole beans growing) until mid August! The sweet potatoes also look like they're starting to take off, might need to put up another trellis for them. Our low temperature was 39 last night, I think this kind of weather is what is going to make the hoophouses really look good. Picked another big bowl of lettuce this morning, the leaves have gotten really large but haven't begun to bolt yet. I love the Midnight Ruffles variety, it's a beautiful reddish color and looks great mixed with the green lettuce for a salad.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Things are really filling in now -- the tomatoes look much fuller and sturdier than the ones in the outside garden, and the beans have really taken off and are flowering. I'm going to thin the lettuce so I'll get a few actual "heads" and will soon have to just pull it all out and depend on the main garden for a while, as it will be too warm in the HH. For the time being, however, our weather is staying quite cool, barely going into the 70s this week, so I think these HH are going to be an excellent investment.
Friday, June 18, 2010
More beans have been transplanted into the HH -- looks much better now! Some of them are looking pretty "viney" for bush beans, may have to give them some support of some kind.
Image
Friday, June 18, 2010
This is the lettuce at about 31 days from planting
Image
Friday, June 18, 2010
I replaced the ring-type tomato cages with these, the ones we previously used in the garden; I don't like these very well because it's really hard to get any stray tomatoes that fall inside of them, and there are sharp edges on the wire that can make for some nasty scratches on the arms, but they are definitely more supportive. The tomato plants are looking great, there's already a couple of babies on the 4th of July plant.
Image
Friday, June 18, 2010
The sweet potatoes aren't taking off as fast as I expected them to -- hopefully that means they're doing a lot of growing underground.
Image
Friday, June 18, 2010
The cukes are looking good
Monday, June 14, 2010
I planted 2 more tomatoes (Pruden's Purple and Delicious) and 3 more peppers (2 jalapeno and 1 Numex Sunrise) in the hoop house where the muskmelon didn't grow; at the end of the gardening season we're always trying to devise some way to cover the tomatoes and peppers to carry them through the first few frosts, but it never works out very well. This year we'll "have it covered," so to speak! I'm also hoping that in the controlled indoor environment the tomatoes will avoid the blight damage that they always have out in the garden.
Friday, June 11, 2010
The beans did not come up well at all, something has been chewing on them; I have some started in the greenhouse and will put them in the ground here when they (hopefully) are big enough to fend for themselves!
Image
Friday, June 11, 2010
The tomatoes and peppers are doing well -- the 4th of July tomato is starting to bloom. They will no doubt quickly outgrow these cages and will need more support.
Image
Friday, June 11, 2010
"Green Ice" and "Midnight Ruffles" lettuce, ready to start harvesting.
Friday, June 4, 2010
I'm contending with a lot more grass and weeds than I expected to -- although I should have known better. It no doubt would have been better in that respect to set these up in a more established part of the garden. The Honey Rock muskmelon -- only one ever sprouted -- is doing nothing... I'll try starting a few seeds in pots in the greenhouse and then transplanting. Also, something has been eating the bush beans down pretty bad, so I'm going to start more of those to put out. I still need to get the sweet potatoes and tomatoes planted; it's raining today so it would be a good time to do those things.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The lettuce, beans and cukes are coming up nicely -- so far only have one melon seed that has sprouted, so maybe they won't be taking over the hoophouse as I feared! I planted 3 jalapeno plants a couple of days ago, still have to put in 3 bell peppers, 3 (or maybe 4?) tomatoes, and the sweet potato slips. The crab grass is also coming up in force in one section, but should be able to gradually get most of those roots out without too much difficulty. I'm really looking forward to possibly having beans, cukes, tomatoes and peppers earlier than what I get in the main garden!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Starting to plant...
Sunday (5/17) I put in bush-type cucumbers (Salad Bush and Homemade Pickles), Honey Rock muskmelon, Lettuce (Midnight Ruffles and Green Ice), a Mesclun salad mix, and bush beans (Tendergreen). I have a feeling the house with the melons, cukes and sweet potatoes (yet to be planted) is going to be quite a jungle, may have to try doing some trellising or pruning (or both). Probably should have devoted one whole house just to the melons. I'm anxious to see how these heat-lovers do in the controlled (more or less) environment. Pollination should be no problem, both end doors open up widely and will no doubt need to be as the weather gets warmer. It would be wonderful to actually get some early tomatoes!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Set up and ready to go
Finished setting up the 2nd hoop house yesterday -- I'm very pleased with how easily they went together and with how sturdy the covering seems to be. We did add 1x4 boards underneath the long sides, and used screw-in ground anchors at each corner to hold them down. The heads of the bolts that hold the frame together seemed rather rough, so I covered each one with a piece of green electrical tape. I also didn't like the way the bolts were sticking down from the top ridge line -- looked rather hazardous, even though there is enough headroom for me and for John. I found some wire nuts that fit over them perfectly and even screwed right on. It would still hurt to hit one no doubt, but should prevent any nasty gashes! The only "defect" I've come across so far is that one of the window vents is missing one of the tabs for holding the rolled-up panel open; turns out to be a non-issue because it stays up just fine with just the one fastener. These definitely look a lot nicer than anything we would have put together with PVC pipe and plastic covering.
For the early season (now) I'm planning to put in bush beans, sweet potatoes, 3 tomato plants, hot and bell peppers, muskmelons, bush cucumbers, lettuce, basil and possibly some other herbs. Later I'll put in some things that will hopefully last well into the cold weather -- lettuce, chard, carrots, cabbage, brussel sprouts, endive, etc. Need to get out the "Four Season Harvest" book and see what else I can put in for the late late harvest!
More photos and info can be found on my blog at my website, GreenSpace
http://www.cubits.org/greenspa...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Finally!
We are FINALLY getting the hoop houses set up! John put one of the frames together a couple of days ago (in the garage; I hope he has a plan for how we're going to get it over the fence and into the garden where it belongs...). I hope to put the other frame up today, but I'm going to spread a tarp out to construct it on right where it's going to be, then will just have to pull the tarp out from underneath when it's ready. We're going to put 1x4's underneath the bottom part of the frame for a little extra stability, and I do plan to put some supports under the top ridge line for the winter, but overall it looks quite sturdy and I'm certainly pleased with it for the price. I can't wait to start planting in them, some early bush beans are a high priority, and the sweet potatoes and muskmelons will also be inside for sure.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Ten hours of daylight
We're now at the date where we have 10 hours of daylight, which I've read is the right time to start planting in the hoophouse. (Now if only my hoop houses were set up... ) Unfortunately won't be able to put them up until late spring at the earliest, as we need to work on the soil in the new part of the garden and also would never get the tie-down stakes into the ground right now. But.. just wait until next year!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Hoophouse kits
Arrived this morning -- wish I could go set them up right now! Not actually sure when I'll be able to set them up, need to do some work on the soil in the new part of the garden first, so probbly won't get them up until sometime in May at the earliest. As soon as possible, though, I'm going to put up a "low tunnel" in the old part of the garden and at least get some lettuce and spinach planted.
2/6/10 -- finally took time to open one of the boxes the kits are in, they look pretty nice. The steel parts are about like electrical conduit, and the covers seem quite well made and have a green mesh embedded in the plastic which should be much stronger than plain plastic. Zippers and seams all appear to be well sewn. My only real concern is that nowhere have I seen that the plastic is "UV protected," so time will tell on that. Hopefully the frames will hold up well (with a little added support for snow) and I'll be able to recover them as needed.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Inexpensive hoophouse kit
For $129 -- I'm thinking about getting two of these (sold on Ebay). 15 x 7 x 6.3, steel frame.
I like the idea of using 2 smaller ones as they would fit into the garden better and I could move them to different sections much more easily. I figure I could put 2 growing beds on either side of a center path in the small ones, or 3 beds with 2 paths in the larger one, which would essentially be the same amount of space. The only drawback I see is that the area near the sides is colder and there would be more of that "colder" area in the small ones.
Either way -- I'm pretty sure I'll end up spending this much for something that we build "from scratch" using PVC or whatever, and would still have the same issues of needing some additional support for snow etc. Even J likes the idea of the kit (and is already working on ideas for anchoring it down)!
or possibly one of these -- 20 x 10 x 7 -- for $250
Friday, December 4, 2009
I was thinking that I wanted to make the sides of the hoop house so I could somehow roll them up for more ventilation, but have to wonder if that isn't just going to turn the whole thing into a big sail. Maybe just opening the ends would be enough ventilation? If nothing else, it will be close enough to an outlet that I could put a fan in there. Will have to give this more thought!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Hoop House
Another link to a hoop house design - I'm beginning to conclude that there are as many ways of making these as there are people that make them! I want to look into his idea (I think it is in the door construction section) about using the gray conduit that is more UV resistant than the PVC, as well as (he claims) less expensive. Also like the way the ends are constructed, very neat looking. Also really like his idea of using the metal fence posts to secure the front and back at the sides of the door frame, that should definitely help hold the thing in place.
http://doorgarden.com/10/50-do...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Initial planning
I'm having a few misgivings about whether a PVC hoop house is going to stand up to the snow and wind of winter; however, if it works in Maine (Coleman, "Four Season Harvest"), it should be possible here. Will have to think about adding some supports in the winter, 2x4s under the middle of the hoops, or possibly a *T* arrangement that might distribute the load even better.
I can think of a lot of reasons for wanting to try this... early and late tomatoes, possibly early and late snap beans ?, greens essentially throughout the winter, carrots all winter, late broccoli and cabbage. Or even just being able to go out there on a cold sunny day and smell the earth! If the snow is too big of problem, then I may have to change to just using it starting very early in the spring and continuing as long as possible; that seems to me to be the worst outcome, so it seems well worth a try.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Hoop House idea
Came across this while I was googling and looking for plans for a sawbuck, per John's request. Not sure how much "cattle panels" cost but will have to check at Tractor Supply. Looks as though it would be sturdier for supporting snow than the PVC pipe houses.
http://www.ericsprojects.com/?...
Checked the Tractor Supply web site and the panels are $20 each. Did a rough estimate for PVC pipes from Home Depot and for a 16' house it looks pretty comparable. I think - from very rough estimating - that the panels would make a house about 6-1/2 feet high and 8 feet across, which would be almost identical in size to my Rion and should work well. I'll have to run this by John to see what he thinks.
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