Greenhouse update

Well, after a few sunny days, it became apparent that having the sun block on just one side did reduce the temps in the greenhouse. It kept it from going over 100 but, just barely. The temps were still consistently hitting the upper 80's to low 90's. That is a big improvement but still wasn't enough. So, I cut another 4 pieces for the other side. I proceeded to cut them Monday so about 25% of the upper windows were blocked and after a few days, the temps moderated to the upper 80's on a 93 degree sunny day. Here is an inside view of what the greenhouse looks like now. Once the temps drop a bit, this should allow for a better result with the plants. It is supposed to be mostly in the mid 80's for the next week so that will definitely help.

I have been getting the various planters set up for seeding in the fall crops as seen below. The two larger planters in the foreground were given to me by my in-laws as they no longer had any interest is using them. They are Garden patch grow boxes that they purchased a few years ago. They are quite ingenious as they operate with a water reservoir underneath where the plants grow. The soil you use wicks the moisture up to the plant roots. This prevents all the problems of wet plants and the myriad issues this causes. This is the first year I have attempted anything with them so it is yet another experiment.

Here are a few detailed pictures which show the units parts. The first is the bottom reservoir. It has two channels which you fill with the mix. This allows the soil to absorb and wet the ground slowly from the bottom from both ends as can be seen here.

Once you load the two chambers, you then proceed to fill the upper chamber with the medium to the top. I had to overcome two issues with these. The first is that I did not have the overlay planting guide that comes with the unit and secondly, I did not have the fertilizer tubes that you normally lay into the soil. My in-laws did not see the need to keep the guide and naturally, the fertilizer tubes dissolve in a planting cycle. I looked up the planting guide which gave me an approximate feeling for where and how spaced apart my plants should be. As far as the fertilizer tubes, I had my own fertilizers that are for the specific types of veggies I will be growing. With that in mind, I decided to forego buying the tubes at $9.00 plus shipping each. I have a pretty good feel for what the plants will need and when given my experience with them.

After I finished loading those two units, I then filled the two narrow planters with my mix. The bigger units will be used for lettuce and spinach initially. The smaller units will be for planting carrots. All of these will be staggered so we won't be overrun with a ton of the various harvests all at one time. I also have plans to plant chard and onions in a few other planters. I will look for other plants that I can grow that we eat. I'm thinking of growing Peppers in my basement over the winter as I have read it can be done with a few modifications. Just another experiment. 

My mix for all of these is an adaptation of what I have used in the past years plus a few amendments that I think need to be included. I started with 2 parts of a lightweight potting mix I have used previously. I added 1 part of a garden soil mix to the potting mix which had nutrients the potting mix didn't. Then I proceeded to add 1 part of vermiculite(vegetable variety) for water retention and creating spaces in the soil for root growth. And finally, I added 1 part spaghmum peat moss to soften the soil for easy root penetration.

I filled all the units with the same mixture so I could control the need for water. Fertilizer will be mixed in to the planters based upon the needs of the specific plants being grown in them. I will need to get the plants started along with seeding in the Winter Rye in each of my beds. There is a lot to do. I do have several tomato plants that have begun putting on tomatoes - much to my surprise. They have just really taken off in the last 3 weeks so there is, after their poor starts - hope. 

Well, that's all for now. As the weather outlook looks very favorable over the next week, I hope to be able to get a good chunk of the planters and beds seeded. I will update my progress in the next few days. So, until next time - Happy gardening everyone!

Time to begin?

That's a tough question to answer.  The weather is at times saying yes and then cruelly, no.  We are currently at 43 degrees right now.  I walked out to my garden plots and the when I dug into the soil, it was cold and wet.  Not a big surprise as the weather has been quite seasonal.
So, what can be done given the soils are not ready for planting even the hardiest of seeds.  My answer is quite simple.  I will begin the process of clearing out my plastic greenhouse.  I placed one of my remote thermometers in it to get a gauge of what the temperature ranges are at this time.  Once the coldest temps are consistently above freezing, I will then set up the various hydroponic systems I have and  begin seeding in the early crops.  I was behind the curve the last time I planted in it and the crops bolted before I could get a decent crop produced due to too much summer heat.  It's a delicate balance to get the seeds in at the right time.  One season is not like the other in this area. 
I did a little cleaning around the beds when I was outside Saturday morning.  The rains and snows took a little toll on the them.  Nothing huge as everything looks to have come through the winter.  The winter rye is in a sort of dormant state but that will change with a few more weeks of 50 degree weather.  It will be soon enough before I have to cut the rye and start working it into the soil.
I also eyed up the area where I will be building the glass greenhouse this spring.  Lots to do there so I just need to start chipping away at that in small chunks.  The next step is to remove the bricks and paver stones in the area of the greenhouse floor.
Once those are removed, I can then use the rototiller to break up the ground where I will be starting the base of the unit.  That won't be for a little while yet as the ground is wet and we are expecting some freezing temps in the near future.
I took out some kitchen scraps this afternoon and buried them in the unfinished composter.  I did this in order to get the processes moving to create bacteria once the temps moderate.  There will be slow decomposition for now and even that is fine.  It was deep enough to perhaps awaken or feed the existing microbes that exist that far down.   
It was nice to get out in the yards and tool around the various points to get the gardening juices flowing again.  Spring is about a month or so away but hope has been rekindled.  It should be an interesting year given my focus on making the garden contribute to our household.  There is  big difference between gardening as a hobby and gardening to augment our food supply.  We shall see how it turns out.  It is a challenge for sure.  So, there is where the gardening progress is at this point in the year.  Till next time, Happy gardening everyone!

And then summer hits with a bang!

Well, between the evening of July 4th and the morning of July 5th, we received over 1.5" of rain.  It was one of those nice soaking even rains that are just so good for the plants.  Plus. it filled my rain barrels with over 125 gallons of free, clean water.  But now, that has been followed up with probably the hottest weather we have seen in quite some time.  This presents a very difficult challenge for your garden.  Today's high was in the 90's with what I would characterize as high humidity.  You just feel it as soon as you go outside.  It's not oppressive but just give it time and it will be.
The challenge is to make sure your soil isn't drying out even though just about a day ago, you just saw some really significant rains.  Heat of this magnitude can sap the moisture right out of the soil just as easily it put the rains down a day ago.  Easy come, easy go anyone?  And your plants will not generally show the effects of this whipsaw until they have transpired the saved moisture in their leaves.  You can go to work and come home and it's like night and day.
To guard against this, you need to give the plants - as illogical as it sounds - a good watering to ward off the weeping plant syndrome.  That's where I will be this evening.  I will use my sprinkler as I do not want to overexert myself in the heat.  I will use the rain water in the mornings when the sun is not so powerful.
On a side note about watering.  There is new proof that watering your garden in the noon hours (12-2PM) is very beneficial to vegetables.  They actually produce better and more veggies.  So, if you can do that without putting yourself at risk, the rewards are reportedly worth the extra efforts from what I have read.
So there you have it.  The never ending challenges facing a backyard gardener.  Go out and give it a try folks.  Gardening is both a reward and a challenge.  Until next time, happy gardening.