Today I Learned...

[woodworkingboy]

Good idea, Leon. I see asparagus and other vegees gown in a plastic sheet tunnel greenhouse, going to market way earlier than ones grown out in the open. Making them large enough that a tractor can get inside is a big plus. Have to be able to handle the snow load in your area as well, unless the sheet gets removed piror to snow season. A downside is it can be hot as hell in them in the summer, nice to be able to open up the sides. Drip irrigation is a good way to go.

 

[rumination]

The heavy duty ones will handle the snow load OK, especially the gothic arch shape will shed snow more easily. I helped a friend put one up in the mountains of the New Mexico. He's pumping veggies out year round even when it's sub-freezing temps outside. If the snow starts to pack up to heavily on the roof he fires up a small propane heater for a couple hours and most of it goes sliding off.

It's also worth noting that the climate control afforded by a high tunnel produces higher quality veggies even in the summer months.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Zillions of them in this country, Leon, perhaps in HK as well? Pretty much the standard type greenhouse that people put up. My neighbor just had two crushed, they being too close together and the unusually heavy snow slid of and packed between them and pushed in the sides. Once the pipes get bent, they can't be repaired. Most in the area seemed to have survived, as you say, heavy duty enough and well placed. A few different grades of plastic sheeting, and some has threads in it for durability. The sheeting can run into expense for the better kind, but it lasts if well put up and the wind doesn't get a hold of it.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Thanks for the tip Leon. I was just at the NRCS office Tuesday. Putting in a 22000 foot pipeline and planting a bunch of grass. I will be stopping a lot in the next few months and will ask them about a green house.

 

[rumination]

I'll bet that heavy snow must have caused the farmers in your area a number of different headaches Jay. And yes, the wind is another concern. Running some kind of strapping over the plastic at intervals can help with that a lot.

Jim, let me know if you decide to go for it. I can probably give some limited advice that might be helpful. You can check the Farmtek catalog to get some ideas on what types of kits are available.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Leon, your comment made me remember, I see some houses that have what look like thick big black rubber bands, at intervals stretched from one side over the top to the other. A wind protectant no doubt.

Places starting a bit north of here, where they get predictable heavy snow, when it might really bomb, they do ok, but around here where real heavy snow isn't so expected, a winter like this one and all hell breaks loose. people and structures just aren't prepared. Farmers have a lot of adversity in one form or another, a much decreasing enterprise, unfortunately.

 

[Husabud]

My new helper is big into aquaponics. In a greenhouse you'll have veggies and fish year round. Was growing Trout.

 

[stig]

I am kinda going into nutty survival mode, !

Don't forget to buy a shitload of guns and ANFO. That seems to be a VERY important part of being a survivalist.

A polytunnel is way cheaper than a greenhouse. Use a groundcloth inside it, and you'll have no weedsto speak of.
I absolutely loved mine, had 70 tomato plants and about as many chilies last year, with 400 basil as between the rows crop.
Weather is worse in summer here, than in Montana.

The tunnel didn't like Denmark, though, and decided to emigrate to Norway in the hurricane we had this winter.

Actually I just lost the plastic cover ,the frame was salvagedeable, Got 2 grand from insurance to cover the loss of it and sold the frame to a local organic grower for 1 grand, so I made out OK.
Since I'm selling the place anyway, there wasn't any reason to rebuild the tunnel.

 

[rumination]

Stig, the high tunnels I'm talking about are essentially the same as a poly tunnel, although sometimes much larger and more heavy duty.

 

[stig]

Ah, I see.
Mine was of the big, industrial size, type . Bout 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall.

 

[Fiddler]

Boss show up in the woods?

No, I was reading another thread here.

Strangely, I'm in charge when he is not around. Guess it's an age thing...

 

[rumination]

Ah, I see.
Mine was of the big, industrial size, type . Bout 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall.

I see, yours is a straight hoop house. The gothic arch style with straight side walls is a better choice in my opinion, although definitely more expensive. They shed snow better, are taller, give you easier access to the edges, and give you the option of drop down sides, as opposed to roll up sides. The one I help my friend with is 36 feet wide by 72 feet long. About 18 feet high at the peak.

I'm not knocking the standard hoop house, though. They are great, and easy to build yourself out of standard chainlink fence rails and poles. Either way you can grow some great veggies in there!

 

[stig]

Leon, mine had straight sides as well.
I could run the rototiller right out to the edges.
I loved that thing. There is just so much you can't grow outdoor up here and being a vegetarian is just more fun when you are drowning in homegrown veggies.

 

[rumination]

Good deal, Stig. From one vegetarian to another, I agree: a healthy greenhouse is a beautiful sight.

Not the best pictures, but you get the idea. You can see some poorly timed plantings/harvests in the first picture. Not good having so many beds out of production at the same time.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Do you eat constantly when doing hard work, as vegetarians?

 

[rumination]

No. Regular meals and snacks is fine. I do eat eggs, so I don't have to worry too much about critical nutrition or lack of protein.

 

[woodworkingboy]

That's a nice house, Leon. I don't normally see them with the cross bracing above and made from what looks like a steel box material in the photo, basically just curved pipes rom one side to another. Do you know what that would cost with the covering included? Must run some.

 

[rumination]

Yeah, it wasn't cheap. I would guess once it was all said and done it was around 10 grand, but I don't know the exact number for sure. A good portion of that was covered by a grant from the NRCS. I think the kit itself was around 7 grand, but my friend put quite a bit of additional work into it. It's definitely built to last.

 

[Dave Shepard]

Does anyone have any experience with partially underground greenhouses? I have a spot that I'd like to build one next to a little bit of a berm, and I was thinking of pouring 4' high walls and putting a green house on top. the earth would be just below the top of the concrete walls. Supplemental heat from a wood boiler in the winter is possible.

 

[Cobleskill]

I did have a small one like that many years ago. One down side of not having sidewalls is the snow in the winter. That and the price of concrete.

My bud did a tunnel house 15 years ago and had great luck with an early and a late crop. Off season prices are much much higher.

You looking at growing for yourself or commercialy?

 

[stig]

Do you eat constantly when doing hard work, as vegetarians?

No, we just don't get fat!

 

[Dave Shepard]

I'm looking to grow for myself.

 

[FireFighterZero]

No, we just don't get fat!

Well, maybe not you Stig. I got drug to a vegetarian restaurant one time when visiting my sister in the most "cultured" city in the state. I could not get over how much ranch dressing was being consumed. Must have gone through gallons each night.
Seemed to kinda negate the whole "healthy" aspect of the vegetarian lifestyle. Dont get me wrong, the food was great, and you could tell that the chef had a great passion for vegetarian cooking. I did not use any ranch out of respect to the chef, the same way I wouldn't slather a nice strip steak in ketchup at a good steak house.

 

[stig]

Jim, I am not a vegetarian out of health, ethical , religious or all those other reasons.
I simply never could stomach meat/fish/poultry.
Makes me puke.

So I don't eat according to any code, I pretty much eat what I like.
That said, I think you have to work at it, or get really into dairy products to become a fat vegetarian logger.

I hate ready made dressings, like you say, an insult to the chef.

I love salad and gladly pay the price for a top quality olive oil to pour on it.
That is what I'll have tonight in fact, along with a bunch of broad beans from the garden ( Frozen).
Yum.

 

[Szajer]

Do you eat constantly when doing hard work, as vegetarians?

Would you ask this of the elephant, rhino, silver backed ape?

It is a myth that one needs to eat meat in order to achieve performance level vitality. A myth started by an industry bent on deepening their pockets. A concern of anyone choosing a meat centered diet should be too much protein.

Physiologically we're not designed to eat meat.