Greenhouse 2012

This year we're going to have 2 greenhouses. One is 20'x10' by 9 feet tall and is a re-used frame from a portable shelter, it's located in our borrowed garden space in Wilmot. The other will be just your regular old poly tunnel greenhouse like we've built in previous years and approx 20'x10'x8' and made using water pipes for the ribs. The covering is 6 mil poly otherwise known as vapour barrier and this slightly smaller greenhouse will be located beside our house in Greenwood.

To keep the plastic securely attached to a frame is always a challenge so this year we're going to try making water pipe clips for that greenhouse along with the plastic being attached to 2x4's along the bottom and weighed down and the other one will have wooden boards along the bottom sides of the greenhouse with the plastic rolled around them and stapled on. We'll then weight it down with sandbags or earth to prevent the wind from getting underneath and causing the plastic to lift off. The eds vary between greenhouses so I'll take some pics today and show you the progress we're making. I'm teaching a class in the Wilmot greenhouse on Saturday afternoon so I'll make that one the priority. The one at the house will be used for getting tomato seedlings going and it won't need to be up for another couple of weeks. The weather is going to cool down to seasonal temps again now and there's snow in the forecast for next week so obviously I'm not going to be keeping seedlings outside yet. They need the warmer temps of indoors to germinate.

Chris has a half day today so he's going to come and help me with pulling over the poly and fitting on one of the ends. It should be fun. It's a lovely sunny day, much cooler at 11 degrees but it's still warming up. I've decided that Spring Cleaning is the order of the day so I'm currently washing all the blankets and hanging them out on the line to dry in the sun. It's gusting up to 50 km/h though so I've got clothes pins every 6 inches and I'm keeping an eye on everything to make sure that things stay attached to the line and don't go sailing onto the roof or the neighbours houses.

Spring is here and it's 25 degrees!

So here's our new logo for the farm and I'll get a sign made up for use at the farmers market too. What do you think? I just wanted something simple and that would be easy to read.

Today was a busy one. We got the chicks their new waterer and feeder and I also got the plastic film for the greenhouse. It's 6 mil Poly, used in house construction as vapour barrier. Since it's not the UV protected plastic I should think we'll get only 2-3 years out of it but that's ok with me. It'll do for starters. Tomorrow some of the kids have early dismissal so we're going over to measure the frame and then we'll ct and piece the plastic into one big sheet before pulling it over and attaching it. After that I will have to construct an end frame for vents and a door and then on the weekend Steve is going to give the tiller a service and start digging over the garden area. I will take some pics tomorrow for you so you can see what we're working with. I'm getting my planting schedule sorted out because if I'm going to be in the market each week I need to make sure I plan to have a weekly harvest. The main things I'd like to have started to begin with are turnips, beets, greens, lettuce, tomato plants and radishes. I can have those ready in short order. I'm also going to get some peas and other cool weather veggies in the ground under row covers as soon as I can. The weather is so unpredictable in Spring and just because we're getting temps in the mid to high 20's this week doesn't mean it won't freeze and snow next week. Since I need higher temps for some of my seeds to germinate I'm starting my lettuce and tomato plants indoors and I'll later transplant them outside to the greenhouse.

I'm going to build a movable ark for my chickens so that they can clear the ground of bugs and grubs. Of course they'll also fertilize the ground too. I'm sure you've seen movable coops around and they are very useful. But I'll give you one tip: Don't use COB as a feed because those seeds can sprout in the ground and suddenly you're growing corn, oats and barley. Unless your COB is rolled of course, then it's not a problem. That goes for chicken scratch or any other feed that has a whole grain. The advantages of using this chicken tractor is that while you're digging up nasties from the ground, the chicken parasites stay there too when you move the birds onto a new patch of grass. The chickens love it because it's fresh food every few days or week, and it helps to naturally control pest levels, because of course when those eggs and parasites hatch, the chickens are long gone so it stops re-infestation. My chicken tractor or ark will be a small house attached to a 4x8 foot run. I'll plan my growing areas accordingly and have the door higher up so that if the coop is sitting beside the run and a raised bed, the chicks can still get out and into their little run.

I was working out how many tomato plants I'd have to sell to buy my own piece of land...it's a lot and I'm gonna run out of pots! If you're looking to buy some already started heritage tomato plants then just leave me a message or see me at the Greenwood Mall Farmers Market starting in April or May. I'll keep you posted.

Had a great time at book club tonight and a nice drive around some of the countryside outside Mt. Uniacke today because the highway was closed due to an accident. I forget sometimes just how pretty the side roads can be. Isn't life like that? We're so busy looking straight ahead as we zoom along the highway that we forget all the beautiful things just off the beaten track.

Anyways I'm off to bed now...long day of gardening tomorrow and working on getting my first sunburn.

Handy Farm Devices And How To Make Them

As you know, many libraries, organisations and private citizens are in the process od digitizing old books that are not covered by copyright restrictions. This makes them available for free and easy access on the internet, and for we preppers and farmers who are trying to combine the best of traditional ingenuity with modern techniques, it's such a terrific source of knowledge. Books like "The Book Of The Farm" and old cookery books a=provide an insight into everyday domestic life and farming techniques. Well, now I'd like to add to your collection by suggesting this book to add to your collection.



Have a look and see if there's anything in there that inspires you to go ahead and build something that you can use. Or maybe you just want to keep it for a rainy day. Either way it may prove useful while not taking up much space in your computer.

I'm going to finish my order to West Coast Seeds today. Not actually buying them, just finishing up the order form. I recommend that if you use this company you sign up for an account because then you can save your cart as you go along which means you can take your time.Today is going to be cooler than the 17 degrees we enjoyed yesterday but as Chris is home today he's going to help me clear up the little tomato garden by the side of the house and plan the flower and veg garden for next year. I'm using vegetables and flowers to create a micro-climate and some privacy from my neighbours, things like runner and pole beans, sunflowers, and corn. They're all fairly heavy feeders so I'm going to spend the rest of the nice weather putting down manure and leaf mold in preparation for spring planting and the greenhouse, which will go in in March probably. The greenhouse will be my usual poly tunnel but with more permanent wood framing on the end to give a good wind-resistant result. The soil isn't that great here so we're debating about also adding some raised beds and filling with bought in soil...but that's big expense for a garden we'll only use for one or two years. I guess that as long as the lawnmower can still fit between beds then it'll be fine. First things first. Clean up the side yard and measure.

Hope you enjoy the book and have a great day.

I thought it was "March" winds....

Today it seems we're getting both the March winds and the April showers. Good for the ground moisture I guess, but frustrating for a farmer who wants to be out in the sunshine planting...maybe tomorrow the clouds will break.

The animals are all cozied up in their homes watching the rain with the exception of a few intrepid lambs on the lookout for some nice juicy grass. I can hardly believe how big they're getting! Katahdins really are great sheep!

The goats are looking decidedly chunky and are ready to kid (have goat babies) between the end of the month and the middle of April.

We have a new queen and bees coming from Chile this week so expect pictures soon!

Gotta run and plant seedlings, also we're trying to put a poly cover on the greenhouse, in the rain and wind no less, I'll let you know how it goes!

John our son is out in the wet and cold converting his enormous blue bus into a cozy home for his family. I tell you, that takes dedication in weather like this when it's raining and the wind is whistling through the windows. I personally would rather sit back in front of the woodstove with a good book! The cat has the right idea, she's all curled up basking in the glow of the firelight.

We still have 8 full shares available for the 2010 growing season so please let us know if you're interested. I'll explain CSA shares in a future post.

Oh, we started a lacto-bacilli culture for making our own root beer (soda). Ours will actually be more like gingerale when we're done. The culture takes a week to grow and then the soda takes another 2 or 3 days to become carbonated after it's bottled. I'll let you know how it turns out.

We also have 2 chicks out of our incubator who are growing well under a heat lamp in our laundry room, one escaped today and was nearly eaten by the cat, at least that's the story the kids are telling. We parents are smart and slept in until 7 as it's Good Friday today and therefore a holiday.

Elizabeth