Greenhouse Redux

We have had lots of problems with our new greenhouse. Forty mph winds (typical for spring at One Love Farm) caused the plastic skin of the greenhouse to come loose on several occasions. In addition, the constant movement of the plastic caused rips in the skin at the pressure points (especially where the clamps affixed to the poles).

I made several attempts to correct this issue. First, I extended the length of the greenhouse. This allowed the hoops to be flush agains the 4x4 clothes line base. Since these 4x4s were in concrete, they didn't move at all.

Next, I used PVC cement to reinforce the joints of the PVC piping used for the hoops. When these joints came loose, they would pop through the skin of the greenhouse and rip the film.

Unfortunately, these measures only helped marginally due to fact that the greenhouse was now 30 feet long and the longest availble 4mil plastic is 25 feet long. I tried using weather seal tape reinfored with duct tape to add the extra 10 feet. However, during a particularly windy day last weekend, the seal failed and skin was again flapping in the wind.

Finally, I decided to upgrade to 6mil clear greenhouse quaility plastic for the skin. This should have been done from the beginning. It is so much heavier and stronger than 4 mil. I also weighed down the film on the side with about 50 cinder blocks and bricks to prevent the wind from moving the plastic. Finally, I am attaching the plastic on the inside of the greenhouse with velcro and not clips.

This seems to have worked well. Today, there is a breeze and the plastic is not moving. Also, the temerature inside the greenhouse is over 100 degrees F! With the 4 mil, the temp rarely got to 70. However, the real test will come Tuesday, when the spring winds return.

Greenhouse

One Love Farm's new greenhouse
We have wanted a greenhouse for many years at One Love Farm. This year we finally got one. Rather than buying a prefab greenhouse or building one with wood and framed out walls, we used a hoop house design and built the greenhouse ourselves.

We used PVC pipe, rebar, clamps and heavy duty plastic. The total cost of materials was about $100! It took one afternoon to construct the frame and one afternoon to pull the plastic over the frame and secure it.

The difference in temperature is amazing. It is 40 degrees in Rhode Island today and with the wind it is very raw outside. Once we finished building the greenhouse, I took a thermometer into the greenhouse. It reads 66 degrees. I think our seedings will very much enjoy their new environment.

October 2007

Muskrat

The other day I went out to check on my fall crops and this muskrat was busy eating my lettuce crop. He had meticulously munched his way down the row and was about halfway to the end when I saw him. I yelled at him to beat it and he looked up at me. Then he lowered his head and went back to work on my crop. I loudly reminded him that although I am vegetarian, I would be willing to make his little muskrat life miserable if he didn't move on. Mr. (or Ms.) Muskrat paid me no mind and kept at his feast. Karen came out to check on the commotion and that is when I decided the muskrat must go! I got a large plastic container and dropped it over him, effectively trapping him underneath. At that point I realized my plan was not fully conceived. While he was trapped and could do no more crop damage, I had no way to pick up box without releasing him.

So, then my superior human mind came up with a better plan. I needed a container with a lid! As I returned from the garage with the recycle bin (and lid!) I saw the plastic box slowly moving across the yard. When I caught up with the box I saw the muskrat valiantly pushing the box, his head peeking out from underneath. I deftly kicked the plastic box to one side and dropped the recycle bin over the muskrat. Then, I slipped the lid underneath.

The muskrat was agitated now that he was in a dark space (the plastic box was clear and let in light while the recycle bin was opaque). Since we wanted to minimize his anxiety we quickly put the recycle bin in the back of my pickup and drove a few miles to the river. I assumed muskrats like the water and there is certainly plenty of vegetation nearby for him to munch.

Here is the muskrat in his new home.

September 2007

Morning Glory in bloom

One Love farm planted two varieties of Morning Glory this year. One is the typical Heavenly Blue and the other is Scarlett O'Hara. The colors match the names, of course. Morning Glory is a perennial in tropical regions, but in New England, they are grown as an annual. Morning Glory sends out tons of tendrils so they are great for climbing and on trellises.

Morning Glory spreads like crazy so I keep it out of garden beds with other plants as Morning Glory can strangle other plants with its runners. In fact, Morning Glory has become a problematic invasive weed in Australia.

One of my favorite characteristics of Morning Glory is that it attracts hummingbirds. that is why I put a bunch on the patio at One Love Farm. Every spring, we sell Morning Glory seedlings at the Farmer's Market.

July 2007

One Love Farm's mascot

The picture makes it look like our frog friend is reading about the new bit if vegetation in his habitat

July 2007

One Love Farm goes solar!

sort of

One Love Farm has installed solar panels to power the waterfall and water fountain in our water garden. We used a heavy duty liner to hold the water and stones to finish the edge of the pond. Many of the rocks you see in the pictures above were taken out of the ground at One Love Farm when we put in our raised beds and planting areas. The pond has attracted an abundance of wildlife. Birds (orioles, finches, swallow and robins among others) often are seen walking on the stones to get a drink of water. Thousands of tadpoles are in the water now. Few will survive to maturity, but we currently have 3 frogs calling our pond home. We saw an egret yesterday flying overhead. Maybe he will stop by our pond later for a drink. We also have seen a snake slithering among the rocks.

It is amazing how the sound of falling water can be so tranquil. The water flow ebbs and recedes with cloud cover. As the sun goes behind a cloud, the force of the water retreats. When it reappears, the water goes more forcefully through the fountain and down the waterfall.

We also added several water plants to pond. Some are upright, while others are close to water level. Some are in pots while others float on the water. Some are winter harder while others are tropical. We will let you know how they progress as time passes by.

July 2007

Sunflowers are starting to pop at One Love Farm! I planted a variety of sunflowers this year. Lots are from seeds I saved last year. I also bought a wide variety of seeds. There will be many colors and sizes of sunflowers from 12 inch stems to giants well over six feet! Right now the dark reds are blooming. I expect to have blooms for at least the next month and probably well into September.

Beets were very popular in my first week of harvest at the farmer's market. I expect to harvest from the beet patch for the next few weeks. Basil continues to come on strong and I expect to harvest until frost. I picked the first eggplant of the year and now squash is ready for harvest. For the next several weeks, we will be picking lots and lots of squash. Peppers are doing well. Now it is a matter of time before they turn red and are ready to be picked. Karen picked some blueberries for our dessert. With only two mature bushes (there are 30 more that should produce fruit in the coming years), we won't be selling any blueberries at the farmer's market. I covered the peach trees in hopes of saving the few peaches that the birds have not already taken for themselves.