Well its been a while since I have updated this blog, with recurrent training at work and then vacation it just has been too hard to do the updates, but here it is!
The hydroponics now rule the greenhouse, which is great as there is no way to have a watering system for soil based plants when its below freezing outside.
Today is was 8 F outside, there was snow on the greenhouse roof and it was 55 - 60 F inside (with the help of a fan heater set at 55 F )
These pepper plants came from the soil based garden and hae thrived since been washed and transfered to hydroponics. The tomatoes are grown from seed and are getting there
This is the little greenhouse that could as it sat today in the cold and snow, it was 5 F
Strawberries, who would have thought, these plants too came from the soil garden and started getting fruit on them within 1 week of being soilless
the ebb and flow system in operation, and just 1 month old
the lower level, still waiting for more plants to grow from seed ... which is the slowest stage of the growth
Spent the last 10 days in Australia, visiting family, so didnt get to complete the growing update before I left, so here it is.
These updates were taken on Oct 1 208, plantings of lettuce, winter tomatoes and celery, together with the standard toms, herbs and strawberry plants seem to be all ok, we will see how the upcoming colder weather treats them.
While everyones outdoor gardens have now died from frost and cold weather the greenhouse still looks unchanged.
We have herbs still growing strong, and tomato plants, strawberry plants, bok choi, lettuce, a cauliflower, and bell peppers. There is also some winter zuchinni seeds that have sprouted.
Poor mans heating system on the punnets, rope light. Its waterproof and really warm
Herbs still a growing
Some of the tomatoes on the giant tree tomato plants
More giant tree tomato plant
The overview
Early bird and roma toms. The early bird to the right arent looking very happy.
2 weeks and a bit with little time off has meant not enough hours in the day to do the update to the site. Plus I was sick as a dog last week after getting food poisoning in a Shoneys Restaurant in Vicksburg Mississippi … avoid this restaurant at all costs if you are thru this little town!
So after having planted some seeds, the sudden and unexpected drop in temps seems to have killed them, so had to do some replanting. It was mainly the arctic king lettuce which didnt survive… either that or there is a bug eating them!
Well its the end of august, soon the leaves will turn and the snow will come!
We are still getting the odd strawberry, lots of herbs, peppers and tomatoes.
But there are no more lettuce plants for a while, which is a bummer. But soon we will have some more.
The Giant Tree Tomato plants are amazing, and giant, they are trying to put a hole in the roof. We also have tomatoes on them, they grow quick, real quick as you can see from the pics.
Bib lettuce seeds ready for the winter
The greenhouse
Toms still going
Romaine lettuce seed...poor little thing
The giant tree tomato plants
This is a giant tree tomato, tomato. 1 week old and look a the size of it.
I am impressed, 1 week and we have seeds from the tomatoes , lettuce and cucumber. In less than one week, and ALL the seeds I planted seem to have come alive.
I am still waiting on the celery, but I am hoping they will come alive this week.
Cucumber seed (yes 1 seed only was planted) from Reimer seeds sprouted in 3 days!!
Sub Arctic Tomato seeds 1 week later
Arctic king lettuce, 1 week after planting the seeds ...cool
Well as summer draws to a end slowly … and with the reminder that its going to end soon with the night time temps around 39 degrees last week!! Its time to look towards winter plants.
I found www.reimerseeds.com who like many others, had seeds for plants that tolerate cold temps.
We purchased for winter:
- Sub Arctic Tomato (fruits when in the 30 degrees temps!)
- Window box roma tomatoes
- Salad bush cucumbers ( another colder winter vegie that grows in small containers..apparently)
- Cold set tomato (another down to freezing temp type tomato)
- Tall Utah Celery (if it can grow in utah it can grow in a greenhouse here I think!)
- Artic king lettuce (the name says it all)
We have changed our planters for the winter, so we can put rope lights in the soil to keep it warm (yes rope lights are cheap and simple for heat!) We purchased some flat and long plastic storage containers from big lots for $8 each, painted the sides black and drilled holes in the bottom for the drainage.
The heater strung up and set to 60 degree for night time temps
This is where celery and arctic king lettuce has been planted for the winter
Some sub arctic tomato plants are planted here the new winter planter boxes.
This is the roma tom on the left and the early bird tom on the right, still fruiting.
Bok choi in the planter tubes along the walls, the soil was replaced after the lettuces finished in here.
Cucumbers in the planter bags for winter
Bib lettuce in the tubes starting from seed, these are great in salads
This is the poor eggplant after it was attacked by aphids, we seem to have rid the greenhouse of nearly all the bugs, and this plant is growing back slowly
Bell peppers are still growing and fruiting.
The herbs are loving it, in fact we have too many and have to freeze them weekly.
The head of the giant tree tomatoe which is now getting toms on it
The giant tree tomato plants and trying to break thru the roof.
The roma toms and early bird toms
These toms took the brunt of the aphid attack, although now aphid free I had to cut them back a bit to get them thru it all, but all it well now
Well the heat is here, people tell us its only going to be hot up here a couple of days… well wasnt that a lie! With 14 days as of today already this month higher than 90 degrees I think they maybe were away on vacation last year this time!!
But the greenhouse is getting hit by the heat, even with the vents open and shadecloth on the roof and back wall its stinking hot, but so far all is well. Well maybe not, there was a lot of seedlings that were old and I tried to plant then and get them to grow, but they didnt like the idea with the heat and all died!
The full little green house
Peppers galore
Tomatoes, eggplant, brocolli and peppers in the far corner
The herb end of the greenhouse needs some harvesting
peppers, looks like soon we will have lots of them
Strawberry plants hanging and alone wall, with roma tomato plants against the wall and herbs growing in trays on the floor
