In the Hoopie

[digitS']

I seem to have deleted all my pictures (except for 1) from last year's thread on the hoopies I set up in my yard every spring. Okay, they aren't very attractive but . . . they play an important role in my gardening. Anyway, you can go thru that 2011 thread by clicking on this picture:



Here is a picture from this morning of what is in one of my hoopies here in the backyard:

The weather isn't warm enuf to have the plants uncovered, altho' there are some hardier plants out on saw horses in the yard, hardening-off. These in the picture will all be moved - again - into the garage tonight and be replaced by those hardening-off. It may not freeze in the hoopie but these are all tender plants in there right now.

Most of the tomatoes are on the center aisle of the larger tunnel that covers 2 beds in the backyard. The peppers and eggplant and basil are in the greenhouse, which has heat. digitS' is dancing this stuff around like some kind of idiot a couple times a day . . .

Steve's digits

 

[lesa]

That is such a great system! Those plants look fantastic. I am sorry to say, I haven't got a thing in my greenhouse right now....

 

[Detlor Poultry]

Aww, all you guys on here have greenhouses, and the closest thing I have to a greenhouse is the bathroom. (*pouts*)

 

[digitS']

Lesa, you've got to get some things started!! Is that what you mean - no plant starts? It's May!

Bathroom? J. R., I have a friend who makes good use of her bathroom for plant starting. Fortunately, she has 2 because the one closest to her kitchen is cluttered with trays of soil and the heater is cranked up to about 80 during a couple weeks out of the year.

Then, the floor in front of her sliding glass door onto the deck is covered with the seedlings.

The hoopie is not really a greenhouse. I can't leave things more than about a week without clearing it and allowing the lawn grass to see some light. So, until we get to the "use only overnight" stage, I have to rotate between 2 hoopies. There are boards under the flats so that they don't sit right down on the grass.

If a hoopie is not really a greenhouse, this isn't really a greenhouse either since it is just an oversized hoopie:

I am standing in the center aisle in a more-or-less upright position. Obviously, I can't walk any further between the raised beds since there are all of those tomato plants . . . (that's bok choy & mustard greens in the raised beds & a few rosemary plants).

Come to think about it, my greenhouse isn't really a greenhouse. Someone once described it as half-a-house. I like to think of it as a "sunshed" but I suppose, it is really half-a-house.

Steve

 

[NwMtGardener]

I think, steve, intead of a lean-to you have a green-to !

 

[digitS']

Hey Heather!

How are things looking in your green house .

. . in 2012??

Steve

 

[NwMtGardener]

Good so far! Been so busy i havent posted the promised pictures! Last night was a good test of how warm it would stay in the greenhouse when its really cold: it was 25 outside when we got up, but 34 in the greenhouse. That was even with a GAP that i use for ventilation left open. Whoops. I have passive heat storage with a big black water barrel in there, seems to work good. So far i have rhubarb going crazy, cabbage, swiss chard, beets, leeks and onions in there. Garlic is looking awesome along my front walk, and my other starts are in the house on cold nights, greenhouse for the days that get above 50. I've got tomatoes, cukes, zuccs, thai hot peppers and cayenne, oh and basil that looks terrible. I dunno what's going wrong there, hardly growing, and pale with some brown spots on the leaves. Yuck. I also had success with asparagus that i started from seed last year, 6 of maybe 10 plants came back. So in a few years i should have a nice productive bed!

 

[digitS']

I'm not sure what would be the problem with the basil, Heather. Many varieties are susceptible to one fusarium fungus or another. When that disease gets real serious, the stem near the soil surface begins to shrivel and turn brown. This may happen at any time during the plant's life.

Lettuce Leaf basil is so disgustingly vulnerable that I won't grow it anymore. Nothing like seeing plants nearly reach full maturity and then just fall all to pieces :/.

An old question to ask your neighboring farmer is "How high's your rhubarb?" I'm wondering if you have your rhubarb inside the greenhouse! That would be a sign of a dedicated lover of the pie plant! Also, kind of cheating . . .

Steve

 

[NwMtGardener]

Haha, yes the rhubarb is inside the greenhouse, and loves it in there! But its there by default, not design. It was here at the house when we bought it and i couldnt figure out a good place to put it when i had to transplant it, so there it is. Its actually ready to cut some very soon.