What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

Related, @Dirtmechanic , are the Solar Maps the government puts out.

They indicate some problems I have with adequate light in the greenhouse during March and April, the most important months for growing in there.

Solar Resource Data, Tools, and Maps

www.nrel.gov

Steve

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Related, @Dirtmechanic , are the Solar Maps the government puts out.

They indicate some problems I have with adequate light in the greenhouse during March and April, the most important months for growing in there.

Solar Resource Data, Tools, and Maps

www.nrel.gov

Steve

That is cool! I just looked once, is there a way to find the actuals since they seems to cut off at <4 Kwh? Quite a swing here even with that starting point being vague at <4.

 

[digitS']

I don't know. They make too broad of a brush stroke, yeah.

Commercial greenhouses are likely to be operating through the winter, @Dirtmechanic . The advantage of one area over another isn't all that apparent from these maps. I used to have a site linked on TEG showing solar energy that made this area look absolutely abysmal. The website disappeared.

Abysmal, I knew that to be the case before I built the little greenhouse and I bought florescent lights for it. They are a little awkward to work around and I am not trying to grow anything in there except in very late winter and into spring. So, I moved them in and out. A bother and finally left them out but they can help. Fact is, one was the most help inside the house, in the South Window.

Maps like these convinced me that I would have a more productive greenhouse in the mile-high city of Denver but, I wasn't quite willing to make the move.

Steve

 

[Trish Stretton]

This last week has been another busy as usual week trying to get things back to normal.
The tomatoes that had laterals, got them all removed and those that needed tying got done....then it was back to the front yard...weeding and cutting out dead trees and thinning out the Olive tree. Its the wrong time of year to be doing that, but it needed to be done so I could get in underneath it and pull out all the Watsonia and convovulus.

Then I had to cut up all the cut off bits so they could lie flat on the ground and act as a mulch to help stop any other weeds from thinking about growing under there. Jack thought that bit was good and actually stayed with me instead of going back to bed.

This year the Olive (Koroneiki) flowering like crazy and I am now seeing little fruit buds all over the place, so I'm hoping that finally I will get some olives from it. The branches that got cut out were really low growing or were starting to grow out over a council road sign which was not a good thing to be doing.

I managed to cut out a few more trunks off the cabbage tree and more off the mulberry. The ones left needed a bit of thought and no wind before I tackle them. Just one of each but they are both very tall and leaning the wrong way so will need to be tied and dragged in the direction I need them to go to be safely cut out.

My seed sowing has finally started to pay off. Buttercups, gherkins, Sweet granite and Charantais rock melon have all sprouted amongst others. I'm still waiting for the golden midget watermelon and Waltham butternut to show though.

....and weeding, everywhere

 

[Dirtmechanic]

This last week has been another busy as usual week trying to get things back to normal.
The tomatoes that had laterals, got them all removed and those that needed tying got done....then it was back to the front yard...weeding and cutting out dead trees and thinning out the Olive tree. Its the wrong time of year to be doing that, but it needed to be done so I could get in underneath it and pull out all the Watsonia and convovulus.

Then I had to cut up all the cut off bits so they could lie flat on the ground and act as a mulch to help stop any other weeds from thinking about growing under there. Jack thought that bit was good and actually stayed with me instead of going back to bed.

This year the Olive (Koroneiki) flowering like crazy and I am now seeing little fruit buds all over the place, so I'm hoping that finally I will get some olives from it. The branches that got cut out were really low growing or were starting to grow out over a council road sign which was not a good thing to be doing.

I managed to cut out a few more trunks off the cabbage tree and more off the mulberry. The ones left needed a bit of thought and no wind before I tackle them. Just one of each but they are both very tall and leaning the wrong way so will need to be tied and dragged in the direction I need them to go to be safely cut out.

My seed sowing has finally started to pay off. Buttercups, gherkins, Sweet granite and Charantais rock melon have all sprouted amongst others. I'm still waiting for the golden midget watermelon and Waltham butternut to show though.

....and weeding, everywhere

Posts like yours make me well aware of my need for a home in the southern hemisphere!

 

[ducks4you]

Cleaning stalls and chicken coop daily...and dumping in the south pasture.

 

[Zeedman]

The indoor humidity has fallen below 40%, so I have begun the final cleaning, sorting, and cataloging to put seeds in storage. This included taking photos of all legumes, so I will be posting some of those soon on the Little Easy bean thread.

Replacing the old seeds with this year's crop has been a sobering experience. In many cases, I am replacing several pounds of beans with 8 ounces or less. It was not a good year. Still, it was good to finally get something productive from the rural garden, after two consecutive years of that plot being (involuntarily) fallow. In terms of preservation, this year's seed is enough to maintain viability of almost everything planned. Hopefully this will allow me to get closer to being caught up, on some of the overdue grow outs.

 

[Trish Stretton]

Posts like yours make me well aware of my need for a home in the southern hemisphere!

Right now all is Not well down here.
I realised that I have wrecked my shallots by planting them too deep. The only ones that have turned into nice little fat shallots were the two small bulbs that got planted elsewhere cos there wasnt enough for another complete row. Gutted and kicking myself.

 

[flowerbug]

Right now all is Not well down here.
I realised that I have wrecked my shallots by planting them too deep. The only ones that have turned into nice little fat shallots were the two small bulbs that got planted elsewhere cos there wasnt enough for another complete row. Gutted and kicking myself.

if they are still green and growing they should be ok at least to replant in the future. the bulbs may be smaller, but there should not be a complete loss.

 

[flowerbug]

The indoor humidity has fallen below 40%, so I have begun the final cleaning, sorting, and cataloging to put seeds in storage. This included taking photos of all legumes, so I will be posting some of those soon on the Little Easy bean thread.

Replacing the old seeds with this year's crop has been a sobering experience. In many cases, I am replacing several pounds of beans with 8 ounces or less. It was not a good year. Still, it was good to finally get something productive from the rural garden, after two consecutive years of that plot being (involuntarily) fallow. In terms of preservation, this year's seed is enough to maintain viability of almost everything planned. Hopefully this will allow me to get closer to being caught up, on some of the overdue grow outs.

if you have room i'd certainly not discard the old seed, especially if you are worried about not having enough for the future. i keep samples from as many seasons as i can store here. i don't have room for everything, but i won't throw away old seeds. i will eat them instead for sure (or feed them to the worms if i don't like the looks of them).