39 Degrees

39 degrees this morning. It's getting cold outside! Plants like being in the greenhouse.

Finishing the Roof - Part 2

Framing completed! (All rafters and wall studs in the greenhouse are re-used apple orchard stakes) Next step was attaching plastic on both ends.

Placing the plastic over the top requires a few things to to make the process go smoothly. A day with no wind is a definite plus. The far side of the plastic sheet was attached first. Then ropes were attached to the plastic so Michelle and I could gently pull the sheet up and over the top.

Plastic attached to the final side. We are all prepared for snow.

Finishing the Roof - Part 1

Snow season will be here soon! It's time to finish the roof. Two main support posts were attached to the current center beam of the green house. I was just going to eyeball it, but Michelle insisted on making sure each post was level before we attached them to the beam. The next step was placing the top beam into the slots on the support posts. To save time and make it easier, I pre-attached the center three rows of rafters to the top beam with hinges. Once in place, I simply screwed the bottom of each rafter into the side wall of the greenhouse.

Back inside the greenhouse

New lettuce coming up!

 

Swiss chard transplants, thyme, chives & tomatoes seeking shelter in the greenhouse.

The black 5 gallon bucket is filled with water: 

warms up during the day and releases heat at night.

Added some benches. Already put to use ripening tomatoes.

Fall for Art 2012

Putting Produce to Work

  

The gourds from the garden needed something to do so I had them decorate the barn for the "Fall for Art" tour.                  

Harvest

Starting to bring in some gourds from the garden!



Start Planting

 

Since this is our first time growing anything in the greenhouse, we'll stick to some cold weather crops. We added some compost and are starting out with lettuce, kale, swiss chard, onions & peas. We're also going to transplant some swiss chard from the garden and bring in some tomato plants and some herbs. We'll keep you posted on how they do once cold weather sets in.