Improvements in the Garden

I am absolutely giddy about the greenhouse/garden this year. We have made some pretty significant improvements and I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Over the last few weeks, we have been steadily working (mostly on the weekends) to remove the ‘old’ from last year and make way for the new!

The biggest project was getting the entire greenhouse covered in fresh, reinforced plastic. Our most expensive materials purchase for the year, this plastic is well worth it. It allows more light in and holds up to the winds and freezing temperatures better than the foggy 6 mil plastic we used before. It has less of a chance of shredding itself in high winds which is needed for our location. We also put fresh plastic over the cold frame lids and reinforced the PVC pipe that the plastic is wrapped around. Finally, we crafted and installed a proper screen window (versus a hole cut with screening glued onto the plastic) that allows for superior ventilation compared to previous results.

Speaking of cold frames, we added another one this year! At 8′ x 2′, we have 16 square feet of additional space to plant. The first crops that will be going in are Danver half-long carrots and Walla Walla onions. Last year, the carrot harvest was about 10-12 pounds and onions roughly 10 pounds. It is my goal to double that this year. I have visions of dehydrated onion and onion powder that was grown and processed by my own little hands.

I already day dream about this coming winter, giggling as I pull out spices to make a venison stew. I take great satisfaction in using herbs and spices that I grew and preserved myself to then spice up the other foods I grew from seeds to feed the family. It kinda makes me feel like super woman! The last touch on the cold frames were the installation of hinges on the lids,  including hemp twine placed to keep the lids from flapping open backward, and a hook-in-eye latch to keep them closed when needed. Last year when we had high winds, I would find the cold frame lids knocked completely off the base and be in the bushes 6 feet away. Not this year!

The Mister got a wild hair and decided to put in a raised bed patch on the south side of the greenhouse. Pictured above, he used materials from around the property. Utilizing scrap and bits of cut wood, he turned all that ‘garbage’ into something charming and serviceable. We decided that since strawberries and potatoes do very well here, even in the wild, we will use the space for those tasty edibles. Like I had visions of my own powdered onion from the garden, HE has visions of strawberries and cream and strawberry jam. Hopefully, the slugs will be kinder this year.

 

Finally, we have the water catch system installed! This is another huge improvement for us and I am completely thrilled with it! Gone are the days of hauling water from the hose in buckets down to the garden. Now we have the gutters (that were free!) installed that dumps all the rain into a 32 gallon commercial garbage can from the top of the greenhouse. We were really hoping to get a nice 55 gallon drum or plastic barrel to catch the water in. Unfortunately, it is nigh on impossible to find them laying around and so expensive to buy new that we had to get creative.

The commercial garbage can was the next safe bet as the plastic is stronger and can handle a little more wear and tear than the kitchen garbage can we used last year. Another plus is the new system is contained the garden area and no one can accidentally bump it with a car, knocking it over or dealing with the neighbor kids kicking it over or putting holes in it.

As Spring turns into Summer, I will keep posting updates on how this year’s garden efforts are coming along. This is only my second year doing it and though I have learned a lot so far, I know that each year is different! New challenges to be worked through and overcome, new discoveries that will delight and inspire, and then at the end of it all – fresh, organic and non GMO food for the family all Winter long. Happy planting!!