September Update

The greenhouse is finished - complete with plastic sheeting on top.  It works well.  During our cold snap, the temperature inside the greenhouse was easily 10-15 degrees warmer than outside.  When it warmed back up to the 70's, the greenhouse got up to 90 degrees before I remembered to vent it.

Now Jayme is working on a fence for the garden using some old rusty wire fencing that our neighbor gave to us.  The fence will also slow the deer down a little.  They enjoy eating my tomatoes and lettuce on occasion.  Jayme is very precise in his work with huge attention to detail.  This is one of the joints that he is using to join the boards. He uses his router to shape both the fence post and the 2X4.  Once again, we are using all recycled wood that he got for free from job sites where a person is having a new deck or fence built.

Here is the finished stretch of fencing on one side of the garden.

I love how it looks.  I am busy harvesting and redesigning my garden for more production next year.  I will have more beds that are laid out in 30 inch rows with an 18 inch walking path through them.  Gone will be the days when the kids get to go into the garden and dig with their toys and shovels.  The beds will be permanent.  After harvesting a crop, I'll just need to gently till the top, add more compost and any soil amendments that are needed, and replant.

We are considering starting a weekly vegetable subscription option for people.  Each week, you would pick up a box containing a mixture of vegetables (whatever is ready for harvest) for a flat weekly fee.  Stay tuned for more information - if we decide to go ahead with the plan.

Weekly Update - August 16, 2011

Here is the overall picture of most of the garden.  The Asian greens that I planted are ready to pick.  The greens are a mix of tatsoi, mizuna, endive, and more stuff that I can't remember the name of.  I am making this recipe for Wilted Asian Greens tonight along with chicken and jasmine rice.

I picked our first cucumbers this morning.  These two beauties probably won't survive past lunchtime at our house.  Next summer I plan to grow my cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers inside the greenhouse.  They love warmth and sun and we just haven't had a ton of either this summer.

The greenhouse construction is moving along well.  Our back-ordered greenhouse film is supposed to ship this week.  Then we will have a roof!  We found a screen door and a gallon of green colored wood stain at the Habitat for Humanity Store. 

 The gallon of stain was $8 and the screen door was $15 - great prices!  The stain is a dark green - perfect for a greenhouse!  I like the screen door because it has character.  The raised panel design on the front is unique.  Maybe someday the boys and I will stencil designs on it too.

 I like how the colors of stain look together.  The brown stain was free from the Waste to Energy Plant.  The green came from the Habitat Store for $8.  So, we have colors that look great together and they weren't selected from endless choices.

 
There are only 4 more windows to go in, a roof, and some siding.  So exciting!  Stay tuned for the final project pictures.

Weekly Update - August 1, 2011

Summer is finally here - and hot!  High temperatures have been in the upper 80's for a few days now.  The pole beans are starting to climb up the teepee we made.  Tomatoes are beginning to turn closer to yellow - on their way to red.  Corn is just starting to tassel out.  Raspberries and strawberries have really slowed down production - just a handful here and there.

I really am still watering the potatoes.  This is what they look like when they start to die back.  Once over half of the plant is yellow/brown, I stop watering it.  I'll dig the potatoes once the plants are completely dead.  We planted some blue potatoes, red (though the whole potato) potatoes, and some "normal" potatoes.

The greenhouse is coming along.  Jayme does a great job with the recycled materials he finds.  The windows are recycled (with help from craigslist and a friend) and the redwood trim came from an old deck that was no longer wanted.  I love the look of the redwood.  Once he put the old boards through the planer, they look new again!

Weekly Update - July 23, 2011

Harvest has started on our family farm.

We are picking strawberries and raspberries every 2-3 days.  Jacob insisted on being in every photo.  He loves having his picture taken!

Yesterday we harvested the first head of cabbage.  Sugar snap peas are ready and waiting for a stir-fry tonight.  Jacob is in front of our sugar snap peas climbing up a trellis.
The boys eat carrots straight from the garden "bunny-rabbit-style".  We recently took some freshly dug carrots to a friend's pool party.  Who would have thought that preschool kids would love carrots so much!  Carrots are one of the crops that I am going to experiment with overwintering in low hoops.

We are also entering some vegetables in the Spokane Interstate Fair.  One of the contests is for the largest turnip.  We are hoping to win 1st place with this mammoth!

Lastly, greenhouse construction continues.  Jayme is working on the roof.  We are using many recycled materials in the construction.  The cement block was previously used.  Some of the timber is recycled from an old deck.  All the windows going into the walls are recycled from houses getting a new set of windows.  The roof will be a plastic greenhouse film, coated with uv protectors and an anti-drip material.  It will let in 85% of the sunlight and will help in warming the greenhouse this winter.

The plan for this greenhouse is to be a "cold greenhouse" - unheated except by the sun.  We are hoping to raise a variety of winter vegetables - primarily baby leaf lettuce and greens.  Maybe we'll even sell some.  It promises to be an adventure!