Our Greenhouse Project

Spring thaw has happened, the snow has melted and the ground is not frozen any more.  So, back to work.

To watch the progress on our fourth greenhouse follow the link  http://www.selfsufficiencyhowwedoit.com/greenhouse-project.html .

Installing a Greenhouse Vent Opener

In our greenhouses we have a large window at one end and a door at the other end.  We have always manually opened them when the weather gets warmer or the sun shines and heats up the greenhouses before the end of winter.  We have intended to install automatic vent openers for quite awhile, but kept putting it off.
Today two Bayliss Mk 7 Autovents were installed in each of two greenhouses.  I decided to build a new window vent above the door near the peak of the roof.

The first step was to build a inner and outer frame out of 2 x 2's.  I cut the pieces then drilled holes to screw them together and screw the frame to the greenhouse beams. Both frame pieces were glued and fastened  together with screws.

The frames had a twist in them so I used 25 pound weights to straighten them while the glue dried.

Weights Used to Straighten

After they dried, I installed two hinges.

Inner and Outer Frames

Hinges Installed

The next step was to fit the vent in the spot where I wanted to install it, and cut a hole in the greenhouse panel.

Fitting the Vent Frame

Polycarbonate Panel installed

Then the frame was screwed into the 2 x 4 studs in the greenhouse.  A scrap Polycarbonate greenhouse panel and foam strips were installed. Then the vent opener was installed.

Finished and Adjusted

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MARCH 1ST PLANTING SCHEDULE

   The end of February and March is the time to get the ground in the greenhouses ready for this season.  We dig in rotted manure, start lettuce, radish, green beans, and carrots in the ground.  We also start seedlings in peat pellets, such as bell peppers, and tomatoes.   The vegetables that aren't freeze tolerant, which we start in the greenhouse floor we cover with a second hooped covering for double protection.

Peat Pellets Seed Starts

Plastic Hoop Covering

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Fourth Greenhouse Project

Our family lives in a severe high desert climate where the winter temperatures can reach -25 degrees, and summers are short and windy.  We have learned through trial and error how to significantly increase our vegetable and fruit production, and have had increased success with the animals that we raise for food.   We have succeeded in growing foods that traditionally have not survived in our area.  This is an excerpt from our e-book, Greenhouse Growing: How We Do It.

We have had great success with using the greenhouses that we designed and built, and are in the process of building a fourth one.  My son and I started it in the fall and now the snow has fallen, so it will get finished in the spring.  Below are some pictures of the beginnings, with the last two showing the greenhouse on hold until spring.

Growing In An Unheated Greenhouse

This is an excerpt from 'Greenhouse Growing and Construction: How We Do It.

If a deep freeze is forecast, then a plastic sheet or cover can be put over the plantings in the greenhouse for extra protection.  We also use plastic coverings in the fall for some plants when night time temperatures fall below 25 degrees or so regularly.

We left a plastic cover over some spinach plants in our unheated greenhouse.  With protection of the greenhouse, and  the added protection of the plastic cover inside, these spinach plants were able to survive an outside temperature of 22 degrees below zero last Wednesday February 5th.

Spinach survived 22 below zero.

Grizzly Bear Claw Marks

Yesterday we went hiking in Yellowstone National Park near where we live and came across this tree that had claw marks on it.  There were three of them.  We thought it was interesting enough to take a picture.

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61 Pumpkins for Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Bread

      We raise Sugar Baby eating pumpkins every year for pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin muffins.  It is very health and tastes great.

            Pumpkins are started in peat pots around the second week in April.  About the second week in June they can be planted in the garden if there aren’t overnight freezes.   In the fall as the pumpkins ripen and the nighttime temperatures get to freezing, we snap them off of their stem, and take them down into our basement.  We place them on a blanket and space them so none are touching, which will prevent them from rotting.  There they stay until we are ready to process them for pumpkin pie.  Pumpkins that don’t get used for pie are fed to the cows and pigs. 

Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Bread mixture:

When the pumpkins are ready to use we clean the pulp and seeds out of them and cut them into pieces.  The pieces are put into a steamer/juicer and steamed for 20 to 25 minutes.  Next the soft pulp is scooped off of the rind, and the pulp pieces are put through a food strainer with a pumpkin screen.  The puréed pumpkin can then be put into sealable freezer bags of two cup portions and put into the freezer.  We put them into two cup sizes because most recipes call for 16 ounces.  Then it can be taken out of the freezer and thawed when needed for bread or pie recipes. 

Previously instead of using a strainer, we would bake the pumpkin in the oven until the pieces are soft, but this is much more time consuming.        

61 pumpkins in our food storage

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