Turan in the Western Mountains

I was a bit unclear about how I'm planning to use the green house cloth.  I want to use hoop houses over the planting beds then inside the hoop house make wickets and drape the cloth over the wickets, sort of a cloche under the plastic hoop house.  Elliot Coleman claims it raises up to 2 zones. I'm not from Missouri but I have to see for myself!

It is supposed to snow again in a couple days...  

I wonder is any carrots will germinate.  The peas are starting to, not out of the ground yet though.

I planted a bareroot Canadian Red Chokecherry this evening.  Some cool wet days will be good for it settling in.

mlpii66 wrote:I was a bit unclear about how I'm planning to use the green house cloth.  I want to use hoop houses over the planting beds then inside the hoop house make wickets and drape the cloth over the wickets, sort of a cloche under the plastic hoop house.  Elliot Coleman claims it raises up to 2 zones. I'm not from Missouri but I have to see for myself!

So you mean basically floating row covers, agribon, Reemay, etc.  I use those in the greenhouse and outdoor beds in the spring and fall.  Elliot manages to grow all winter using them I believe.  I do not know if I believe 2 whole zones though. Also  giant greenhouse like his has more thermal inertia than a bed with hoops over it.  The hard part of that for me is winter watering in the greenhouse.

For some reason greenhouse cloth made me think of that really tough stuff they lay over the ground so it is not muddy in commercial potting greenhouses.

Best of luck with your experiments~!

mlpii66 wrote:I was a bit unclear about how I'm planning to use the green house cloth.  I want to use hoop houses over the planting beds then inside the hoop house make wickets and drape the cloth over the wickets, sort of a cloche under the plastic hoop house.  Elliot Coleman claims it raises up to 2 zones. I'm not from Missouri but I have to see for myself!

I put Agribon-30 over zebra grass 'hoops', and added plastic directly over the top of that when it got to 15*F or below, and took it off when it got to 40*F so things didn't overheat. I don't know if I got 2 zones since I had no air gap between the plastic and fabric, but I'd call it successful and I'll be doing more this winter.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t18737p100-winter-gardens-photos
Sometime after this^ photo everything took off. The lettuce I thought was dead even started growing. I've gotten several servings of mustard greens.

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

mlpii66 wrote:I was a bit unclear about how I'm planning to use the green house cloth.  I want to use hoop houses over the planting beds then inside the hoop house make wickets and drape the cloth over the wickets, sort of a cloche under the plastic hoop house.  Elliot Coleman claims it raises up to 2 zones. I'm not from Missouri but I have to see for myself!

I put Agribon-30 over zebra grass 'hoops', and added plastic directly over the top of that when it got to 15*F or below, and took it off when it got to 40*F so things didn't overheat. I don't know if I got 2 zones since I had no air gap between the plastic and fabric, but I'd call it successful and I'll be doing more this winter.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t18737p100-winter-gardens-photos
Sometime after this^ photo everything took off. The lettuce I thought was dead even started growing. I've gotten several servings of mustard greens.

Nice!

Turan wrote:

mlpii66 wrote:I was a bit unclear about how I'm planning to use the green house cloth.  I want to use hoop houses over the planting beds then inside the hoop house make wickets and drape the cloth over the wickets, sort of a cloche under the plastic hoop house.  Elliot Coleman claims it raises up to 2 zones. I'm not from Missouri but I have to see for myself!

So you mean basically floating row covers, agribon, Reemay, etc.  I use those in the greenhouse and outdoor beds in the spring and fall.  Elliot manages to grow all winter using them I believe.  I do not know if I believe 2 whole zones though. Also  giant greenhouse like his has more thermal inertia than a bed with hoops over it.  The hard part of that for me is winter watering in the greenhouse.

For some reason greenhouse cloth made me think of that really tough stuff they lay over the ground so it is not muddy in commercial potting greenhouses.

Best of luck with your experiments~!

I've been trying to wrap my coconut around the winter watering problem too!  Suppose I should put the cart back behind the horse and get the greenhouse built first!

Maybe plan so that there is a yard hydrant in the greenhouse?

mlpii66 wrote:

Turan wrote:

mlpii66 wrote:I was a bit unclear about how I'm planning to use the green house cloth.  I want to use hoop houses over the planting beds then inside the hoop house make wickets and drape the cloth over the wickets, sort of a cloche under the plastic hoop house.  Elliot Coleman claims it raises up to 2 zones. I'm not from Missouri but I have to see for myself!

So you mean basically floating row covers, agribon, Reemay, etc.  I use those in the greenhouse and outdoor beds in the spring and fall.  Elliot manages to grow all winter using them I believe.  I do not know if I believe 2 whole zones though. Also  giant greenhouse like his has more thermal inertia than a bed with hoops over it.  The hard part of that for me is winter watering in the greenhouse.

For some reason greenhouse cloth made me think of that really tough stuff they lay over the ground so it is not muddy in commercial potting greenhouses.

Best of luck with your experiments~!

I've been trying to wrap my coconut around the winter watering problem too!  Suppose I should put the cart back behind the horse and get the greenhouse built first!

The plants spend a lot of the winter "on pause" (it's like an outdoor fresh greens refrigerator) so they aren't sweating/breathing much- and both the fabric and the plastic help trap humidity. Between those two, and the snow melt and spring rain coming though the fabric when there wasn't plastic on top, I didn't water during the winter.

I woke in the middle of the night thinking, "Why didn't I put a blanket over the new carrot bed? It will help it keep from drying out and moderate the temperatures."  So I did that in the morning.  I knew I had forgot something, just needed to sleep on this conversation about covers to remember what.

BPSF, interesting. I read somewhere that higher temps in a bigger hoop/greenhouse also draw moisture from the surrounding ground.  Not sure I believe that as it gets frozen pretty far down around here.  I'm hell bent to have a greenhouse by fall so it's nice to know I may not need to water.

Turan, Thanks for the tip about a blanket! I've been trying to get hoop houses over the beds I planted but the blasted wind makes it near impossible.  I think I'll just blanket the beds now for a bit.  My radishes and peas are just poking up!

To help deal with wind I try to have a couple inches of edge wall before the soil.  It helps make a microclimate below the wind at soil level.  I found the best help for keeping small hoop houses film on was to cut it with a very wide border that I can roll a fence post in to anchor it.  I like old heave fence T posts for this.  Fighting this is part of why I bought a couple double wall Polypropylene cold frames that fit in my beds. 
Good luck!

I've about decided on a solid walled cold frame type solution as well.  I checked Google and saw a nice hoop house where the builder used a furring strip and stapled one side of the plastic to the bed. rolling a board or post in the other side to control the sheet when bed access is required.  My problem is I hate the look of the sheet bunched up at the ends. I'm trying too hard to build nice end caps. I just need to embrace the bunch I guess. Protecting the plants is priority one! And speaking of, the sideways rain let up so I need to go get something on the beds, supposed to dip in the low 30's tonight.

You can buy the double walled polypropylene.  I am thinking of doing that, especially if I decide to replace the top of one of my cold frames.
The ones I bought were not tall enough for full grown peppers and determinate tomatoes so I put them on a solid wood 12" tall base.  Juwel has thought out a lid that does not fly away with the wind.

I use the cold frame with out a lid as a potato tower frame.  It lets me plant early as well as then layer the mulch as they grow.

I just got in from covering my budding plants. At a garage sale I scored a stack of corrugated Fiberglas panels and threw them up in the rafters of the garage and forgot how many I have.  Looks like enough to build four or five good cold frames!

My dad used those corrugated fiberglass panels for something gardening related!  ...but I don't know what - it was before I was old enough to help with the gardening.

I originally snagged them thinking I'd bend them in an arch and use them as row covers. I have plans in a book. I may still use them for that I have a few windows and may get some of the rigid double walled plastic panels Turan suggested.

There is this weird bright thing in the sky.
My skin is turning red.
I can only work outside a few minutes at a time because I am not used to warmth.

I turned most of the compost pile onto where the winter squash will be grown. Like TD's, it had heated nicely in the fall but then went dormant all winter.  It is not finished so I tossed half of it into the place for the squash and gave it some blood meal to wake up again.  The rest will have to wait, I need to go do that paycheck thing. 

I had such good plans to get the broccoli planted.  Hopefully tomorrow morning.

Been a couple of beauty days here too! In typical fashion though Cooler and rain on Friday and Saturday!

I planted the greenhouse today.

Helda pole beans along the wall and Provider bush beans in front.  There is a lone pickling cucumber half way down and in the W-o-W I seeded Thelma Saunders Sweet Potato acorn squash.  I love that name.  I grew it a couple years now in the regular winter squash area and it just needs a longer season.  Maybe it will work in the greenhouse.  Or maybe it will smother everything.


There are all the baby tomatoes and peppers.  I covered every one with a light weight floating row cover but did not fill any W-o-W.  I hope this is enough protection.  My DH says it is sure to blizzard now.

I took the day off work so I could work in the garden.  Spring is such a giddy rush  

I filled 4 W-o-W to place between things in the greenhouse.  That gives me a bit better hedge for any nasty weather and they won't be too difficult to take out later.  I also checked and arranged the soaker hoses in there. All that is left to do there is transplant basil and one more cucumber after they sprout inside.  Soon I should be able to tell the volunteering marigolds from weeds and transplant them where I want them.

Last week I was struggling to get an area free of compost so I could plant broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage.  The compost was chicken coop and barn cleanings and it had heated up nicely in the fall but then stopped.  There was a lot of straw left pretty intact along with the some finished compost etc.  After I piled half of it where I plan to plant squash this summer there was still way too much left.  So I spread it out like in a BTE or Ruth Stout deep mulch garden.  I got the broccoli planted on Friday and then left for the weekend to visit my mom.  I just finished getting the brussel sprouts and cabbage planted.  The broccoli look pretty good after the weekend.  I kept them covered.


First Asparagus!   At Last!

I put out some seedling broccoli, kohlrabi and cabbages. I've been hovering like a mother hen since, one eye on the weather channel and one on the cats and birds!  I have milk bottle cloches nearby ready to cover at the first sign of a temp dip!

mlpii66 wrote:I put out some seedling broccoli, kohlrabi and cabbages. I've been hovering like a mother hen since, one eye on the weather channel and one on the cats and birds!  I have milk bottle cloches nearby ready to cover at the first sign of a temp dip!

I have a mental image of a levitating mountain goat with chameleon eyes going in opposite directions...

It is that time of year, levitating and hovering and split directional eyes  

I just finished checking out the soaker hose system, fixed a few spots.  That opened the way to plant potatoes.  Because the soaker hose is at the bottom of the mulch I needed to check it before planting.  Now the potatoes are planted. 12 sf, 14 French fingerling chunks barely covered with soil and then 6 inches of hay stack sweepings.

Turan wrote:It is that time of year, levitating and hovering and split directional eyes  

MLP and Beetles - quite the visual.

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

mlpii66 wrote:I put out some seedling broccoli, kohlrabi and cabbages. I've been hovering like a mother hen since, one eye on the weather channel and one on the cats and birds!  I have milk bottle cloches nearby ready to cover at the first sign of a temp dip!

I have a mental image of a levitating mountain goat with chameleon eyes going in opposite directions...

Hope I don't look that crazed, even though I feel it.  So far nothing is committing mayhem in the garden.