by Briscoe White | Feb 26, 2010 | Exploring, Gardening, Growing, Inspiration, Urban Gardening |
I had to pick up some greenhouse supplies today. In the warehouse park where our supplier is located is one of those little areas time seems to have forgotten. At the rear of the park are a few lots no one wanted some thirty years ago where the park was built out.
Open land just sitting there is an open invitation to many urban farmers. This unwanted couple of acres has been converted to individual plots. Like everything else, the gardens are frozen for now, but come spring this place will look like an Asian market for vegetables. Everybody seems to have their own plan; some grow all peppers or all greens while others grow a diverse garden.
All the fences and cold frames are made of discarded materials. Most of the crops grown are annual plants, started from seed. This summer I will get a photo of the crops, but for now it is still too cold to garden.
by Briscoe White | Feb 19, 2010 | Basics, Exploring, Gardening, Inspiration |
I have been confident that sooner or later I would find a sign that this long cold winter would end one day. I was expecting a crocus or a snowdrop, but it was daffodils I spotted first. This is the season bulbs really pull their weight. It will be months before annual plants can face the weather, but here these bulbs have begun their blooming process. It may be a couple of weeks before the blooms actually open, but on the first warm day they will be ready to pop open. Spring is on the way!!
As exciting as early bulbs are, the real work of the garden is still in the future. Let these daffodils be a sign you will follow. Now is the time to get all spring planting planned and “gardened on paper”. Planning ahead will allow your dream garden to grow into reality this summer. Whether herb gardening or just setting out a few flowering annuals, planning will make a better garden. Get ready now and know what you want to do when spring finally arrives.
by Briscoe White | Feb 12, 2010 | Exploring, Life on the Farm, Miscellaneous |
We’re still riding out the storm(s), but look how well the plants are doing. They don’t even know it’s cold outside! See you next week!
by Briscoe White | Feb 8, 2010 | Exploring, Life on the Farm, Miscellaneous |
Once again we have survived a winter storm. Even though we were covered up with snow, then rain and sleet, and then some more snow we feel lucky. Because even though temperatures were down in the teens, the wind only blew for a short while. For us, this means the power lines did not go down. What a luxury! We do feel lucky!
All the little plants growing towards their ship dates never suffered temperatures below sixty degrees, though we did have to use both gas and wood heaters at times. This is a winter that doesn’t quit!! Those of us that stay on the farm during storms get used to an isolation that takes a few days to wear off.
Another storm is due tomorrow, so I guess we will stay in survival mode a few more days. It is hard to think about gardening right now. The ground is frozen and covered with ice, most days it is to cold to be outside for long. But as growers we know that spring is only a few weeks away, and if our customers are to be ready to plant we have to get these plants through to spring! So, Mother Nature, bring it on again. We will last it out knowing it will be over soon! Hope springs eternal, and I am sure hoping for spring
by Briscoe White | Feb 3, 2010 | Exploring, Life on the Farm, Miscellaneous |
We always believed our LP gas heaters helped us heat our greenhouses without much environmental damage. Over time we became convinced that burning wood is environmentally better than burning gas. It is hard to believe on the surface because the gas heater makes no exhaust you can see, they do not smell and do not need cleaning. The wood burner on the other hand is smoky and smelly, but is a fraction of the cost for gas. We also must tend to the wood stove several times through out the day, someone has to add those hundred pound logs.
Being tree lovers, we recognize different species as we throw logs to the fire. These trees were cut and on the way to the lumber and chip mills but purchased by us. Knowing they were cut anyway makes it bearable. The carbon released is already in the environment and therefore better than that released by fossil fuel. We also learned that LP gas escapes the system from the well head to pilot light, each molecule has twenty- four times the greenhouse effect as a carbon molecule. So we switched to wood heat last winter. It is a lot cheaper, but a lot of work. And we do hope, a more environmentally friendly option.
by Briscoe White | Feb 1, 2010 | Exploring, Life on the Farm, Miscellaneous |
It is hard not to comment on the weather when discussing the garden. Everything about it is weather dependent, including when the gardener wishes to garden. But when one has a greenhouse full of young plants like we do here, severe weather can become a real challenge.
The Growers Exchange greenhouse crew has pulled through yet another terrible winter storm. We burned several cords of wood and didn’t lose a single greenhouse! These winter storms isolate us and sometimes cut us off from the rest of the world. This last storm required four nights of vigilance to keep the young plants safe. There is always a chance that a large greenhouse may be affected quite badly by the storms, such as damaging or caving in the roof, depending on the severity of the storm. There are roof replacement Raleigh services, as well as many others in various areas, that can help replace a fully damaged roof, so your plants can go back to being their thriving selves.
The strangest part is when it is over and you drive off the farm into the real world, which is going on like the storm never happened. Sometimes I wonder if it is better to not be affected by weather or if all the stuff we go though is worth the effort. I realize, sad as it is, that some of my best adventures have been during these storms. They almost seem fun as they fade into history, somehow all the pains and tribulations are forgotten. When winter is over, we are all set to plant!
GIANT icicles outside of our offices.
