Gardening Techniques

Shown are two different methods we're employing this year to utilize more gardening space.  

The first method is a potato bin, made of simple wire and metal stakes.  The idea is to give height and layering for the potatoes, thus allowing for greater growing space.  The column is approximately 5 feet tall, and has a radius of about 2 feet.  

We'll begin by layering in leaves, then sphagnum moss, and then organic soil, and to each layer, we'll place different potato "seeds."  The vines will grow out of all sides, and then in the fall, all we have to do is take down the wire, and the soil, and hopefully a ton of potatoes will simply fall out onto the ground.  

The second photo shows a bean vine support, which we built from simple bamboo stakes.  There are 3-6 foot sections, which will allow for double row planting for our "yard-long" chinese green beans.  We expect to get enough beans to do some canning, and dehydrating, and the dogs love green-beans too!  

The Greenhouse at the Glen

For years we've pinned for a greenhouse, and finally, we bought one!  We're currently awaiting the handyman to prepare the foundation so we can begin construction of our 8' X 10' greenhouse. The thinking is that we'll be able to, with gravity fed drip irrigation, as well as a possible grow-light and portable heat source, to continue growing a great many of our favorite greens, and tomatoes long after the growing season has passed.  Of course, we're new to this greenhouse thing, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of "learning experiences" to keep us busy.  We're also looking at a solar lighting system that should alleviate some of the wiring issues surrounding the greenhouse.  

The greenhouse is going to be placed on the south side of our back lawn, which should provide more than ample amounts of sunlight.  After speaking with a professional greenhouse owner, I discovered that heat, not cold tends to be the problem.  Of course too much of anything is not good for plants, and this particular greenhouse has 6 ceiling vents, as well as a rear vent, and will also have an automatic vent opener when the temps get too high.  I'll keep you posted, and share some photos as we progress.

Finally, spring has arrived!

After an incredibly long winter, it would seem that spring has finally come to the High Country of North Carolina. The last 6 months have been cold, windy, harsh, and some say even bitter. We had little or no snow to speak of, however, the temperatures never really made it above the 40's for the most part. We've been spoiled over the last several years with very high temps in January and February. With tulips and other bulbs beginning to pop up during the first weeks of January, not so this year. It would seem that we're having a more moderate weather event, and some climatologists are suggesting we may be in the early stages of a global cooling event. There have been few sunspots during the beginning of the Solar Max period, and as such, historically, that has indicated a dramatic cooling event. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that that is not the case at this point in history.