Update on disassembling new high tunnel

Today I got to spend 5 hours tearing down the new high tunnel at it's current home. I got alot done, but if I would have started earlier, I would have had hoops on the ground too!

Here is a little time lapse photo work!

Before


North wall gone


South wall gone


Baseboard and center and right purlin gone


All I have left is the left purlin and the 12 braces in the corners and we will be ready to take the hoops down. Finally, load it all up and head west!

Update on disassembling new high tunnel

K-State Cauliflower

I have been eagerly anticipating this purple cauliflower. I ordered seed in mid January. The seed got back ordered and I didn't receive it until the May. I planted it and set these plants out in early June, a month or more late! The weather turned off HOT and the plants stopped growing. Bugs and grasshoppers ate the leaves to almost nothing. Then in August they started to grow again and finally on November 20th, I have purple cauliflower. It has been a long wait, but oh-so good! Now I wish the other 50 or so I planted in August would do something, but I know it is too late. I must get them in sooner next year!



We also picked some white cauliflower and broccoli along with yellow and orange carrots. Who says we can't eat the rainbow?

K-State Cauliflower

We are growing again

We are the proud new owners of a used 30 by 48 ft Stuppy's Powerhouse Greenhouse. We are going to use this huge metal frame for a high tunnel. This high tunnel will give us an additional 1,440 square feet of growing space. I am very excited about it. I will have to tear it down and rebuild it at our house, but who isn't up for an adventure.

Here is a picture of the greenhouse in its current location.



Here is a picture of the endwall



My hopes are to have in down over Thanksgiving Break and start working at putting it back up ASAP. I hope I can get the ground posts in at least before the ground freezes solid.

We are growing again

The difference a week makes

When spring rolls around and gardeners plant out their transplants or put seed in the ground, it doesn't seem to matter if you get it planted this week or next week, by the time it comes to harvest, they both seem to produce at the same time.

However, when you are growing in the fall, it is said every day a crop is not growing can translate into 2-3 days later on the harvest time. That is why it is important to get your fall crops planted in a timely manner.

WHY? The reason has to do with day length. Every day, after the summer solstice on June 21st, the days start to get shorter. While at first it isn't very noticable, it does make a big difference the later you get in the season.

I have a great example of what the difference a week makes with carrots.



The carrots on the right were planted on August 16th. The carrots on the left were planted on August 22nd. The same seed was used, they were watered the same, they were grown in identical situations, the only difference is the planting date.

You can also notice a difference in whole garden plot.

August 16th



August 22nd



So the next time you hear the saying, "What difference does a week make" you can say it means alot when talking about fall gardening.

The difference a week makes

Fall and Winter Garden

To all my RVP customers, I wanted to share where all your produce is coming from this fall and winter. Want to learn more, www.rvp.locallygrown.net My fall and winter garden consists of 3500 square feet of high tunnels and 1000 square feet of low tunnels.

Here is Hoop A
From left to right, Radishes, Beets, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Haikuri Turnips, Some left over broccoli, Lettuce, Napa Cabbage, Joi Choy, Red Choy, Tatsoi, Longevity (a type of tatsoi I guess), and Arugula.



They all still need mini hoops and row cover to cover them, but that is on the to do list.

Hoop C
My most mature crops and most recently planted.
Left to right, Lettuce, Kale, Spinach, Under the cover Green onions, Bok Choy and Napa Cabbage, Freshly Planted Haikuri Turnips and Carrots



Hoop D
This building grew Bell peppers and Cherry Tomatoes this spring and summer. I tore out the cherry tomatoes. Too overgrown and slowing production. The bell peppers are great. They are loaded and I have been picking bunches every week for the Farmers Markets.

Outside rows are bell peppers and under the row covers I have spinach and lettuce. I just transplanted the 250 plus lettuce plugs yesterday and the spinach is coming up or getting its true leaves. I still have grasshoppers in here and they love spinach. They don't mind the lettuce, but they will eat the spinach down.



On to the Movable Buildings. I have two movable buildings and I have crops growing outside and I am going to move the buildings over the crops soon. One probably this week and the other one once I loose the green beans or in about two weeks.

M1

Haikuri Turnips, Beets, Carrots, Carrots, Haikuri Turnips


M2 Has the same crops growing in it as M1.



M1 also has green beans growing inside.


Low Tunnels Broccoli and Cauliflower.
I have over 400 broccoli and cauliflower planted. They will go under row cover soon. I have to get a lot of other stuff done first!





The first low tunnel hoop.



Brussel Sprouts

They go planted too late, but we are going to see what happens.




Last outside planting of Green Beans.

This was a last second Hail Mary Planting. I have rinsed the frost off of them once and I have picked 40 pounds of beans off of the first picking. I am hoping to get 1-2 more pickings!

Fall and Winter Garden