Radio Broadcast

Tune in this Thursday, July 16 at noon (central time) for an internet radio program on hoop houses.

This week’s spotlight will show small-scale farmers how hoop houses can extend the growing season. The program will cover the uses and benefits of hoop houses; different structure types; how to manage crops, fertility, pests and weeds; and the economics and marketing of hoop house crops.

Host Jeff Birkby, outreach director for NCAT’s ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service project, will be joined by NCAT horticulture specialists Tammy Hinman and Andy Pressman.

Hinman holds a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in horticulture food crops and entomology and a Master's degree in food system studies from Antioch University. Pressman has a Master’s in sustainable systems from Slippery Rock University. He is a certified permaculture designer. Hinman and Pressman both have market farming experience as well as experience building and growing in hoop houses.

Featured on the Green Talk Network, this is part of a weekly series on sustainable agriculture, running through early October. Archived files of each show will also be available on the ATTRA Web site.

Potato Blossoms

The potatoes have been blooming for a little over two weeks now, so we should only be two or three more away from harvest. The potato plants outside the high tunnel are also blooming, but they aren't nearly as tall and bushy.

Maine's Potato Blossom Festival starts today.

Lady Beetle Eggs

Organic gardeners should be able to recognize these eggs. These elongated, yellow eggs on the underside of a leaf are lady beetle eggs. They are good and we want them in our garden.

This will be especially important in the winter and spring because we want lady beetles to eat the aphids that will try to attack our salad greens.

High Water

Alright! We're one step closer to a drip irrigation system. The high tunnel has its own water!

The Extension folks installed a "backflow protected automatic draining freezeless sanitary yard hydrant." How's that for a mouthful?

The water line to the hydrant is buried four feet deep. Come winter the hydrant must be operated at full flow, through the diverter, for a minimum of 30 seconds before and after each use to drain the hydrant and prevent freezing.

Here's the spec sheet with lots of details on our yard hydrant.

Insulating the Foundation

The folks at the extension did some real heavy labor this summer and insulated the perimeter of the foundation. This insulation prevents heat loss inside the structure via the soil. It will also keep the ground warmer longer, further extending our growing season.

From this view you can see some of the insulation . The vertical sheets go down to a depth of 16 inches. Under that are some horizontal sheets 24 inches wide, extending out from the high tunnel.

The l-shape with the insulation is something that Michigan State tried. They went out four feet but we didn’t have room for that on a couple sides.

I've read about growers installing a solid wall about three feet around the perimeter to prevent heat loss and add to the thermal mass that can absorb solar heat. But as Bill explained to me, we're not set up for that as we don't have the rocks or concrete to store thermal heat.

I also read about someone else who insulated down four feet and loved the results. Bill agrees that deeper would have been better, but the Extension doesn't have access to a backhoe to make that reasonable.

Still he says, "When it comes to insulation I guess you could always do more."

Hip High Before 4th of July

The onions in the high tunnel are still doing quite well as you can see. Bulbs are popping up out of the ground and the shoots are hip high.

All Hail Kale

We still have kale coming out of our ears here at the high tunnel. But that's cool, 'cause it's soo yummy and good for you.

A month ago I used it in a potato soup. After that, I sauteed it down with some garlic and chicken stock a la Emeril. (Thanks to 13-year-old nephew Alek for cluing me in to the recipe.) And this past weekend, I wilted it with some chorizo and eggs for a family breakfast with my folks and sibs.

So here's what ya do: Saute chorizo in pan, then toss in kale, torn into medium size pieces. Let that cook down for a few minutes then season with some salt and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. The push kale and chorizo to the side of the pan and crack 4 to 6 eggs (one at a time) in the center of the pan.

It was perfect. I was able to cut this in wedges and serve each person an egg with kale and chorizo on the side. Got rave reviews.

For more kale recipes (and other good veggies) visit I Heart Kale.