Spring clean up and winter snow

The last weekend was really warm, about +10+12C and I spent some hours doing spring clean-up that I missed last fall.
And today it is snowing again with possible freezing rain after.
I am really affected by weather - long winter makes me feel blue. My be I need more vitamin D or as I called it "phitotherapy"  - working in the garden, I missed it!



 "Clean up" - I want everything to be neat and clean, but as always......
and I want to try Mittleider garden method this year.
I have couple reasons -my garden is in a wooden area, a lot of shade, and I need a productive method. Fist I tried to add more beds space and made a walks very narrow.



The more garden space I was thinking, the better! But the shade from tall plants was horrible for other beds, so I desided to make the beds about 60-70cm (24-28 inches) and the rows between almost the same.






 I will rearrange from north to south. (north-north-east to south-south-west).

These are 2 cleaned beds - asparagus on the back (cleaned, compost added, fertilized) and a new one for green peas.

 The new cilantro and lettuce seedlings were transplanted yesterday and today they are looking good in greenhouse and under row covers.

 I have some new 2x1 wooden planks to make new shelf's  and  plant support.

May be I will add some shelf's to this corner for seedlings trays and other light stuff.

And that snow is keeping me inside!

Greenhouse film update - crazy winter weather

Yesterday was 10F and snow, today 54F and rain, in the middle (night) freezing rain.


 I was very concerned about my new greenhouse film, I was able to cover my greenhouse only this November and we got only 3-4 snowfalls this winter. 

 I got the sheeting from greenhousemegastore.com, this is not a household plastic, and suppose to hold more pressure,  but I still do not know how long it may last.

This morning I came outside to make some photos of ice and snow on the film - there is solid 1 inch ice cover on the roof.





 The temperature inside was even lower than outside, and the plastic were covered with thin ice too.

I tried to gently shake the plastic to make the ice slide down, from the lowest square. I totally have the roof divided to 4 squares.


The roof itself is 24 feet long and about 6 feet on the side. My greenhouse stands on the slope and  the walls are 4 feet on front and 6 feet on the back. I can barely reach the top on the back with my broom. 

The greens - Asian tat soi is pretty healthy under the row cover.


Please comment with your winter greenhouse experience! I am a new gardener and would appreciate any advice!

Winter greenhouse - green peas, asian greens and onion

The last snow, actually the second big snow
this season was heavy, about 12 inches and more.

 I came outside to clean the greenhouse roof, just gently shaking the film from inside and the snow slowly was sliding down.

The best of them are kale, parsley, chard and tat soi.
The weakest plants are cabbages and kohlrabi.

 Every day I am snipping some of the green leaves. I can't tell they are growing, but staying healthy.

Some day ago I prepared a part if the bed for early green peas, the temperature inside can rise till +50F.

Today I planted peas and some radishes.

 Leek, young onions and garlic are doing good too.

Some of the asian greens are preparing to bloom, to cold.

Gardening on Christmas Eve

The weather is so good!
60 F and humid, 100% humidity inside the greenhouse.
I covered my greenhouse recently and transplanted some of the greens from the garden there.
That's how it looks now -

Lettuce, kohlrabi and green cabbage

 Mixed Asian greens, borage and celery

 Parsley, chard and leek

 Chard, napa and onion

 Radishes, bok choi and tatsoi

 Green onions ready to transplant.

 Small bed cleaned, added peat moss and vermiculite.

  Ta-da!  (the was also some place for small beets)

Greenhouse update May 20th

Again I found time to work with lumber - my greenhouse.
I planted cuces and squashes on the back raised bed, but it needs roof support and trellis.

All photos are without retouching, the work in progress and mess is huge!

Rear raised bed before - it is about 24" high. I loaded the bed with old leaves, twigs, than compost, peat moss, some sand, few lime stone.

 Before.....

 Welcomed guest!

 After......

Pine shaving everywhere.
I did not cover the areas where I planted cuces and squashes.

The little opening on the ground between the bricks - sprinkler system head. I am not sure yet if it will be good for the greenhouse or not.

View on the right.
Roof support and future trellis support.

 View on the left.
You can see the wooden frame I put on the blocks to make the whole construction more stability.

 That's how it is look like now.

 Still a lot of work, but plants are growing and it gives me hope that I can finish the project.

Greenhouse update May 8

Last fall I was renovating/rebuilding my hoop-house.
First it was simple PVC hoop-house with regular , not greenhouse plastic, wich did not survive the winter snow.
I decided to make completely new wooden greenhouse.
First of all - I am not a builder and my hubby can't help me. It is in my blood how to handle the hammer, I believe -my grandparents were farmers. 

 Greenhouse is 24 feet by 12 feet, it is also on a slope what makes me life more difficult.
I was hoping to finish it before winter 2014-2015 but hurt my finger very badly so I stopped and only salad, onions and some asian greens survived there.

 This spring is very fast,everything suppose to be done by yesterday! And I have about 1 hr a day to work in a garden, so building process is slow.

 There is an entrance - bricks raised beds, new compost, pine shaving between.
I/m cleaning it from the front will the end side.

 There is a lettuce and onions from last fall.

 My first goal is to make a good roof support and I will not be covering the GH with plastic till fall probably, do not have time for it.

On the very back of the GH I decided to make a tall raised bed for probably squashes or cuces. Right now there are leaves from clean-up, I will add compost and plant something.
The back side is still a mess.

I did it ...before the rain! or greenhouse day 4

I did it!

There should be rainy and much cooler days and I wanted the finish my greenhouse, at least I can work inside.
And there were a lot of green waiting for transplalting before the rains - like those winter -sowed tat soy.

 There is a door frame.

 I add a bout 1 inch space between the walls and door frame for extra insulation.

 And celery and fennel are waiting for me.

 Lettuces and mustard.

 I also added string support to reduce wind flapping.

 Meanwhile red currant grows such nice shots!

Green peas are coming!









So back to the door! I had some old laminate floor panels, I cut it to 6 equal triangles.










The frame is ready, I covered the screws with duck tape

 The last minute before the next chore - I added door hinges and  - the door is (almost) ready.

I need the door knob, insulation,  upper and lower parts and may be more later, but I am ready to work  inside tomorrow when the rain will start!

Can you believe I never did something like this! This is my first project such big (and a garden fence too)



For the greenhouse project I used the ideas from

50-dollar-hoop-house-green-house
Thank you!!!