Greenhouses

Well, it's been a little bit since my last post.  Since then we have had the home inspection on "The Farm," and it went incredibly well.  The house is solid as a rock.  So, now it's time to really start thinking about how I'm going to get things accomplished.  To remind you faithful followers, and maybe some of you newcomers, below is a list of the projects, and the expected products, I would like to have on The Farm.  Remember, this is only a 1 acre plot and the house takes up about 1/43 (a little over 1000 ft²) of that.  Also, an acre is about the size of a football field less the end zones and the first five yards from the end zones.  So, there's is quite a bit of land, even for just one acre.  Here's the list projects and their corresponding products I expect to produce:

• Garden - about 10,000 ft² (that's about a 100 ft × 100 ft plot).  This is about 8 times larger than the largest garden I've ever managed, and the reason for this particular post.
• Various vegetables
• Pumpkins/watermelon/squash
• Strawberries
• Chickens - about 15-20
• Meat
• Eggs
• Guinea Fowl - about 5 or so
• Meat
• Goats - 2 to 3 if possible
• Meat
• Milk
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Bees - 1 hive, possibly expanded to 2-3 over time
• Honey
• Beeswax
• Worms - one 3 ft³ container, with the intention of expanding as time goes by
• Compost
• Orchard - about 3-6 trees (apple, cherry, other); not sure what kind yet.
• Raw fruit
• Preserves
• Wine
• Berry bushes - grapes, blueberry, raspberry
• Raw fruit
• Preserves
• Wine

So, as you may have recognized, I added wine to the list of product.  We'll see how that goes.  That won't be for a while as it is going to take a year or so for at least the berry bushes to produce and up to 5 or 6 years for the fruit trees to produce.

Anyway, back to the point of this article.  A couple of days ago I was attending my monthly SWIMGA master gardeners meeting.  While there, I was, as you can imagine, in the mood to think about gardening and such.  After all, seed starting season is fast approaching, which for many cool crops (spinach, lettuce, broccoli, etc.) begins in the middle or end of February.  While reflecting and anticipating the upcoming seed-starting season, I realized that I have to amp-up my operation eight-fold to accommodate the new plot.  This causes concern, because I start all of my plants from seed.  I do not go to Lowes or Home Depot or Wal-Mart (God forbid!!) and buy plants already growing in the pot.  The reason is I don't know how well, or un-well in many cases, the plants have been cared for.  The only exception I make to this rule is when I'm using plants for landscaping.  Then, I'll buy grasses, bushes, hostas, etc. for the yard.  I'm not against that, because I don't eat them.  Anyway, I currently have a seed-starting system where I have two sets of two light fixtures that hold two fluorescent grow lights each (total of 8 bulbs) hanging from a wooden frame on which the seed starting trays sit and bask in the artificial light.  This can accomodate up to 8 of the 12 × 6 seed starting cell trays (See photo below).  That's enough to start 432 individual plants.

12 × 6 seed starting tray
(www.cozycabinnursery.com)

Now, you might be thinking "432 plants?  Isn't that enough."  Plus, if you think about it, not all of the plants I start are started using my grow light system.  About half of the crops I usually grow are direct-seeded.  That means the seeds are planted directly in the garden.  Green beans, peas, corn, carrots, and some others are examples of seeds that are direct-sown.  However, the problem comes when I have to expand the plants into large pots.  You see, when you start a seed in these small cells, they can grow larger than what the small cell can handle.  When they get to a certain size, you have to transplant them into a larger pot.  I usually go with a 4-inch square pot.  You let them continue to grow in this larger pot until it's time to plant them into the garden.  If you don't do this, and keep them in the small pots, then the plants could become pot-bound.  That means they will adjust down their growth rate so that they can live in a small pot, which is an irreversible process.  This is the science behind bonsai trees.  With bonsai, you typically have an oak, maple, or some other tree that has become pot-bound.  The unfortunate thing about pot-bound plants is that they will not survive very long without constant care, which is why bonsai trees require so much attention.  So, getting back to the point.  My current system can accommodate 432 plants, but when it comes time to expand those plants into larger pots, then the system is overwhelmed.  With my current system, I could probably hold about 60-70 4-inch pots.   While that's been enough room previously, it will not hold what I have planned for The Farm.  I plan to have 10-20 tomato plants, 50-60 broccoli plants, 5 or 6 zuccini plants, 100 green bean plants, etc., whereas I usually have about 3 tomato, 15-20 broccoli, 1 zuccini, and 20 green bean plants.

So, what do I do?  Well, a number of my master gardener friends have greenhouses.  I've been leery of using a greenhouse to start seeds, because I'm not convinced that it will get warm enough and have enough direct light to support seedling growth, especially heat-loving plants like tomatoes and peppers.  To remedy this, I decided to consult one of the more prominent master gardeners there at the meeting and ask her about her experience.  She said that she starts seeds in her garage or basement in the small trays and then transplants them, as I do.  However, when she transplants them into the larger pots, that is when she takes them out to the greenhouse.  During the late winter/early spring she takes them out to the greenhouse in the morning and puts them back into the garage at night with a heat source so they don't freeze at night.  As long as the daytime temperature stays above freezing, then this method is just fine.  Then, as spring rolls in and the nights aren't so cold, you can keep them out in the greenhouse permanently until it is planting time.  This approach makes sense, but I can also see how it could be a pain in the butt fairly quickly.  I'm going to have to get up at least 30 minutes to an hour earlier to give me time to prepare for the workday AND move my plants out into the greenhouse.

Lastly, greenhouses come in many shapes, sizes and qualities.  I'm not going to write about them here, but another option that I am going to explore is the idea of using a hoop-house.  A hoop-house is simply a row of PVC pipes bent into a hoop shape with clear plastic or greenhouse fabric draped over it.  Hoop houses can be very simple or very elaborate.  You've probably seen some out in the country or on the property of your local, quality nursery.

Basic hoop-house
(http://www.veggiecare.com/)

So, in conclusion, I think the answer to my problem lies in building a hoop-house that is easy to get into and out of during the colder times in late March and/or early February.  I guess that means it's time for another appointment with Google SketchUp to draw up some plans.  I'll post pictures of plans and the real thing once it is built.

K.I.S.S.

No, I'm not talking about Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, but rather the acronym - Keep It Simple Stupid.  Why?  Chicken Coops.  They are either "crap" or "castle."  There doesn't seem to be anything that is simple, but effective and nice to look at.  First, let me explain a little bit about chicken coops.  The coop is where the chickens essentially go in at night, and it is where they find their source of food and water.  It is also where they lay their eggs.  There are a number of parameters that go into chicken coop design.  First, the size of the coop depends on how many chickens you have.  Finding information on this is like asking a group of people who the best football team is.  I cannot find any consistent information.  The lowest value I have found is that you need 1 ft² of space per chicken from some internet chicken raising site.  The highest value I've found is a whopping 9 ft² of space per chicken from some state extension site.  So, for me, since I would like to have about 15 chickens, I either have to build a 15 ft² (I figured about 3 × 5) building or a 135 ft² (probably 9 × 15) monstrosity.  However, most of the values I've found tend to be at the lower end of that spectrum, somewhere between 1-3 ft².  So, I'm thinking I might stick with a value of about 3 ft² per chicken.  That means, I would need about a 45 ft² coop at about 5 × 9 or 5 × 10 to be acceptable.

The second parameter that needs to be taken into consideration is the number of nesting boxes in the coop.  The nesting box is exactly what it sounds like it is.  It is the box in which a hen will lay her eggs.  Typically these are mounted to a wall and are accessible from a lid or panel from the outside of the coop.  That way, you can harvest the eggs without having to go into the coop without causing an uproar with the ladies.

Nesting boxes

Getting eggs from nesting boxes
(http://journeytosimple.wordpress.com/category/green-living/)

Luckily, my search on the number I need is turning out to be a little more consistent.  A coop should have about 1 nesting box per every 1-2 chickens.  So, I should probably plan on 7.5.  However, I'm going to plan on either 9 or 10.  If I go with 9, I will arrange them in a 3 × 3 pattern, or a 5 × 2 pattern if I decide to have 10 nesting boxes.  The size of the nesting boxes is important too.  Although I've only seen one website that says they should be at least 12 × 12 × 12, most of the pictures I've seen suggest that is probably a good assumption.  The website also suggested that the size of the nesting box is commensurate with the size of the chicken.  So, I will probably go with a 14 × 14 × 14 or a 15 × 15 × 15 size.  I'll have to do some more research on this to nail down a good value.

The third parameter in a chicken coop is the presence of roosts.  Roosts are simply an elevated area on which the chickens hang out and sleep.  Most of the designs I've seen are a large dowel rod that traverses one end of the coop a few feed above the floor of the coop.  I've seen some coops with 2-3 levels of, but the height at which the roosts should be is not very clear.  However, the one thing all the websites agree on is that the roosts should be arranged in a diagonal pattern.  That way the chickens on the roost above don't poop on the heads of the chickens on the roost below.

Chicken Roost
(http://buildachickencoopeasy.com/tag/chicken-roost/)

Lastly, chicken coops need a way to supply food, water, heat, and protection.  Food and water come from feeding and watering dishes, available commercially, that are suspended from the ceiling of the coop so that the chickens don't walk or crap in the food and water supply.  The heat is usually supplied by a bare light bulb that is hung at a specific height above the floor.  Protection is provided by a door that can be secured.  Although you might think of a hundred ways to secure the door of a chicken coop, the vast majority, if not all, that I've seen have a sliding door.  In this design, the door is raised or lowered between two channels.  The door is then attached to a rope and pulley that can be raised and lowered from the outside of the coop.

Feeders and Waterers
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=31484)

Sliding Door
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=31484)

So, what I have I resided to do, you ask.  I'm definitely not going to buy mine, and the plans that I've found are either too elaborate or unclear.  So, I guess I will be designing my own.  I'm currently using Google SketchUp to design the coop.  It's going to be a while, but I'll post a picture of it when it's finished.

If you want to get an idea of what kinds of chicken coops people have come up with, go to http://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html to see what people have come up with.  Otherwise, enjoy the pics of the ones I have found in my searches.

Castle
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7562-Coop_building)

Crap
(http://www.neighborhoodnotes.com/news/2011/02/chicken_keeping_basics_a_chicken_in_every_yard/)

What the heck is that?

Well, my list just keeps getting bigger.  No, not my honey-do list, but my list of things I want to do at the new place.  A few posts back I briefly mentioned some of the things I want to do on the farm.  If you are new, keep in mind that it's only a 1 acre plot, which is a farm to me.  Anyway, I mentioned chickens, goats, bees, worms, and a garden.  Well, I had a lunch with a good friend of mine yesterday.  He's an insurance guy.  So, naturally, I asked him for a quote for the house and we had lunch to discuss the details.  Anyway, I'm digressing.  Back to point.  During our lunch time together, I filled him in on the details of our plans with this property.  At one point, he asked if I was going to get any guineas.  No, not guinea pigs, but rather guinea fowl.  If you aren't sure what they are, I describe them as a cross between a chicken, a turkey, and a peacock - a veritable pig with three asses, if you will.  Below is a picture if you are still not sure of what these guys are.  Back to the story.  My friend described them as loud, skittish, and not affectionate.  So, why would I want these, you ask.  According to my friend, they taste good.  But even better, they aren't like chickens, which will just walk up to you and let you pick them up and haul off to the butcher's block.  No sir, they are hard to catch.  But the pièce de résistance is that...wait for it...you have to shoot them to harvest them, because of their ability to elude their pursuers.  Now, there are some caveats that I need to keep in mind.  First, they eat ticks.  That's not a problem for me.  However, ticks are insects.  Not all insects are bad, especially in the garden.  So, if they eat ticks, will they also eat the beneficial insects that come to reside in the garden?  Also, a year or so ago, I watched a video about a farm run by nuns out on the far west side of Evansville.  In it, the farmer essentially took the viewer on a tour of the farm.  In this one particular video he filmed guineas running around.  He mentioned that he got them for the bugs, but that they were having problems staying out of his garden and were eating the lettuce sprouts.  So, I'm not sure if I'm willing to risk it.  I need to do more research.  All of my information about guineas comes from the aforementioned video I watched and my lunchtime conversation.  So, there is more to find out.  I do hope it is true, because after all, I might be able to add "Hunter" to my list of lifetime accomplishments.

Flock of Guinea Fowl
www.hoglezoo.org

 

Do I hear $250?!?!?

A while back, I worked at the Air Force Research Lab with a guy named Paul who came to be a good friend of mine.  He had a strong background in what I will call "farm stuff," as I forget exactly if his background is agronomy, agriculture, animal husbandry, or whatever.  Anyway, during one of our lunch conversations, he mentioned that if I were to ever get a farm, that I should try to find auctions.  He described instances where he was able to purchase farm equipment or just plane, old everyday stuff for pennies on the dollar.  It was fun to talk about, but I never really could see myself going to an auction.  I'm too much of a tightwad to put up enough money to win anything and I don't buy things just to have things.  I have to see either value or utility before I'll make a purchase.  However, with the possibility of having to either buy or build the many critter houses I will need in the coming months/years (vermicompost bin, bee hives, chicken coop, and some sort of shelter for goats), those conversations have been resonating through my mind this past week.  So, I did what any smart-thinking yuppie would do when he finds himself with more determination than resources...I googled it.  I simply typed in "auctions Evansville."  I found two auction houses at first glance in Evansville.  I have not tried anything in IL or KY, which are the nearest neighboring states to Evansville.  I was absolutely amazed.  There is all kinds of stuff up for auction.  Houses, farm equipment, antiques, estates, guns, etc.  There's one auction that is going on here in the next few weeks featuring the sale of around 250 guns.  I also saw an auction where toilet paper was included in the given lot.  Really?  Anyway, I told my wife that I could see this getting out of hand real quick - like a gambling addict with a credit card at the casino.  I could see us quickly amassing mounds and mounds of stuff that we "could use," but don't really need.  We could end up owing a Sanford and Sons franchise, as my wife put it.  Or, maybe we could end up on Hoarders.  HAHA!!  Bottom line is that auctions seem to be a fairly good way of getting things you "need" without spending a bunch of money.  Like anything though, we will have to approach it safely.  We'll take only cash with us - the amount we are willing to spend - and set limits on things in which we are interested.  If we say we'll pay $20 for something and the bid goes to $21, then we'll just have to agree to be out.

I originally looked at auctions as a way to maybe get cheap building materials, which is I why I prefaced my last paragraph with the imminent reality of having to build critter houses.  For now, there didn't seem to be much of that stuff available at auctions.  So, on a whim, I decided to see if Craigslist had anything to offer.  A few years back I used Craigslist to identify a company that was giving away skids that I used to build a compost bin.  So, I thought I would do the same to get building materials.  There seems to be a number of people for looking for others to come by and pick up their scrap materials, but they aren't that prevalent.  I imagine there is some tough competition out there also.  There was a post put up at 5:00 pm today stating a number of items that was behind a garage.  The possibility of getting a new porcelain sink drew my attention.  Although I found the ad at around 10 pm, I thought I would still give it a try since it was only a few blocks from my house.  As suspected, it was picked over pretty good.  I did happen to get a garden hose, although I'm not exactly sure as to its condition.  I'll look at it later.  It was dark, and in a questionable neighborhood.

That's it for today.  I need to do some more actual work.  The semester's creeping up on me.

Yes!! - Part 1

Well, the offer was accepted today and we are moving in the right direction.  The only thing standing in our way right now is a bad home inspection.  I'm no construction work or architect, but the house looks very good to me.  So, barring any major problems, we should be able to move in the first weekend in February.  In the meantime, while we're waiting on things to move and papers to sign, I'm gathering information on the things I need to know to raise chickens, goats, bees, and as my wife reminded me today...worms.  Yes, worms.  So, let's start with the most simple critter and move up.

Why worms, you ask?  Composting...vermicomposting to be exact.  I looked into this a few years back and didn't really ever find the time to put something together.  So, since the farm is becoming more of a reality, I'm resurrecting the idea.  When I first looked into it, the main issue was building a vermicompostig bin and layering things correctly.  I'm not sure of the direction, but I was/am under the impression that the worms eat in one direction.  By the way, the worms eat pretty much anything but plastic and steel...cardboard, paper, kitchen scraps, etc..  Anyway, back to the point, the worms are supposed to eat...and crap, thus the compost...in one direction, leaving behind the compost which I am supposed to collect and add to the garden.  That's where the idea of layering is important.  You are supposed to layer the materials either above or below the most recently-composted level.  As they move out of the composted layer, they are supposed to start munching on the new layer.  I think the eat from the bottom up.  The other issue, is building an appropriate vermicomposting bin to accommodate the worms in their journey through the trash.  So, the first item on my vermicomposting To-Do-List is figuring out how to make VC bin and how to layer it correctly.

The next critter on the taxonomical list are the bees.  The idea of having bees is fairly new for me.  So, I'm not bring any previously found information into this project.  Anything I have learned has been collected only recently.  One of the big questions I have, as I think most people would, is "How long until I get honey?"  As for the answer, I'm not sure.  From the videos that I've watched and some of the literature I've read, it seems like it takes about a year.  The reason I say that is because one video series I watched was of a guy that did a video diary of his experience.  He set up his hives and received his bees in late spring/early summer.  Subsequent videos were added, indicating his activities in summer, fall, winter and early spring of the next year and he still hadn't collected any honey, although some of his plates (I think that's what he called them) were showing signs of honey production.  The other issue of beekeeping is keeping them from swarming.  I'm not definite on what this means, but I think this is not a good thing and that it will occur if the hive somehow develops a new queen.  I guess the get confused on who the boss is.  Anyway, from the videos I've seen, keeping bees looks pretty labor-intensive, but I'm up for that, especially if I get some honey.

As for the chickens and the goats, I'll have to get back to you on that.  I need to get some actual real work done.  The semester starts in about a week and I need to get somethings done.

City Boy Goes Country

A few years ago, my wife and I decided that we would like to own a small farm - really small.  We aren't looking to become millionaire farmers with 300 acres of corn or beans.  No, we just want a small place where we can have a substantial garden and some small farm animals.  Well, we are on the eve of finding out if we are going to be able to get financing for a 1 acre place in Evansville, IN.  If all goes well, then this blog will become my diary of making the transition from a city boy to a country boy - if I can call it that.  I plan to lay out my plans and take you through the process, albeit positive or negative, of making those plans a reality.  For now, we'll just leave it at that.  I don't want to jinx anything.  If the financing comes through, I will have other entries.  If not, well, this blog will disappear into the ether.