Last fall i put in a small peony patch. There is 4 varieties blooming early, mid and late.they come as 60 plant bunches so i have 240.
Peonies
Germination box for summer crops
Germination box
When i was just starting with farming i initially used heating mats big enough for 1 flat. After 2 wasnt enough and i needed like 8 or 10 flats on a heat mat at once i decided to build one.
I decided 12 flats would be enough for a germination box. I could always build another one if i needed it. I measured the dimensions i needed for 12 flats to fit on my bench system in the greenhouse. I added an extra couple inches for ease of getting trays in and out and then built a box out of plywood. I then added eaves trough melter cable as evenly as i could on the bottom of the box. Finally covering the cables with a layer of sand to help even out the heat hitting the trays.
The cable is plugged into one of the inkbird controllers i use for everything (multiple uses for each item) and set to 75 degrees.
Lastly i built a frame lid and put greenhouse plastic on it so that it closes all the way
The result is i can set the temperature in my greenhouse to 12 degrees celcius and my warm weather starts are unaffected. The cost saving of the lower temps in the greenhouse are quite significant.
This same box has worked for the past 4 seasons. I had to replace the plastic on the lids once as they got stored badly one summer and were damaged. I have rarely needed more than 12 flats in the germination box at a time with my staggered start for my summer crops.
Hot peppers 2024
This year I am planting a mix of saved seed and store bought seeds.
On March 9th I planted 5 trays of hot peppers (500 seeds)
Pepper seeds set out in the germination box
The germination box is set to 75 Fahrenheit
April 27th update
All the peppers were transplanted this week. To be honest it’s a bit of a mess. Planting saved seeds, I always plant way too many to ensure a good Selection to choose strong plants from. Some are going into a hoop house, some are going outside and some are going into the heated greenhouse.
Farm season starting
It’s getting to that time of year once again. The planning is well underway, seeds are all here and the grow season is about to take off. For me it has already started. Where most home growers are planning around last frost dates for their seed starting adventures i work around 3 planting dates. The first one is march 15th in my heated greenhouse, then may 1st in the minimally heated greenhouse, then finally the after frost date which is around the third week of may here(zone 5a).
So far in my grow tent i have started February 3rd, Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs and cabbage. Then on Feb 15th i planted tomatoes, pak choy, kohl rabi,spring onions, and lettuce.
Still to plant for the first round i have cucumbers, zucchini and direct seeding.
Generally for markets i would fill my main greenhouse with tomatoes interplanted with lettuce and pak choy but i am changing my focus this year, which is to feed myself and my family as much variety as possible early as possible and for as long as possible. Crops like cabbage are not profitable in the early greenhouse environment but i am feeding me first and markets second.
As soon as i start heating the greenhouse i will direct seed beans, peas, radish and hakurai turnips and interplant all my transplants.
Im looking at march 3-6th to start heating the greenhouse and the 10th for planting transplants as long as the soil is warm enough.
As soon as the heat is on onions, shallots and leeks need to be seeded as well. Shortly after that its peppers and on march 15th all the summer crops to get planted for the partially heated greenhouses.
The difference between the heated greenhouse and partially heated greenhouses is this. Heated greenhouse has double plastic and propane heaters and climate control. The partially heated greenhouses use forced air heaters and manual window and door openings, single layer of plastic.(photos to come when i get working out there). Thats the update of what’s been going on around here just now. another week and we will be full swing into growing.
this photo above was taken April 27th. It is my main heated greenhouse. Next wednesday May 1st i start back at market. Lettuce is ready. Spinach that was overwintered in a hoop house is ready. Hakurai turnips and pak choy will be ready for market as well. The cabbages, kale, broccoli and cauliflower need a few more weeks and they are mostly for us anyways. Cherry tomatoes are in flower and if im lucky harvest will start at the end of may for those.
in the middle bed with the black pots laid out every 2 feet. Marked out for cucumbers that will be going into the bed in 2 weeks.
An intro and where we’re going
For the past ten years i have been farming vegetables.
It started when we raised some pigs and attended a market to sell the pork. We picked some produce from my parents garden to make the table look good. The produce sold better than the pork. At the time we were doing mixed farming. Chickens for meat and eggs, sheep (we had 30 ewes) pigs and produce. Between the produce selling better and growing produce really excited me. Gradually we switched to just growing produce. Between 2016 and 2018 i really dialled in my growing method. I have 1 heated greenhouse and 6 12×50 hoop houses that i can minimally heat. Looking back the transition went from learning and experimentation to proficiency to specializing my crops. I pushed to be first to market with all my produce and push later into the season each year, eventually growing year round for the past 3 seasons.
Each year i tended to grow less variety and more volume of the high value crops. Tomatoes, lettuce, all manner of greens, peppers, cucumbers, beans, peas etc. I still grow a large variety of crops but there hasn’t been much experimentation and new trials
This year is going to be different. My goal is to grow as many crops as possible to feed myself and take the left overs to market. Instead of 3 markets, a large csa, as much wholesale as i can muster. It’s going to be 1 market and 2 long standing wholesale customers only. I want my time back and i want experimentation back as well.
Chickens for meat and pork are going to be on the farm this year. I’m planning to grow corn for cooking. I’m interested in tobacco growing and cannabis cultivation. I’m still going to be growing full time just not having any staff and see how much can be accomplished by just 1 person. I have a different perspective and system set up now than i did the last season i grew without any staff.
I plan to devote more time with cover crops, knf, Jadam and basically having time to observe and better my processes.
I have already started all the crops that will fill my heated greenhouse in a grow tent in my basement. Shortly i will make a post laying out the details of that.
Sage peasant 