New Shelves
I’ve run out of space on my water tables, and it was time to either start placing plants on the floor, and hope no one steps on them, or build some more shelves. I decided to start building many more shelves. You can see the set I’ve completed. I plan to make another set of shelves connecting at a 90 Degree angle, along the wall on the right side. I don’t think I will use the second set of shelves this year, but maybe next year I’ll plant more flowers there.
The shelving is starting to come together as a blue-print for what to plant, and how many. I have four water tables full of Tomatoes and Pepper plants. Three quarters of those plants are tomatoes, so next year I need to fill 3 tables with tomatoes, and 1 table with pepper seedlings. Then I can use the new shelves I’ve just completed for Cucurbits (Cucumbers, Melons, Cantaloup, Gourds).
I am leaving a whole row of space open for my nephew who decided to grow watermelons, and talked his mom into buying the seeds. I don’t know how that kid got so smart, because I completely forgot watermelons this year, and he picked up on that somehow, and made it his contribution to the garden. I now know he watches how I do things, because he started 72 seeds……
So, I guess the gardening is starting to get specialized. Maurice is the Strawberry and Pea’s specialist, Nate will be the Hot Pepper King, and my little Nephew will be the Watermelon Master. =) I’m just glad we all work together so well.
Green Shelves
And here is a shot I’ve been waiting all winter for, Green Shelves.
I am truly amazed at how much better these plants look when they are started in the greenhouse, rather then in the house. I think the big differences lie in the heat, and lighting. In the house, the plants are generally at the same tempurature all the time, usually around 70 F, and the lighting is anywhere I had room to set the tray without walking on them. In the greenhouse, the tempurature swings widely, similar to a desert. At night it can dip into the low 40s, and daytime temps can peak well above 100 F. The light in the greenhouse is direct energy from the sun. There is no better source of light for plants then the one God placed in the center of our solar system. I can imagine someday giant greenhouses in orbit around Venus, where the sun is more intense, but that’s a whole different blog post.
And finally, I’ve gotten a good night shot of the Greenhouse. It’s quite hard to take pictures of a bright object at night, but here it is:
The Greenhouse at Night
