“ SettingUpYourGreenhouseForSuccess”
Lynn Gillespie
*FULL TRANSCRIPT*
Hosted By Marjory Wildcraft www.TheGrowNetwork.com
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“ SettingUpYourGreenhouseForSuccess”
Lynn Gillespie
Marjory: HelloandwelcometotheHomeGrownFoodSummit,thisisMarjoryWildcraft.ThissummitisbroughttoyoubyTheGrowNetworkwhichisthepremiercommunityofpeoplewhoreallyseethewisdominbeingabletogrowyourownfoodandmakeyourownmedicine.
Igettopicssuggestionsforwhatweputintothissummitbasedonyourresponsesquitefrankly,Isendoutsurveys,andcallandgetfeedbackfromyou.Bytheway,whenyoufilloutthatsurveywhichI'llbesendingtoyoulater,IreadeverysingleoneofthoseresponsessoIhearwhatyouhavetosay.Overandoveragain,peoplego,"Marjory,wewanttoknowhowtogrowingreenhouses."
I'vebeenlookingforalongtimeforareally,reallygoodpresenter.IapproachedEliotColemanmanytimesbuthe'sactuallykindofinhis'80sandnotlike...Anyway.IhavefoundtheperfectmostamazingpersonandhernameisLynnGillespie,andshelivesinPaonia,Coloradowhichisaprettycoldplaceinthewinter.Shehasfivegreenhousesthatshegrowsfruitsandvegetablesforherselfandherfamilyin.
Lynnwastellingmealittlebitofherbackstoryofwhenshewasaveryyoungmother,shewantedtodosomething,havesomemeaningfulworkaswellasbehomeandbeabletoworkandraisethekids.Herhusband,Tom,builtheragreenhouse,andthatwasmorethan30yearsagoandshe'sbeengrowingingreenhouseseversince.Thiswomanreallyknowswhatittakestoproducefoodinacoldclimate,andshereallyknows...
Thefivedifferentgreenhousesasyou'llseeinthispresentation,eachoneisheatedinadifferentway,inaveryuniqueway.She'sgotalmosteverywaythatyoucanimagineofheatingandbuildinggreenhouses.Definitelytakealookatthispresentationifyou'reinterestedinbuildingyourownoroperatingyourown.Attheendofthepresentation,I'lltellyouaboutareallyuniqueopportunitythatI
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haveregardingthesegreenhousescomingupinJanuaryof2020.Here'sLynnGillespieandgrowingingreenhouses.
Lynn: Ilovetoeatgood,freshfoodandIloveorganic,nutrientdensefruitsandvegetablesthatareburstingwithflavor.Buttheproblemisthiskindoffoodishardtopurchaseand,ifIcanfindit,it'sveryexpensive.Somysolutiontomydilemmaisjusttogrowmyown.SowhenIgrowmyownIamincontrolofwhatgoesonthesoil,whatissprayedontheplants,whattypeofseedsareplanted,howitisfertilizedandwhenitisharvested.Ifeelveryfortunatetohavesuchagreatsourceofinexpensive,safe,freshfoodformyfamily.
ThenextproblemstartswhenIwanttoeat365daysoftheyearandinmyzonefivegrowingseasonthere'sonly160growingdaysmaximum.Andthat'sifI'mreallydiligentaboutcoveringtheplants.Soasasolutiontothisproblem,besidesfastingfor205daysoftheyear,istoextendmygrowingseasonsoIcankeepeatingthefoodsthatIlove.Icangainabout90dayswithcoldframesandlowtunnels,butifIreallywanttoextendmyseason,Iwantagreenhouse.NowIcanfast,butIonlylastaboutfourhours.
Soyou'rethinkingaboutgreenhouseorhavejustbuiltone,nowwhat?Youdreamofthebeautifulcropsthatwillcomeoutofitbutyoudon'tknowwheretobegin.Sothere'sfiveessentialfactorsforgreenhousesuccess.Thekeyistobeawareandworkwiththesefivefactorsandyourgreenhouseendeavorswillbesuccessful.Butbeforewegettothose,youwillneedtoansweronequestion.Thisquestionwilldeterminetheentirepaththatyourproductiontakesandhowhappyyouarewithyourefforts.Theanswertothisquestioncanincreaseyourhealth,ordestroyit.Soonceyouhaveansweredthisquestionandmadeupyourmind,don'tturnback.Don'tchangeyourmind.Goforwardandlearntheskillsthatyouneedtobesuccessfulwithyourdecision.
Thepathwillnotalwaysbeeasybutyoucanlearnandgrowandbeverysuccessful.Sowhatisthequestion?Whatdoweneedtodecide
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beforewejourneyintoourgreenhouseadventure?Okay,hereitis.Areyougoingtobeanorganicallybasedgrowerorachemicallybasedgrower?Youneedtochoosewhichoneit'sgoingtobe.I'manorganicgrower.Thedifferencebetweenthetwoisineducation.Theorganicgrowerwillhaveadifferentsetofskillsthanachemicallybasedgrower.MotherNaturehasbeengrowingorganicallyformoreyearsthanwecancount.Ourchemicallybasedproductionhasonlybeenaroundforlessthan200years.Soifindoubt,IsidewithMotherNature.Noweverythingyou'regoingtolearntodaywillbebasedonorganicgardening,notchemicallybasedgardening.Imademydecision30yearsagoandIhaveneverhadaseasonwithoutplentyoffood.Idon'tneedchemicalstoproducefoodandneitherdoyou.Ifanyonetriestotellyoudifferently,youneedtofindadifferentsourceofinformation.WhenwegardenorganicallyweworkwithMotherNatureandhersystems,andtheywillprovideusallthebountythatweneed.Whetherwearegrowingindoorsoroutdoors.
Okay,let'stakealookatourfiveessentialfactorsforgreenhousesuccess.Thefivefactorsweneedtoworkwithtocreatesuccessfulcropsinourgreenhousesareclimatecontrol,soils,howtolayoutyourbuilding,diseaseandinsectcontrolandcroptiming.Soifanyoneoftheseareoffyouwillnotgetthebestoutofyourgreenhouse.
Alright,solet'sstartbytalkingaboutclimatecontrol.Sodoyouhaveafavoriteenvironmentthatyouthrivein?Ido.Ilikeitwarmandsunny,foodinmybellyandpeaceinmyfamily.Soplantshaveafavoriteenvironmenttoo.Soourjobistoprovidethemwiththeperfectenvironmentsotheycanliveuptotheirfullgeneticpotential.Withtheadditionofagreenhouse,wecanprovidemoreenvironmentalfactorsthatwillimproveourcrops.Sooneofbeautiesofgrowinginagreenhouseisyouhavesomecontrolovertheclimate.Sodoyouthrivewhenyouaretoohotortoocold?Wellneitherdoyourplants.Soagreenhousegivesusachancetochangetheclimatetobemorefavorablefortheplants.Sochangingzonesisthebiggestadvantagethatourstructuresprovideforus.
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Aperfectexampleisyoucancollectheatinyourgreenhouseandplantyourplantsweeksearlierbecauseyoucancontrolthefrostthatwouldkillyourplants.Foreachlayerofprotectionyoucantakeyourplantsonezonehigher.Forexample,IliveinzonefiveandIhaveagreenhousethathasacoverlayer.Theroofhastwolayersofplasticwithairblowinginbetween.SothistakesmedowntozonesevenandnextIhavealowtunnelwithaheavyfrostblanketonit,andthistakesmetozoneeight.NowIcangrowcoolweatherplantsyearroundinmygreenhouse.SocomparethistomyzonefiveoutdoorgardenwhereIhaveagrowingseasonof160daysmaximum.InsideInowhavea365daygrowingseason.Iwillstillhavetheshortdaysinthewinterandthingswillgrowslower,butnowIcangrowvirtuallyfrostfree.NowIhavecontrolovermyfreshfoodsupplyandIdon'thavetofast.Yay.
Okay,therearetwowaystogoaboutrunningyourgreenhouses.Ifyouarewillingtopayforheatandrungrowlightsthenyoucangrowwarmweatherplantssuchastomatoesandgreenbeansallyearround.Iprefertohaveachangeofseasonandnotpayfortheextraheatandlightswhicharerequiredforthewarmweatherplants.Soifyou'regoingtogoheater-lessandnotaddartificiallightforyourmaincrops,thenyou'llswitchtothecoolweatherplantssuchalettuceandspinachduringtheshortestdaysoftheyear.IntheSettingYourGreenhouseUpForSuccessinformationbundle,youwillfindacharttitled365DayGrowingSeasoninaTemperateClimate.Sothesearezonesfourthrougheight.Sothisisasampleofwhatyoucouldharvesteverymonthfromyourunheatedgreenhouse.Sotakealookatthechartandseehowmuchfoodyoucouldcreateonayearlybasis.Sostartformulatingwhatyouwanttogrowinyourgreenhouse.Also,intheSuccessbundle,thereisalistofthecoolandwarmweatherplantsjustincaseyoudon'tknowwhatthoseareyet.Sobasicallycoolweatherplantscantakeafrostandthewarmweatherplantscannot.
Intheheatofthesummeryoucancoolyourgreenhousewithaswampcoolerandfansandthiswillallowyoutogrowmoreofthecoolweatherplantssuchasbroccoliandlettucethroughthehottersummermonths.Sobasicallythegreenhouseisgivingusbetter
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controlovertheclimatesotheplantscanbehappierandgrowbetter.Okay,IhavefivegreenhousesandIwouldliketotakeyouonatourofthegreenhousesandwe'regoingtostartwiththisone,thisisthebighouse.AndIwanttoshowyouhowthefivefactorscomeintoplayinthegreenhouses.
Okay,sohereinthebighousethefirstthingIwanttoshowyouisourclimatecontrol,andsowe'regoingtogodowntothisend.Andthishere...thisisourswampcoolersothisisjust...it'sbasicallyacardboardpadthatwerunthewaterin,thewaterdripsthroughitandthenwehavefansattheotherendandtheysucktheairthroughthebuildingandthisisanevaporativecoolingsystem.Andit'lltakeusdownprobablycloseto20degreesduringtheheatoftheday.Soit'sareallygreatwaytocoolyourgreenhouse,sowehaveaswampcoolerforthat.Andthenforheatinginthishouse,I'llshowyouwhatwehaveoverhere.Sothisisaboutalloftheheatingsystemthatyoucansee.Sooutintheparkinglot,whichisontheothersideofthiswall,wehaveasixinchsewerpipethat'sburiedfivefeetinthegroundandthere's168feetofpipethatgothroughthesoilandthenitcomesupandtheaircomesouthere.Sowehaveafanthatrunshere,sowhenthebuildingdropsbelow50degrees,thisfancomesonautomatically.
Soittakestheoutsideair,pullsitthroughtheearthundertheparkinglotandblowstheairintothebuilding.Andthatdoesacoupleofthingsforus.One,itkeepsoursoilfromfreezingsoIcanactuallygrowinhereyearround,itgivesmethe365daygrowingseason,anditalsocreatesapositivepressure.Sowe'reactuallypushingmoreairintothebuildingwhichispushingupward,soasthetemperatureisdroppingoutsidewedon'thavethecoldaircomingin,westillhavethepushoftheair,the50degreeairgoingthroughhere.Actuallytheaircomesinatabout45degreeshere.Soit'snotthetropics,butthebeautifulthingaboutthissystemisitallowedustogetridofourpropaneheatersanditchangedtheentireenvironmentofthisgreenhouse.Soprettyneatheatsystem.
Okay,sothat'sourheatingandcooling.Theotherthingsthatweneededtolookatisthelayoutandyoucanseethisisoneofour
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growbedshere.Andthegrowbedshaveanarrowaisleinbetweenandthere's15growbedsonthissideofthebuildingandthere's15ontheotherside.WehaveawideaisleinthecentersoIcangetawheelbarroworwagoninhere.Andthenthenarrowaislesonthesides.Sothislayoutisreallyefficientforustogrow.Theotherthingthatwehaveinthissystemwiththeraisedbedsiswehavethesandyloamsoil,whichwe'regoingtobetalkingaboutinafewminutes.AndallofmysandyloamsoiliscontainedinthebedssoI'mnotwalkingonitandit'snotintheaislesso,asIcreatemoresandyloamsoilformyplantstogrowin,Idon'thavetohavetheexpenseofhavingthatsandyloamsoilintheaisles.
TheotherthingthatIgetinhereisourcroptiming.SoIhavebedsthatarejustcomingon,bedsthatareolder,bedsthatarenewerandwe'reconstantlyshiftingthisoutandIcandothat365daysoftheyearsothatIhavefoodtoeateverydayoftheyear.Nofastingforme.Sothenextfactortogreenhousesuccessissoil.So99%ofushavesoilthattheplantsdon'tlikeanditcanstunttheirgrowth.Somostpeoplehaveclaysoilorsandforsoilandneitherofthosehasenoughorganicmattertomaketheplantshappy.Somynativesoilisclayanditdoesn'tgrowverygoodvegetables.Ihaveknownpeoplethathavetriedtoamendtheirsoilfor30yearsandtheystillcomplainabouthowbadtheirsoilis.Mysolutionisjusttostartwiththesoilthattheplantswilldotheirbestin,insteadoftryingtoamendmyclaysoilthattheplantsreallydon'tlike.
Sothespaceinagreenhouseispremiumandweshouldgivetheplantsalltheadvantagesthatwecansotheycanthrive.Soilisoneofthebiggestfactorstotheirthriving.Soinourgreenhouseswestartwithasoilthattheplantsdolike.Idon'thave30yearstowaitforthesoiltoimprove.Soalmostallvegetables,theylikeasandyloamsoilwithaddedcompost.Sothisiswhatwewillgivethemfromthebeginning.Insteadofspendingmoneyonsoilamendmentstoputintheclaysoil,we'llusetheamendmentstocreatetheperfectsoilfromdayone,sowehavesuccesstheveryfirstyear.
Sothesandyloamsoil,ithousesmorethanjusttheplants.Thesoilisalsohometoourplantsbestfriends.Sowewantourplantstobe
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happy,theywillneedtohavespacefortheirfriends.SowhatamItalkingabout?Themicrobesthatliveinthesoil.Sothemicrobesinthesoilworkintandemwiththeplantstoextractthenutrientsfromthesoilfortheplantstouse.Andtheplantsinreturnprovidecarbohydratestotheirmicrobefriendsinexchange.Thisisverygoodforus,goodforourplantsandtheplanet.Soifwewereusingchemicalstofeedandde-pestourplants,fewmicrobeswouldsurviveinthatchemicalenvironment.Sowhenthesoilbecomesdevoidofmicrobes,theplantsarewithoutfriendsandtheyarenotveryhappy.Sowenowhaveourfirstreasonnottogrowwithchemicals.
Sowhatdoessandyloamsoillooklike?Okay,soIwentoutinmyyardandIdugupsomesoilandletmetellyouitwas12degreesthismorningsothiswasnotaneasytask.Okay,soherewego.Thisisclaysoil,thisiswhatallofourlandislike.Andasyoucanseeit'sprobablybetterforpotterythanforplants.Thesoilparticlesaretoosmall,tooclosetogetherandtheplantrootsreallystruggleinthis.Lookrighthere,wecanmakeusabeautifulpottoday.Therewego.Okay,sothat'sclaysoil.Asoilthatwouldbesandywouldlooklikethebeach,sandsoil,okay?Andthenthisissandyloam,soI'mgoingtoshowyousandyloam.Thisiswhatitlookslike.Youcantellit'sverydifferentfromtheclay.Ican'tcompactit,Ican'tgetittomakeabowl.AsamatteroffactIcouldtakemybowlandIcouldfillitwiththesandyloamandnowwehaveaflowerpot.Wecouldgrowaplantinthat.
Okay,sothesandyloamisbasedwithsandsothatthere'sagoodvolumeofairandwaterthatcangetinbetweentheparticles,therootscangrowreallyeasilyinit.Themicrobescanfunctioninthis.Andthentothesandyloamsoilweaddthecompost.Andthat'swherethemagicreallyhappenswhenwe'regettingthesandyloamsoilthattherootsandthemicrobesliketolivein.Andthenaddthecompost.SoinyourSuccessbundleyou'regoingtofindasandyloamsoilworksheetandthatwillhelpyoutolearnhowtomakesandyloamforyouandyourgarden.Soilisprobablythemainfactorinyourplantssuccess.Whentheplantsandthemicrobescanthrive,mostotherproblemsdon'texist.SohowcanItellifmysoilisperforming
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well,haslotsofmicrobesandishealthyformyplants?Theclueistolookforearthworms.Earthwormswillonlyliveinanenvironmentwheretheycanfindfood.Theearthwormseatthemicrobesandarthropodsandyouwillseeveryfewearthwormsinpoorsoilorinchemicallytreatedsoil.
Sonowthatwehavethebestsoilfortheplants,there'snosenseinputtingthissoilinthewalkingaisles.Thatwilltakeupabout50%ofyourspace.Instead,webuildraisebedstohousethesoil.Byusingraisedbedsandwalkingaislesweneedabouthalfasmuchsandyloamsoilaswewouldifwewerejusttosoiltheentiregreenhouse.
Okay,sonowwe'regoingtotakeatourofoursecondgreenhouseandthisisasolarhouse.Andoneofthethingsthatyou'llnoticeisIamstandinginawalkingaisle,thiswalkingaisleisaboutthreefeetwide.Thisisformywheelbarrowandmywagon.Andthenyou'llalsonoticethatwehavethebeds,theyareraisedbeds,andwehavethesandyloamsoil.SeeIcancomeandit'sthatsamebeautifulsoilandithasearthworms.SorryIhavealittleearthwormphobia.Iknow,that'sstrangeforagardenerbuttheygivemenightmares.Soanyhow,there,proof.Goodsoil,theearthwormsarerightthereontoptoday.They'reuphereprobablygettingadrinkorasnack.Okay,sandyloamsoilwithearthworms.Nowthisbedyoucanseeisraisedprettyhigh.Weactuallyhavethesoilinthetopcinderblockhere.Andthenyouseethere'salayerofplasticandunderthislayerofplasticthereistwolayersofcinderblockandthisisfullofgravel.Nowthisispartoftheheatsysteminthisbuildingandthisoneissuperneat.
Sowhatwehavegoingonhereis,ifyoulookclearuptotheceiling,wehaveablacktube.Andthatblacktubeiscollectingheatofftheceiling.Sobasicallywe'restandinginasolarcollector.Sowhenthetemperaturegetstothat50degreesdownhereanditgetstoabout70uptherewestartsuckingthehotairdownthetube,there'salittlesquirrelcagefanthereinthecorner,andthesquirrelcagefansucktheairdownandthenblowsitdownintothegravelthat'sunderthebed.TheselittlethingsherearetheventsandIcanactuallyfeelsomecoolaircomingoutofthere.Sowestorethewarmairfromthe
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ceilinginthesetwolowerlayersthatarefullofgravel.Theheatthenradiatesupintothesoilandatnightweactuallyputtheheavyfrostblanket,Icanshowyouthat.Thisiswhat'sgivenmemyextrazonebecauseIhavethetwolayersofplasticandnowIhavetheheavyfrostblanket.Andthisactuallygoesoverthebedatnightandtheheatfromthegravelradiatesupinthesoil.
Wecanactuallyraisethesoiltemperatureabout13degreeseverydaythatthesunshines.Likeit'llgoupandthenitdropsdownthengoesup.Soit'snot13,13plus13plus13it'sjustplus13tominus13.That'sabouttheaveragethatitdoes.Onthecloudydayswedon'thaveascoldofnights.Wetendtoholdrightaroundsixdegreesofwhatthesoilwouldbeonasunnyday.Sotheblanketsstayonatnight,theycomeoffduringtheday.Wecollectourheatthenitgoesdownintothebeds.Beautiful,beautifulsystem.
WegotagrantfromCSE,ColoradoStateUniversity,toputinthissystemandgiveitatry.Andwhatwewerelookingatis,whatwouldbethecostifweheatedthisbuildingwithpropanebecausewecan'tgetnaturalgashere?Thefirstyearoftheexperimentthecostofthepropanewouldhavecostusabout$7000toheatthisbuilding.Thesecondyearpropanewentup,itwouldhavecostusabout$10,000.Thethirdyearpropaneactuallywentupagain,itwouldhavecostusabout$12,000toheatthisbuilding.Andtoheatthisbuildingwithourlittlesolarsystemherecostsus$165aseason.Theseasonthatwe'reheatingisOctobertoMarchsoit'sjustthatbacksideofthatcalendar,wedon'tneedheatinthesummer,wehaveplenty,believeme.Sowewentfromhavinga$12,000heatbilltoa$165heatbill.Thatishugeforus.
AndtheotherthingthathappensfromOctobertoMarchisIcangrowrightaround$3000worthofproducethatIcansell,it'ssaladgreensduringthattimeperiod.SowhenIhavea$12,000billandonlygrow$3000worthofstuff,Ihavetomakeupthe$9000inthesummer.Nowit'stheotherwayaround.Ihavea$165bill,Igrow$3000worthofstuff,weactuallyhavesomeprofit.Sothissystem,Iloveit.It'sfantastic.It'sbeeninoperationfor14yearsnow.We'veneverhadafrostproblemwiththeplants.It'salwaysinthewinter
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timecoolweather,saladgreens,butbetweentheheatsystemandthefrostblanketswe'regolden.Ihaveseenit13belowoutsideandfrostfreeunderthecoversinside.
Okaysothat'soneendofthecalendarforusinhere.Theotherendisoursummerandthisgreenhousehas,ifyoulookatthesidewallshere,there'sawoodbarhereandthenthesearepanels.Andallofthesepanelstheyjustopenuptotheoutsideandthentheyjuststickona[re-bar00:22:32]post.Ican'topenthemrightnowbecausewehavesnowloadthatslidofftheroofandisblockingthepanelssothatIcan'topenthem.Whichisactuallygoodbecausethesnowsealsthepanelsforme.Butinthesummertimewejustopenupthepanels,thedoorsoneitherendandthecross-breezeisourcoolingsystemforthisbuilding.Soitfunctionsprettywellallonit'sown.Lovetheheatsystem.It'sagreatonetoduplicateifyou'reputtinginagreenhousethat'salittlemoreonthebiggerside.Thisonehere'sabout30by60.
Thenextfactortogrowingsuccessfullyinyourgreenhouseandgettingthemaximumoutputisthelayout.Soyou'llwanttotakeadvantageofallthepremiumspaceyouhaveinyourgreenhousewithoutcrowdingtheplants.Sowecandothisthreeways.One,bygrowinginraisedbedsandhavingwalkingaislesyoucanplantyourplantsclosertogetherandhavemorespacefortheplants.Theoldfashionedrowgardenwassetupsoyoucoulddragacultivatorbehindyourhorsetocultivatethefield,butwedon'tneedahorseandacultivatororthespacebetweentheplantsifwegrowintheraisedbeds.Therefore,theplantscanbeclosertogether.Okay,thenextoneisgrowyourplantsvertically.Thiscansaveatremendousamountofspace.Awintersquashplantthatwouldtakeup32squarefeetonthegroundonlytakestwosquarefeetifyougrowitvertically.Alsotomatoplantsonthegroundtakeupaboutninesquarefeetandyouonlyneedaboutthreesquarefeetifyougrowthemvertically.Sowehaveasupereasytrellisdesignthatyoucanmakewithoutanytoolsatall.TheinstructionsareintheSuccessbundle.Lookundereasytrellisinthatbundle.
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Thethirdwaytosavespaceistohaveuniformbedandaislesizes.Thiswayyoucanlearnhowtomaximizeeachbed.Italsomakesiteasieronyouifyouwanttomoveyourequipmentaround.Soforexamplemylowtunnelsarethesamesizeandsoarethecovers.SoIcanputthelowtunnelindoorsoroutdoorsandIcaninterchangethe[inaudible00:24:55]clothinthefrostblanketsandtheplasticonanyofthebedsthatarethesamesize.
SothethirdgreenhousethatIwanttoshowyouistheOdyssey,we'reintheOdysseyrightnow,thisisournewestone.Whenwefirstgotititwasahightunnelandithadasinglelayerofplasticontheroof.Abigwindstormcamethisyearandtoretheroofoff,justsplititrightdownthecenter.Andsowhenweputanewroomonwewentaheadandputtwolayersofplasticandnowwehaveablowerandweblowairinbetween.Thedifferencethatit'smadesofarthatI'venoticedthiswinterisaboutsixdegrees,we'resixdegreeswarmerinhereinthemorningsthanwewerelastyearwiththesinglelayerofplastic.Sothatdoesn'tsoundlikealotbutwhenyou'rehoveringaroundfreezingitcanbehuge.Itcanbethedifferencebetweenacropmakingitandnot.SoI'mverypleasedtohavethenewroofonit.
Okay,soIwanttoshowyoualittlebitaboutthelayoutofthisbuilding.Andifyoutakealook,thisisthenorthendhere.WestartwithathreefootwalkingaisleheresoIcangetequipmentupinhereifIwantthewheelbarroworwagonorsomethinglikethat.Andthenonthesideaislesthesearethesamewidthasthecinderblocks.IlikethecinderblockbedsbecauseI'mnotthatgoodwithtoolsandIcanbuildoneofthesebedsbymyselfandIdon'thavetoaskforhelp.They'resemi-portable.Youcanmoveone,youcandigupthedirtandmoveitsomewhereelse.AndIlikethembecausethey'reallthesamewidth.SoifI'msittinghereworkinginmygarden,IcanreachtothecenterofthebedandthenIcangoaroundtheothersideandreachtothecenterofthebedsoIactuallygetasitdownjobinsteadofabendoverjobandIlikethatalotbetter.
Again,weareusingthesamesoils,theyareallthesandyloamwiththecompostaddedandeveryyearwejustbasicallyaddcompostand
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thensandifweneedtotogetalittlemore...whatwillyoucallit?Crumbfactor.Let'scallitthecrumbfactor,sothatthesoilismorecrumblyandnotsticky.Ifyoujustcontinuetoaddcompost,afteraboutfiveor10yearsitgetsalittlesticky.Sosamesoileverywhere,samebedlayout.LikeIsaytheequipmentcangofromthisbedtothatbedovertheretoabeddowntheretoabedinthenextgreenhouse.It'sreallyquitenicetohavethat.Andthenmyveryfavoritetoolismysittingblocks.Wehaveaboutadozenofthese.Andbecauseallthebedsarethesamesize,wecantakethemwithusandtheycantravelaroundanditreallyhelpssavethebackquiteabit.
Theothernicefeatureaboutthisbuildingiswehavetherollupsides.Soyoucanseeweputthechickenwireonbecausethechickensliketocomeinandthecats.Andthissidewillrolluptohere.Andsowegetcross-ventilationthroughherewiththerollupsidesandthat'sreallyallweneed.It'squitenice.Rightnowwehaveeverythingdownbecauseofbeingwintertime.Anyhow,thisisagreatbuilding.Youcanbuildhightunnelswithagaragedoorintheend,soifyouwantedtoyoucouldactuallydrivein.Idon'tneedtodriveinsowejustputascreendoorin.Butgreatbuilding,reallyenjoyit.Getlotsofgoodsunshineandproducesalotofgreatfood.
Sothenextfactorthatyou'llneedtoconsideristhepestanddiseasecontrol.Sothis'llbedifferentinyourgreenhousethaninyouroutdoorgarden.Somyoutdoorgardenisfrozenoverhalfoftheyearandthischangestheinsectanddiseasepopulation.Soaswegohigherinthezoneswecanhavedifferentproblemsbecausethegreenhouseisactivemoredaysthantheoutdoorgarden.Theobservantgardenergetstoeatmoregardenfreshvegetables.ThisisalinethatIpreachinmygardenshow,andIhaveasevenstepprocessthatIdoeveryweektomonitortheplantsforanyproblems.Soonceyougetusedtoobservingandseeingwhatisnormal,thenwhensomethingisoutofthenorm,itshowsupandyouwillknowit.Thefirstandongoingthingthatyoumustdotokeepyourgardenfreeoftroubleistolookforclues.Sogetusedtolookingatyourplantseveryday.Youknowhowyoucanlookatapersonthatyouknowandtelliftheyaregettingsick?Ifyouspendenoughtime
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observingyourplants,you'llfindthatyoucandetectaproblemintheverybeginning,beforeitgetsoutofhand.
Okay,sohere'smysevenstepguidethatIdoeveryweek.Numberone,checktheweatherforecastandcovertheplantswiththeappropriatecoversifnecessary.Numbertwo,arealltheplantsstillthere?Sometimesthelittleplantswillgeteatenclearoffandtherewillbeholesinyourplantingrows.Numberthree,lookattheleavesandstems.Aretheyshiny?Wilty?Curly?Off-color?Holey?Stickyormoldy?Lookundertheleavesbecausethisiswheremostofthebugswillhide.Stepbackandlookattheplantasawholetoseeifitstillhasit'svitality.Okaynumberfour,takealookatyoursoil.Doesitsmellfresh?Isittoodry?Toowet?Hasanythingbeendigginginyoursoil?Arethereweedscomingup?Doyouhavetheappropriateamountofmulch?
Numberfive,makenotesinagardenjournalastowhatyou'reseeing.Ifyoulookeverydayyou'llstarttonoticewhenthingsarenotright.Numbersix,lookbackinyourjournaltoseeifthisspotinyourgreenhouseorthisparticularplanthashadthislookbefore.Alsonoticethetimeofyearyoumightbeseeingsomething.InthegreenhouseweseespidermitesinJunewhentheweatherturnshotanddryandweseeaphidsintheSpringassoonasthegreenhouseswarmup.Keepingajournaleveryyearyoucanstarttotracktheseyearlyhatchessoyoucancatchthembeforetheytakeoverthewholebuilding.Numberseven,identifytheproblem.Ifyouseesomethingthat'snotrightthenit'stimetoidentifywhatisgoingon.Usuallyaproblemwillfitintooneofthreecategories.Environmental,diseaseorpest.Ifyoucan'tfigureitout,tryaninternetsearchorcontactyourcountyextensionofficetoidentifywhat'sgoingwrong.Youmightalsogoatnightwithaflashlighttoseeifyoucanfindanybugsthatmightbeeatingyourplantsatnight.Soifyouwillbeobservingyouwillgettoeatmoregardenfreshvegetables.SothislistoftheseventhingsthatIdowillbeinyourSuccessbundlesoyoucanprintthatoffforyourself.
Igrewupinmyparentsgreenhousesandwhenweputupourfirstgreenhouse,herearetherulesforsuccessthatmyfathershared
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withme.TheyhaveserveduswellovertheyearsandIampassingthemalongtoyou.Soherearetheeightrulestofollowtopreventdiseaseandpestsfromenteringyourgreenhouse.Numberone,donotsmokeorallowanyonewhosmokesinyourgreenhouses.Ifyouareasmokerwashyourhandsafteryousmokeandbeforeyouenteryourbuildings.Cigarettescancarrythetobaccomosaicviruswhichcanbetransferredfromyourhandstoyourtomatoes,peppers,potatoesandeggplants.Oncethetobaccomosaicvirusisinyoursoils,youmayneverbeabletogetitoutofyourbuilding.Andthiswillmakeithardtogrowyourtomatoes,peppers,potatoesandeggplantseveragain.
Numbertwo,makesuretheplantsaredrywhenthesungoesdown.Diseasesandmoldandfungusescanreallymultiplyatnightinahumid,moistenvironment.Ifyouwaterearlyinthedayandallowyourplantstodrybeforethesungoesdown,youwillhavelessdisease,moldandfungusproblems.Numberthree,ifyouaregrowinginthewinter,donotwateruntiltheplantsarebonedrythensoakthemgoodandwaituntiltheyarebonedryagain.Thispreventsdampeningoff.Numberfour,donotbringplantsinfromothergreenhouses.Thefastestwaytogetaninsectinvasionistobringplantsinfromaninfectedgreenhouse.Sokeepyourgreenhouseisolated,startallyourplantsfromseedordoa21dayquarantineperiodwhereyoukeepthenewplantsawayfromyourgreenhouseandunderobservationfor21daystoseeifthereareanydiseasesorunhatchedeggsontheplants.Numberfive,keepyourgreenhouseclearofallplantmaterialandweeds.Pilesofoldplantmaterialandweedsareusuallynotmonitoredandcancreateabreedinggroundforpests.Keeptheareacleaninsidethebuildingandnearanyventsordoors.
Numbersix,useintegratedpestmanagementtopreventbreakouts.Greenhousesareagreatplaceforkeepingpestsinorout.Soifyouhavepestsinyourgreenhouseyoucandoaweeklyreleaseofpestpredatorstoeatthepests.Withthegreenhousethepredatorscan'tgetawayliketheycaninanoutdoorgarden.Numberseven,keepscreensonventsanddoorstopreventbugsfromentering.Catsandchickenstoo.Numbereight,donotwalkonyourgrowingsoil.Not
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onlyareyoucompactingthesoilwhichgetsridofthespaceforairandwaterandmicrobes,butyou'remakingmoreworkforyourself.SothislistwillalsobeintheSuccessbundleforyoutogetacopyof.
Earlierwetalkedaboutmakingthedecisionofgrowingorganicallyorchemically.Andwhenyougetapestordiseaseinvasion,thisiswhereyourresolveisgoingtobetested.AndIcantellyouthatthereareorganicgrowersineverystateineverytypeofclimate.Andthesegrowersmaynotbeperfectbuttheyhavelearnedhowtocontroldiseaseandpestthroughorganicmethodsandsocanyou.It'seasiertoreachforabottleofthisorthat,butinthelongrunyourplantsandyourmicrobes,theylose.IntheSuccessbundlethere'sahandouttitledHomemadeOrganicPestControl.Thesearethehomemadeinexpensivewaystocontrolpestsanddiseasesorganically.Sotheuseofintegratedpestmanagementworksgreatinthegreenhousestoo.Ifworsecomestoworst,ripupthecropandplantsomethingelse.I'vedoneitafewtimes,butforthemostpartyoucangettheproblemundercontrol.Thekeyistospottheproblemearlyandkeepitfromgettingbigger.
Okay,solet'stakeatourofthisgreenhouse,thisone'snameisLittleGreenhouseandwebuiltthisoneover30yearsagoandIabsolutelylovethisgreenhouse.Thisoneisapitgreenhouse,we'refourfeetdownintheground.Weare40feetwideor40feetlong.40feetlongand20feetwide.Thiswouldbeaperfectgreenhouseforafamily.Thisonewehaveourlongwalltothesouth,thisissouthhereandthesuncomesin.Wehadafiberglassandglassfrontonitthatlasted30yearsandwehadtoreplaceitlastyear.SonowwehavewhatIcalldoublebubblewhichistwolayersofplasticwithairblowninbetween.Ithasreallymadethishousealotwarmer.Andbecausewe'redownintheground,we'reapitgreenhouse,werarelygetafrostinhere.WemightgetoneifitgoesbelowzerooutsidebutthisoneItrustprettymuchbecauseofbeingintheground.Theotherthingthatwehaveinthisgreenhouseiswehavearammedearthwall,sothenorthwallis16inchesthick,it'smadeoutoframmedearthwhichis...it'sourclaysoil,letmecomeoverandshowittoyou.
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Sothisistheclaysoilthatweshowedyoutheotherday,sowejustdugupsomeofourground,addedalittlecementtoitandthiswallhasbeenstandingforover30years.It'sprettyamazing.Wedohavethecementpillarsforsupportinbetweenhere.Theroofinthissectionisinsulatedjustlikeyouwouldyourhouse.Ithinkit'sgotsixinchesofinsulationandthenit'sgotatinroofontheoutsidetokeepthemoistureout.Wedohavethesupportpolesinthecenterjustbecausethisisaprettywideexpansefortheroof,butthisgreenhouseisamazing.
Thebeds,Iloveeverybedexceptthisoneintheback.ItisfourandahalfblockswideandtheissuewiththisoneisIhaveto...Ican'treachthecentersoIhadtoactuallyputsomeblocks...we'vegotacoupleofblocksdowninthecenterheresothatIcanreachacrossitandweedontheinside.Sothat'stheonlythingthatIwoulddodifferentisthisbedwouldbenarrower.Thenwehaveourregularaislesinthemiddlejustliketheotherbuilding.Allthesoil,backtooursandyloam,Ijustlovethissoil.Ohweuseiteverywhere.Anothergreatgreenhouse,wegetamazingfoodoutofthisone,wecangrowinityearroundandbeingdownintheearthitreallyholdsit'stemperatureswell.
Sothelastfactoriscroptimingandthisisareallybigsubject.Howyoutimeyourcropscanmakeorbreakyourharvest.Withagreenhouseyounowhave365daystogrowyourfoodinsteadofyourshorteroutdoorseason.Sowhenyoulearnhowtodopropercroptiming,youcanhavealargevarietyoffoodallyearround.Sothere'sthreedifferentcroptimingsthatwewillfollow.Thefirstisseasonaltiming,nextisharvesttimingandthethirdoneissuccessionplanting.Soaseasonaltimingforyouroutdoorgardensmeansthatyoucanuseyourzonesforknowingwhentoplantyourcrops.Inthe365daysgreenhousethezonesarenotasimportantasthedaylength.Sowhenthedaylengthisover10hoursadaythenthecropswillcomeoutofdormancyandthey'llwanttogrowreallywell.Forthenorthernhemisphereinatemperateclimate,youcangrowcoolweathergreensallyearround.FloweringcoolweatherplantssuchasbroccoliwewouldstartinearlyJanuaryandwarmweatherplantsyoucouldstartsomewherearoundmid-February.SoI'veincludedin
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theSuccessbundleisacharttitled365DayGreenhouseSeasonalCropTimingandthiswillgiveyouasampleofwhenyoucanstartseveraldifferentvegetablesintheearlySpring.
Thesecondcroptimingtothinkaboutistimingforharvest.Sothisiswhereyoustartacropbasedonwhenyouwantitmature.Soyoudecidewhatyouwanttoeatwhenandyouworkyourwaybackwardsthroughthecalendertowhenyouneedtostartthecrop.Forexample,ifIwanttomakesauerkrautOctober15thandIhada100daycabbagevariety,thenIwouldstartmycabbageplantsaroundJune1st.Sothegrowtimeonthepackage,it'sjustanestimate,soyouneedtoaddafewweekstobufferifyouneedaspecificdateontheharvestend.Foroursauerkrautacoupleofdaysonewayortheotherwouldn'treallymatter.
Okaythethirdtypeoftimingissuccession.Sothisiswhereyoudosuccessionplanting,soyouhaveanewcropreadyallthetime.Sotherearewaystotimeyourcropsoyouhaveaparticularfoodreadytoharvestallthetime.Soweusethiskindoftimingforourwholesaleaccounts.Soagrocerystoredoesn'twanttohearthatthelettucecropisdoneanditwillbethreeweeksbeforethenextcropisready.Sothisisasurewaytoloseyouraccountwiththatstore.Croptimingisessentialtocreateasteadyincomebutit'salsousefulforputtingfoodonthetable.Youwouldnotwant30poundsoflettuceinoneweek,Ibetyouwouldratherhaveonepoundoflettuceover30weeks.Sothisisthepowerthatwegainwithsuccessiontiming.Socroptimingisagreatskill,whetheryou'regrowingindoorsorout.Itbecomesmoreimportantasyourgrowingseasonlengthens.Somygoalistoprovideavarietyoffoodforthetableallyearroundandcroptiminghelpsmetoaccomplishthis.
Okay,sowearegoingtogoaheadandtourthisbuilding,wecallittheHauntedHouse,seealltheghosts?No,actuallywecallitthetomatohouseandthecoversaretocovertheplants.Iknowthere'snotomatoesinhererightnow,itisthemiddleofwinter.Andinthewintertimeweswitcheverythingtogreensproduction.Butthishouseisbuiltquitedifferentlythantheotherones.Thefirstthingthatyou'llnoticeisthebeds.They'reonlyabouttwoandahalffeet
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wideandthesizeofthebeds,thesehere,thisisactuallycementboard,thisissomethingthatweuseinconstructionifyou'regoingtoputabathroominyourhouseandyouusethisinsteadofdrywall,youusethisbehindthetilesinthebathroomtokeepthewallsfromgettingwet.Thisstuffhasheldupfantasticallywell.Wedon'tsteponitorstandonitbutotherthanthatit'sdonegreat.We'veevenhititwiththerototillerafewtimesandit'sstooduptothat.
Sothesebedsaremadeforverticalgrowing.Rememberwetalkedaboutverticalgrowingbeingoneofthewaystohelpyouutilizeyourspacebetter?Sowehavethesupportbarsandthenwehavethewiresuphere.Andwegrowtomatoesandcucumbers,sometimessomemelonsinhere.Andweplantthemalongthesidesandthentheygrowupandwetiethemtothetrelliseshere.Sothat'swhythesebedsarenarrowbecausewehaveoneplantoneitherside.Andthenwehavethewideraisleshere,theaislesareabouttwoandahalffeetaswell.Andthereasonforthatisbecausethetomatoplantstendtohangoveralittlebitintotheaisles.Sothisisspecificfortomatoes.NowwetakethetomatoesoutmidNovember,andthenwecomeinwithacropofgreensandwegrowthegreensuntilMarchwhenthetomatoesgetre-plantedinhere.Sowecangomostlywithoutheat.
Idohaveaheatsysteminthebottomofthis.It'slikein-floorheatlikeyouwouldhaveforahouse.Sothere'satubeof60degreewater,it'saplastictubewith60degreewaterrunningthroughit.Itcomesoffofadomestichousewaterheater.AndwejustrunthehotwaterthroughthetubesandthatwarmsthesoilenoughthatIcangetthetomatoesinhereinMarchandgetthemgoing.Idoturnitonforthelettuce.ThereasonIdothatisithelpsthecroptostayalittlemoreinSummermodeandIgetalittlemorevolumesothatIcansupplymystoreswiththelettuce.Asfarascoveringatnight,wetakethe...theseareourheavyfrostblanketsandtheyjustgooverthislittlewireatnight.Justlikethis.AndsobasicallywhatI'mdoingwithmyheatisI'mheatingthisspacethat'sonlythistallasopposedtoheatingthisentirebuilding.Andwewillgetjusttheslightestamountoffrostontheendsneartheendwallsifit'sabelowzeronight,butforthemostpart,thistakesusthroughthewholeseason.
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Thehousehaspower,thisgreenhousehasadoublepolyroof,soI'vegotmydoublebubbleontop.I'vegotfourfootpurlinstohelpwiththesnowloadandthenwealsohavepoststohelp...ifthesnowdoesn'tshed,it'llhelpsupporttheroof.Wehavecollapsedthishouseoncebefore,sowemakesurethatwekeepthepostsin.Insummertimewejusthaveventsandfansthatareonthermostat,airjustrunsthroughwhenitneedstoandit'sagreatbuildingandIlovethisonetoo.Iloveallmygreenhouses,they'rejustsomuchfun.They'reallunique,theyallhavetheirownmicroclimates,wecangrowdifferentthingsineachonebutallstillreallyfunandwegetalotofgreatproduction.Soanyhowthisisourfinalhouseonourtourofgreenhousestoday.
Greenhousesareagreatamountoffun.Theyprovidefreshfoodallyearroundandcansaveyourfamilyasignificantamountofmoney.Agreenhouseisoneofthebestdecisionsthatyoucanmake.Putthesefivefactorstoworkforyouandyourgreenhousewillbeasuccess.ButthereareacoupleofotherthingsthatIwouldlikeyoutoconsiderwhendecidingtobuyfoodortogrowyourownfood.Sothefoodyougrow,youdon'tpaytaxeson,youcancountonitasexercisetime,it'sagreatplacetogetawayfromitallandit'scheaperthanatherapist.Sodoaddinthesefactorswhendecidingwhatthecropisworthtoyouandwhetherornotyouwanttoputupagreenhouse.Soifyou'dliketoknowwhatmycropsareworthtome,thenIhaveincludedthe33gardengiftsthatmygardenhasgivenmeinyourSuccessbundle.Sowhetheragardenisinsideastructureoroutsideintheopen,itcanstillgiveyoumany,manygifts.
Iwanttothankyousomuchforyourtime,gograbtheSettingYouGreenhouseUpForSuccessinformationbundleandstartyougreenhousejourneytoday.Untilnexttimewearegoingtobeeasy,fun,productiveandalwaysorganic.
Marjory: Thatwasawesome,wasn'tit?Imean,justbeingsmartaboutphysicsandusingwhattechnologywehave.Theyreducedtheheatingbillfrom$10,000towhatwasit,165orsomethinglikethat?Ohmygosh.Okay,Igetit,yes,there'salotwecando.Prettyamazing.
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NowatthebeginningofthisIhadteasedyouaboutasurprise.Here'sthething,isthatIwassoimpressedwithLynninwhatshe'sdoing,Isaid,"HeyLynn,let'sgettogetherandhaveaneventwherepeoplecomeandtouryourgreenhouses,yourfivegreenhouses,andtheyactuallygetto,youknow,seewhat,seewhatit'slikeinJanuary.Gettoseethestuffgrowinginthere,uh,gettoexperiencethedifferentheatingsystems."Howshecoverstheplantsandwhyshedoesitinone,andwhyshedoesn'tdoitinanother.
Justsomeofthephysics,andwhatittakestobuildoneofthese,andwhatitlookslikeandhowtorunthem.Likearealevent,we'llallgettogetherandparty.That'scomingupinJanuaryof20,January2020.Iamreallysostoked,wehaven'tdonealiveeventwithTheGrowNetworkforsolong,soI'mreallygoingtobehavingalotoffunandI'mlookingforwardtoseeingyouthere.
I'llclickonthatbuttontotheright.Lynnhasafreehighperformancegardeningclass.Shealsohasafreetrainingonseedsaving,andawholebunchofothermaterialsandreally,reallygoodvideos.Imeanwe'retalkingaboutasolid,experiencedpracticalgrowerwho'salsoareallygoodteacher.Clickonthatbuttontotheright,andsignupwithLynn,andgetgetintosomeofherstreamsofhowtogrowfood.Justanamazingperson.
Ofcourse,downbelowthatisthebuttonforthewholesummitpackage.Thesesummits,you'llnoticethere'snooutsideadvertising.Thewayweproducedthisisbasedonyoursponsorship,soifit'ssomethingthatyoucanaffordandcando,wewouldsurelyappreciateyoupickingupthewholesummitpackage.Itellyouwhat,wewillmailittoyou,youcangetoneofthosethumbdrives.Ithinkwegotaspecialgiftintherethisyear,weusuallydo.
Icertainlydoappreciateyoursupportwhenyoupurchasethewholesummitpackage.ThisisMarjoryWildcraftandyou'rewithTheGrowNetworkwhoisthepremiercommunityofpeoplewhogrowourownfoodandmakeourownmedicine.
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