Greenhouse update pics

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bogydave

Minister of Fire
Dec 4, 2009
8,426
So Cent ALASKA
Still growing, some 6 pack seed starts for garden popping up.
Cuc seeds up in back box.
 

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Still growing. to big to cover so hoping for mid 30s or up till end of Sept.
 

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Looking good. Can you grow outside the greenhouse or is there always a risk of nighttime frost?
 
BeGreen said:
Looking good. Can you grow outside the greenhouse or is there always a risk of nighttime frost?
Tomatoes & cuc are in the GH all year. Not a frost issue, just not warm enough , specially at night.
I do try some toms outdoors, but never do well.
Everything else outdoors.
pic of last yrs garden:
 

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Great garden Dave. Our peas just poked through in the last day or two. Great time of year.
 
It's beautiful and a sight for winter sore eyes. Hope we warm up sooner than later or we'll be growing cukes and tomatoes indoors too this year.
 
EG & Sw 100 blooming. May 6-11. Sunny & 60°f
Close up of EG with blooms
 

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You know the weather is upside down when AK tomatoes are a month ahead of lat 48. They look great.
 
Thanks BeGreen
Can you grow tomatoes outside & get ripe ones there?
Some places in the PNW are similar to Alaska temps, cool & you need a greenhouse.
We are up to 17 hours of sun now so almost time for the garden.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=18&month=5&year=2011&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1
Sun angle getting higher (A 45° now) so getting good solar heat now too. Soil will begin to dry out as it thaws.
Will be able to rotor-till in about a week or so. Almost 40 °f at night now. When that happens on a regular basis,
the frost leaves the ground quick & Alaska turns green in my area overnight.
Yesterday was the last fire, well I hope anyway.
 
Yes, normally we have no problem growing cukes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers etc. outdoors. But we are vulnerable to maritime cycles in the Pacific. Last summer was terrible. Many folks got little or no tomatoes. Ours struggled due to cold nighttime temps, but they had an early start in the greenhouse. By late August we started getting a harvest. I have a greenhouse full of plants ready to go outdoors, so I've started tenting some beds to see if I can get them started in the garden.

Crazy year. Plants are way behind. Most of our rhododendrons have not bloomed yet and same with the lilacs. Usually they are finished by now. But I'm hoping that by June this LaNina cycle will end and warmth will return.
 
Just out of curiosity, what minimum temperature would you need to maintain in the greenhouse to grow tomatoes year round?
 
Depending on the variety, they can take temps just above freezing, but they're not going to be happy below 40F. I would say a minimum soil temp of 45F would be the goal. Note that greenhouse temps can vary dramatically from floor to head height. That's why soil temp is sometimes a better guide. This is particularly true for seed germination and young seedlings.
 
I have a small fan in the ceiling pointed down at an angle, that runs 24/7. It keeps air circulating & is beneficial to plants.
A little air movement helps the O2 that is on the leaves release & keeps CO2 moving around to replace the O2 & helps to keep
even air temp, helps cool them on hot days & helps dry the inside some.
50 degrees is optimum at night & 85 days, (some researcher says anyway & some toms have better cold & heat tolerance)
I have an exhaust fan come on at 90 to heat soak everything a little warmer now, so it
has more heat to release at night. I have 3 - 5 gallon buckets of water (with lids) that warm in day & release heat at night to.
Next month I set it to come on at 85, longer days then.
Of course talking to them helps, I exhale some co2 that the plants like :)
Below 40°f, the leaves will show a purple color on the under side, turn under a little, sign of too cold. /won't get very many ripe toms.

Like BeGreen says above 40, 50 is best, below 95 & adequate water, specially during hot days, they use over a gallon/day when about 4' tall.
 
Here's our bed this year. Waiting for the sun. The rhodies have finally started blooming. They're a month late. Can't wait until we break out of this gluck.
 

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Very nice, BeGreen.
Do you have to grow tomatoes in the GH there. I know a few folks there do, but not sure their area. Lots
of micro climates in the PWSound area. Moisture in the GH may be an issue there also.
I did put out 5 cabbage, test plants. Cool & windy, but cabbage is tough. If they make it, maybe some other cole crops next.
The Tomato species I grow need warm days (75- 90) & fairly warm nights (45 - 60) to do well & have flavor.
I have a few leaves that show they got too cold, but not significant damage. Should be good to go in the GH from here on out.
Starting to see green buds on the trees some areas of the yard have green grass showing. Seagulls & geese showed up.
& of course the mosquitoes are hatching.
Cherry tomatoes forming now, have to shake the plants to get the blooms to pollenate, getting several blooms now. So far, so good.
Have several plant almost ready for the garden. From the weather this year, 2-3 more weeks I think.
 

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Normally we grow NW weather tolerant tomatoes outdoors. The greenhouse is new, last year. Due to our cold spring, the tomato plant starts are spending more time than usual in the greenhouse. I have 4 plants outside under a row cover, but they are not exactly happy.
 
5-12-11 update pics:
Forming tomatoes, cucs doing well, lots of plants ready for the garden
 

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That's awesome. We might get ours in the ground this weekend.
 
Tomatoes went in the ground yesterday along with a pepper plant. I just checked on them and they are fine, though one appears to have gotten a little sunburned. Tomorrow we may kiss 70F, woohoo!
 
All Right!
Ripe tomatoes soon. :)
Hope you get better weather than we are getting. Has been cool & windy. Planted the garden mostly, wind damage to several plants.
Almost all seeds in, potatoes in the ground. Squash still waiting, they're not as tough.

5-19-11 GH update pics.
Got tomatoes , couple the size of golf balls. Cucs finally taking off.
 

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Nice. That long day sunshine is really kicking in! With a later start we are just seeing some early flowers on some of the tomatoes, though we do have a pepper in flower too.

What did you make your greenhouse beds out of?
 
BeGreen said:
Nice. That long day sunshine is really kicking in! With a later start we are just seeing some early flowers on some of the tomatoes, though we do have a pepper in flower too.

What did you make your greenhouse beds out of?

2X2 pine frame & plywood sides. Bottom is rabbit cage wire, then window screen on the inside on top of that. 16" X 16" X 8'.
Next ones I make, (they last about 8 to 10 years) will be lined with plastic or something to prevent the wood from rotting.
Was thinking about the whole box made from synthetic deck boards, or line the inside, side walls, with vinyl siding, landscape plastic, ....
I was thinking vinyl siding has some space between it & the wood so I could still drill some holes for air in the sides & the wood would still stay dry.
Always a way to make improvements once you see how they work in your conditions. Cedar may be a good choice too.
 
GH update pics 6-1-11
Forming cucs, have to hand pollenate. Toms getting bigger.
 

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Looking good. What kind of cukes are you growing? Do you pick off the lower leaves to improve ventilation at the soil level?
 
Yes I pluck the lower leaves on toms & cucs. A day like today (rainy, cloudy & cool, as in the picture) the inside of the GH has lots of condensation & mold will develop.
(it actually rains in there, well drips off the roof on cool sunless days) It will be real crowded in there soon so thinning leaves helps prevent mold & I can find the cucs.
I have 4 types, a beta hybrid - all females (said to develop without pollination but last year several died right after blooming unless I pollenated) ,
market more & 2 others. This way I seem to get lots of males to pollenate the females all thru the season.

I just did some research, & found "Sweet Success Hybrid" is all female, seedless & develop 12" cucs without pollenating, yet if pollenated, then they have seeds & develop faster.
So next year I'll grow them with as the primary plants & 1 or 2 others for a variety & some pollen. I think I've grown them before , just forgot the name.
 
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