Good morning guys, how are ya’ll today? Deb and I are doing great! We hope all of you are in the same boat!
As you can tell from the title of today’s post, we’re at it again. Deb and I talked about this for the past couple of weeks and then made our decision to go ahead and add grow space on both sides of our greenhouse.
This will benefit us in a couple ways. First off, since we’ll have water to the greenhouse down the road a little ways, we’ll have water already right there. It’s nothing to run a few more lines and have water in our new grow space as well.
It also gives us space to come right directly outside the house and go right into the ground with many of our new vegetable plants. This is a plus, although we’ll utilize our regular garden as well. We decided to use it exclusively for peas, corn, beans, etc…possibly tomatoes too.
As I said earlier, Deb would like to set up some type of little stand and maybe sell a little of her produce she’s growing off, as well as some of our vegetable plants. This is all fine and good with me. This enables her to interact with people through the contact this will provide for her.
This is all good. She’s loving the greenhouse, and now really sees the benefits it provides for us both. It was her idea to start with because of the rise in fruits and vegetable cost in regards to her juicing. Man…it has gotten pretty costly in the past year or so.
Again, I went to the grocery store a couple weeks back, and literally was amazed at the cost today. You don’t think they’ll continue to rise?? Well, think again my friends…you only have to look at the fuel prices, and the direction they’re headed! $4.15 a gallon here, and expected to keep on truckin!
Speaking of trucking…those guys run on fuel. Higher cost at the pump means higher cost at the store. Any type of store! Hang on to your britches my friends…it’s gonna get worse before it gets better! Quickly…GET OUT AND VOTE this year, our entire way of life is on very, very shaky ground!
This election is, and I personally believe it truly is, the most important election that Deb and I have ever been involved in. If we’re to keep the rights and freedoms bestowed upon us through our Constitution, and our Founding Fathers… you better get out and vote! Your children and grandchildren need our help…vote the fact…not the hype!
But, back to topic. Through Deb selling a little of our produce, it’ll offset our cost some as well, plus give her “a little funny money!” But once more our main purpose of the greenhouse is to provide us both with good fresh product to juice each and every day.
You can’t get any better than picking it right off the vine, and going straight into the house with it. On top of all this…the taste is incomparable to store bought! Hands down.
Our regular garden again will be used for the things we really love to can and put up. Fresh peas and beans sure taste good during the months we can’t grow them. We’ve stopped growing either during our hottest months…too much water needed, too hot, and too many bugs! Then during winter, you can’t grow them either.
We’ve found it much easier on the plants and ourselves to plant an early crop in spring, then in August, set out our fall crop. This has been really working out well for us, and the production from this we’ve been very pleased with.
Now okra is one that we will grow a couple rows of during the summer heat…it loves it. The dern stuff last year bout drove Deb crazy! It produced right up until almost the first frost, and probably would have, but I looked out one day…and Deb was pullin it outta the ground and givin it to the cows! Bye-bye okra! LOL!
Peas…that woman would rather shell peas than eat, and she is VERY good at it. You put em down in front of her and you can just walk off! You come back and she’s whipped em, or is about to! She amazes the guys that work with us…se can turn em out! She’s also fast in regards to pickin the dern things! I own up quick…that I married “above me!”
In the new grow area, I once again dug out existing soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches, replaced that with compost material, and now will put up some sort of retaining wall of another 8 to 10 inches in height. Not quite sure how yet, maybe lumber, maybe block, as I’m still kicking that part around some??
We have some of each here on the place, but probably not enough of either, so it maybe a block-lumber combo?? Who knows? Money is entering into the equation some as well, so this will be a make it look best we can for now, then down the road we’ll fix it the way we want it. Ya do what ya gotta do!
To the ones who haven’t already…grow a garden. It is a very worthwhile project for your kids and yourself, number one. The freshness of your product is much fresher than you could hope to get from your neighborhood market. The taste is much better, and you know what you’re growing it in, and what you’re using in regards to pests or disease.
It doesn’t take a lot of room to grow a lot of vegetables. Google up lasagna gardens, square foot gardening, raised bed gardening, or even container gardening. It’s amazing what people are doing vegetable wise, in very little area.
So if you have a mental block that in order to grow your own produce, you NEED a lot of room, that’s simply not the case. Seeds cost very, very little. Sure, there’s some work involved, but the benefits of good quality family time, good nutritious food, good healthy outdoor activity, and the reward of simply watching your vegetables grow off are all positive! Simply put…it’s good for you!
One other BIG reason is cost. Once more, food prices are going to continue to rise. Fuel is but one example. Do in your heart what you feel you need to do in regards to your own family. We have.
Well, here’s a couple pictures in regards to our new grow space. We hope you enjoy them.
The first is of the compost material we’re using. We have a good friend who makes this. I had forgotten about David doing this when we put in our beds for the greenhouse. I was talking to Mom, and she asked, “Why didn’t you call David?” Thank God for Mama’s!
The second and third pictures are of one side of the greenhouse, front and back. It shows the depth of the beds.
The next shows the two Cabbage Palms we dug up, and transplanted. They were on each side of the greenhouse, one on each side.
The last shows the backhoe. It is sitting where one of the palms used to be. I was concerned during high winds, one of the fronds blowing off…right through the vinyl top of the greenhouse!
You guys have a great day, and God Bless! Deb says to keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart!
Dub and Deb