Hoop garden skeleton frame |
I flipped them over and used more planks to cover the bottom. I filled them with pine needles since there's an abundance on the ground. I used them mostly to fill in the cracks on the bottom of the boxes. Then I mixed in some of the coffee grounds I was collecting from the coffee cart at work. They just throw away all of their grounds so I figured I'd bring some home. I know it makes the soil very acidic so I won't use very much.
Free pallet wood makes me happy happy happy. |
I drove some rebar in the ground and bent some 3/4" pvc pipe to meet at the apex using a 45 degree elbow. Right now, I'm just building a mock-up of the structure. When I get everything in place, I'll take it apart and glue it all for strength.
Dried pine needles and coffee grounds |
Anybody know of anything that can be grown in Nov/Dec/Jan just for fun?
~OJD
If anyone tells you that pine needles will make your bed too acidic, here is web posting that explains it very well:
ReplyDeletehttp://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2702/
I can't seem to be able to make that link clickable, so you will have to copy and paste it into your browser.
ReplyDeleteGreens are what you can grow in a hoop house in the cold. Spinach, chard, collards, etc. They grow slower when it's cold but actually taste better if they've been hit by frost. Take a look at Four-Season Harvest or The Winter Harvest Handbook both by Eliot Coleman who grows vegetables in a greenhouse in Maine.
ReplyDeleteI would guess that your growing medium will be too "hot" and will kill anything you put in there. Maybe better to just let it compost down over this winter.
ReplyDeleteGood luck
Dee
Incandescent christmas lights will also work for heat, and you can wind them around the growing plants as long as you make sure you get the outdoor safe ones. They're what I used to keep my little green-house warm this past spring. The heat from the composting base MIGHT help with that too as long as it doesn't get TO hot and kill the seeds.
ReplyDeleteAlot of the greens (lettuce, broccoli, etc) will apparently grow well as long as you can keep them above freezing. I've never personally tried it (I was hoping to give it a run this winter, but I don't think its going to happen unfortunetly).