New raised beds under plastic..
 

Last couple of days I have been tackling one of those long awaited "projects". The kind that you know one day you will eventually get too.


The plan all along for the tunnel was raised beds. Just a matter of getting there. Im a fan of raised beds for several reasons. Better drainage, soil warms faster, more organized, etc. For reference, the tunnel is 12x48. The beds are 2x48.


These beds on the sides are built from Pressure Treated lumber. I spent a great deal of time on this matter. Im not convinced that the modern stuff poses any hazard what so ever. And honestly, I feel like the "scare tactics" about the old preservative is based on some really dicey "science". But thats a discussion for another day.


Nothing is planted in the beds yet due to all the flats in the way. Im hoping this weekend I can sell a whole bunch of plants to make room for planting. Otherwise its going to get very crowded. Even if I have to pull every other flat out to stick a seedling in, ill do what I have to do.


The 188 bags in the middle are Roma II bush beans. My all time favorite. Just starting to germ. These will probably fizzle out by about mid-June, based on last years evidence. Once they fizzle, all these bags will be replaced with raised beds. The bags will be used elsewhere at that point, until they are no longer usable.


[URL="https://imgur.com/UXtSOva"][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/UXtSOval.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Wow, you have done a lot of work. It sure looks nice. You have done a wonderful job.

There is a lot of science in the fact oxygen/Co2 change roles when the sun goes down.It reverses.Why did and still do take plants out of hospital rooms at night.Plants eat and exude both.If you crowd a given area,and the “air” will be too much at the wrong time(flowering,vegetative,harvest).Fans at the tops of hoops cool out the excess heat and the humidity,you can inject Co2 via simple duct,timers if needed,plant dependent.As we all know humidity is the culprit,it harbors all the crud,grows it.Keep oxy/ Co2 in check.Those beans are in the perfect spot center,they shouldn’t crowd out sun for adjacent planting’s.What direction is the hoop positioned,n to south,east west,?Twoo open ends( doors )can help ,and I know you know that.During heavy sun,moisture the plastics will run water inside,green algae might develop here and there.These conditions I have seen down here in 10 b.goog luck nice work.

Kurt, glad I read your whole post. I thought at first you posted in the wrong thread. :lol:


[QUOTE=kurt;694886]There is a lot of science in the fact oxygen/Co2 change roles when the sun goes down.It reverses.Why did and still do take plants out of hospital rooms at night.Plants eat and exude both.If you crowd a given area,and the “air” will be too much at the wrong time(flowering,vegetative,harvest).[/QUOTE]

I cant comment on this, but I trust what your saying.

[QUOTE=kurt;694886]Fans at the tops of hoops cool out the excess heat and the humidity,you can inject Co2 via simple duct,timers if needed,plant dependent.As we all know humidity is the culprit,it harbors all the crud,grows it.Keep oxy/ Co2 in check.[/QUOTE]

I do know that folks who grow "medical herbs" with indoor grows sometimes inject Co2, but thats all I know about that.

[QUOTE=kurt;694886]Those beans are in the perfect spot center,they shouldn’t crowd out sun for adjacent planting’s.What direction is the hoop positioned,n to south,east west,?Twoo open ends( doors )can help ,and I know you know that.During heavy sun,moisture the plastics will run water inside,green algae might develop here and there.These conditions I have seen down here in 10 b.goog luck nice work.[/QUOTE]

East to West. One of these days I plan to add exhaust fans, but the plastic on the far end does come off. Last year I left it on, that was a mistake.

FourOaks: Wow, just Wow! Nice, neat, well constructed. Something to be proud of.

Those beans can take up a lot of real estate.Here they use a inexpensive fishing line diamond squared million foot x 6 ft highmesh.Vine dependent,long skinny greens,and or short stocky pods they train at 45 degrees,since the mesh opens as diamond?
As you know once they start reaching off they go.Some farmers on smaller lands make a simple horseshoe,2sides top ,minimal cross tieBrace.Enough for two pickers in the shade at arms length.A living hoop house if you will.Quite novel for a home,tuck some orchids underneath,red white tablecloth checkered,wine,honey(wife?) dogs for me nowadays.The idea is to filter as much sun to the vines.Straight up,plants knock out each other’s sun.And we know the move fast 3 ,4 inches a day.Key with the bags,couple 3 inches between then,no harbor for crud’s,moisture,those 4 footed little vermin’s.And that airflow/exchange.Keeps the boritis(the ever present lite white fuzz) that torments me down in 10 b.The hanging troughs are neat,keep them not on top of your delicates,the watering will compromise them underneath via watering.

I think Roma II is what I grow: it's a bush bean

Nan

[QUOTE=Nan_PA_6b;695166]I think Roma II is what I grow: it's a bush bean

Nan[/QUOTE]


Yes indeedy. They are my personal favorite, and I have noticed that not too many Market Farmers in my area grow them. So when customers realize what I have, its good for me. :lol:

Very tasty & productive, even in 5 hours of sun. I grow the yellow; easy to spot during harvest.

Nan

Great news, beans have started popping up! Next thing we know it will be pick'n time.

Wow! Great job on those beds! Is that the same greenhouse you had last year? It looks bigger and with a lot more sun. Of course last year you had a bunch of monster plants growing vertically that ate up a lot of space (and sun). :lol:

Yep. Its the 12x48 Tunnel. This one last year had the bean bags, I think I did 40 as the experiment. I also had the summer squash and zucchini that I swore I would never put in there again.

Beans are coming right along. Watering is already a chore. Looking into a sprinkler system that is installed against the ceiling.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/SBz8hmFl.jpg[/img]

nice!! I like raised beds so you don't have to bend over so far - if at all.

Nice work. It would be neat if you could just flood the center area with the beans in an inch or two of water, and irrigate them that way. I want all of my plants on flood tables at some point.

[QUOTE=My Foot Smells;696695]nice!! I like raised beds so you don't have to bend over so far - if at all.[/QUOTE]

That is one of many great pluses for raised beds. Im thinking I wouldnt mind one of those roller seats that I could just ride from end to end while taking care of planting, weeding, and harvesting.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;696727]Nice work. It would be neat if you could just flood the center area with the beans in an inch or two of water, and irrigate them that way. I want all of my plants on flood tables at some point.[/QUOTE]

The beans in the bags will fizzle out about midway thru June? Or something like that. Or after about 3-4 good pickings I move on. They seem to get rather screwy looking. After that it will be time to put raised beds in place of the bags.


As far as irrigation, for the beds, either drip or soaker hoses. Which does bring up a discovery I made yesterday. The bed on the right, I planted out pepper plants. All though the beds are only about 6 inches deep, the soil in the bottom was very moist. These are filled with leaf mulch. On the top looks bone dry, but go down about 2 inches and is moist.

[QUOTE=FourOaks;696855]The beans in the bags will fizzle out about midway thru June? Or something like that. Or after about 3-4 good pickings I move on. They seem to get rather screwy looking. After that it will be time to put raised beds in place of the bags. [/QUOTE]

You're right about that. When the beans start looking short and curved like the letter C, they're about done. On to something new!

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;696910]You're right about that. When the beans start looking short and curved like the letter C, they're about done. On to something new![/QUOTE]

Or onto the next batch of beans that was successfully sown on time!:lol:

That actually reminds me that its about time to plant the next round of beans. Hopefully Friday I will have time to start a couple new raised beds, so that next week I can get the seeds planted.


Im still up in the air. Whether or not to stick with the Roma II or switch to something else. If I do switch I might go for Bush Ky Wonder.

4-way dripper assembly is only $1.12 each. Just have to hook a 1/2 poly tube line to your water supply line. The dripper that comes with the manifold and spray stakes regulates the pressure and flow.

So each assembly will water 4 bags for $1.12 in parts. 1/2" tubing is cheap too.
You'll need to buy a punch tool to make the holes in the 1/2" tubing that the dripper snaps in to.

Something like this:

[ATTACH]80703[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]80704[/ATTACH]

I bet you would have complete saturation in 15-20 minutes of run time. And all you have to do is turn a valve and go onto other tasks while it runs...

Plus you can re-use again next year and beyond.

[QUOTE=FourOaks;696952]Im still up in the air. Whether or not to stick with the Roma II or switch to something else. If I do switch I might go for Bush Ky Wonder.[/QUOTE]

Have you ever done Contender? They're short time beans, like 40-50 days which might come in handy as a second crop in a house if the weather turns hot early. I use them as a fall crop. Get in, get out.

My bush beans will go in this weekend.

[QUOTE=PureHarvest;696959]4-way dripper assembly is only $1.12 each. Just have to hook a 1/2 poly tube line to your water supply line. The dripper that comes with the manifold and spray stakes regulates the pressure and flow.

So each assembly will water 4 bags for $1.12 in parts. 1/2" tubing is cheap too.
You'll need to buy a punch tool to make the holes in the 1/2" tubing that the dripper snaps in to.

Something like this:

I bet you would have complete saturation in 15-20 minutes of run time. And all you have to do is turn a valve and go onto other tasks while it runs...

Plus you can re-use again next year and beyond.[/QUOTE]


I consider the 4 way setup for other stuff, such as mums. Never considered for the bean bags, that is a good idea.

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;696986]Have you ever done Contender? They're short time beans, like 40-50 days which might come in handy as a second crop in a house if the weather turns hot early. I use them as a fall crop. Get in, get out.

My bush beans will go in this weekend.[/QUOTE]


I know I have the seed, but cant say for sure that I have grown them.


Im still working out a plan for my next several batches of beans this summer. If you recall my plight last year with horrible germ. and lack of flowers. I cant have that again, I want Beans all spring, summer and fall. I might have to invest into more shade cloth.

My family always grew Strike as a bean variety. The beans are smaller, but much more tender. I think my mom grows Jade now, too.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;697073]My family always grew Strike as a bean variety. The beans are smaller, but much more tender. I think my mom grows Jade now, too.[/QUOTE]


Funny you would mention Strike. I tried them last year with absolutely no luck. But, with that being said, we were also having a heat wave. So... that might have done them in before they had a chance.


Last year my early crop of Roma IIs paid off. If I recall I was the first vendor with any beans, by about 2 weeks. I didnt have endless supplies of them, but I sold all that I took to the market. Then, nothing. Nada. I tried 2 more times only to have epic failure. It was just to dang hot, and then the critters came along. Finally in the fall I had a nice mess of Ky Wonder Pole beans. Not a lot, but enough to enjoy.


All of this makes me consider growing them under shade cloth. Im thinking a 30 to 40 percent cloth.

I bet if you could flood the grow bags in shallow water when it was very hot, then they wouldn't overheat. I don't use grow bags, but that trick seems to work well for container plants in general in the heat.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;697111]I bet if you could flood the grow bags in shallow water when it was very hot, then they wouldn't overheat. I don't use grow bags, but that trick seems to work well for container plants in general in the heat.[/QUOTE]


Perhaps. But this will most likely be the last batch of bean bags that I will do. I would rather do them in raised beds. This was more a matter of making do with what I had. Now that money is rolling in from my weekly market sales, I am reinvesting in my infrastructure. And now that I can sell year round, im hoping to really keep things moving forward. Little by little.


On a side note, my plan is to keep building raised beds, each week, as I can. Im planning to plant out 2, 4x24 beds next. Those beds should bring in around 100-150 pounds of beans, or something similar. I havent settled on a price per pound for my beans, yet. I need to see what the new market will tolerate.

[QUOTE=PureHarvest;696959]4-way dripper assembly is only $1.12 each. Just have to hook a 1/2 poly tube line to your water supply line. The dripper that comes with the manifold and spray stakes regulates the pressure and flow.

So each assembly will water 4 bags for $1.12 in parts. 1/2" tubing is cheap too.
You'll need to buy a punch tool to make the holes in the 1/2" tubing that the dripper snaps in to.

Something like this:

[ATTACH]80703[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]80704[/ATTACH]

I bet you would have complete saturation in 15-20 minutes of run time. And all you have to do is turn a valve and go onto other tasks while it runs...

Plus you can re-use again next year and beyond.[/QUOTE]

That is legit. If I do mums again I gotta set this up.

[QUOTE=FourOaks;697015]Im still working out a plan for my next several batches of beans this summer. If you recall my plight last year with horrible germ. and lack of flowers. I cant have that again, I want Beans all spring, summer and fall. I might have to invest into more shade cloth.[/QUOTE]

Have you thought about growing some pole beans along with your bush beans? They usually take longer to make so when that first round of bushies is done you'll have the pole beans coming on. Just a thought.

As you and I both sadly know, our heat will kill that bean pollen and I don't know if shade will help with ambient temp and thus successive summer crops that unless you have some good ventilation. That's where swamp coolers help in green houses.

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;697201]Have you thought about growing some pole beans along with your bush beans? They usually take longer to make so when that first round of bushies is done you'll have the pole beans coming on. Just a thought.

As you and I both sadly know, our heat will kill that bean pollen and I don't know if shade will help with ambient temp and thus successive summer crops that unless you have some good ventilation. That's where swamp coolers help in green houses.[/QUOTE]

I have grown pole's in the past, specifically "white half runners" and "Ky Wonder", I have 2 reasons not to grow these now days.


1. I hate trellising, and then the clean up of said trellis.


2. Bush plants afford me the opportunity to set up either shade cloth OR some kind of protective barrier such as deer netting.


Last Sunday we set up trellis for 60ft worth of Sugar Snap Peas. Its just a bother in my opinon to fool with. Then the clean up. On the other hand, bush plants you can just rip out, amend the soil, replant, and have a cool refreshing drink!


Next the issue of the wildlife that likes to come along. For the most part they wont venture into either GH. But the raised beds out in the open are like a buffet. I can set up some hoops, throw some kind of barrier over it, and im done. I had thought about setting up an electric fence, but decided that there should be something simpler.


Last year I shot 2 groundhogs. About 2 weeks ago I spotted their cousin. Seems he has moved in. Grrrr...

Ground hogs always have another cousin. And that cousin always has a cousin.

Nan

[QUOTE=Nan_PA_6b;697213]Ground hogs always have another cousin. And that cousin always has a cousin.

Nan[/QUOTE]

You got that right!