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Old May 18, 2017   #46
Hudson_WY
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Susan - We are not that far geographically from each other! Glad you hadn't yet planted anything in your hoop-house! I know I could not afford to heat a hoop-house - even this late in the season! Hope your plants can wait a couple of weeks! It is hard to time when the seedlings are ready and the weather is warm enough! It is snowing here again today!
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Old May 24, 2017   #47
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Carmen Cucumbers are the most prolific we have every grown! The variety is our favorite in a GH setting. Our GH is doing well as of today - May 24th. Heating our GH to extend our season has put us months ahead of those that are just beginning to open their GH now!
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Old May 25, 2017   #48
bower
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You are really beating the bad weather there! Everything looks gorgeous.
I've grown Carmen in my greenhouse and it was great for me too. $5 for 5 seeds, so I only grew a couple of plants each year - but they produced plenty!
I tried Diva last year, that's another self pollinating type for greenhouse, but I started them too late so only got a couple of cukes - the quality was excellent though so I will try again this year but make it earlier. They are way smaller than Carmen though.
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Old May 25, 2017   #49
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wow, everything looks marvelous!!
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Old May 25, 2017   #50
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That looks like such a neat greenhouse! The ventilation must be outstanding to deal with those cloudy cold days with little sunlight, I wouldn't think the fans would come on much at all with the extreme cold and some of the cloudy days you posted for that forecast. Do you ever have much issue with botrytis?

I'm in NC so obviously a much different scenario, I grow greenhouse tomatoes in 2 greenhouses currently which aren't really ideal for tomatoes, but I am building a new one, much taller this summer in hopes of having it ready for production next year.

What are the dimensions of your GH?

I love the scenic view with the mountains and snow all around and the contrast of what you have going on inside the GH.

You should invest in a generator! Nothing is scarier than the power going out with tomatoes in the greenhouse! How quickly does the temperature drop in there without power during the night? Last February we had an ice storm and lost power for 26 hours! We have a PTO generator and had the tractor running non stop, that was a stressful time but it all worked out and the plants were fine, the temps dropped from 64 inside the greenhouse to 52 in the time it took us to get everything hooked up which was probably only 20-30 minutes.
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Old May 25, 2017   #51
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Looks great.
I would need an air conditioned greenhouse.
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Old May 25, 2017   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth1 View Post
Looks great.
I would need an air conditioned greenhouse.
Worth
You and I can have 3 seasons : ( 1) in the garden (2) Vacation ( go fishing in Alaska)
(3) unheated greenhouse (Nov thru March )
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Old May 26, 2017   #53
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Originally Posted by Gardeneer View Post
You and I can have 3 seasons : ( 1) in the garden (2) Vacation ( go fishing in Alaska)
(3) unheated greenhouse (Nov thru March )
Mine would cook even in the winter I would at least have to have pusher puller fans.
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Old May 26, 2017   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McGee'sX-Roads View Post
That looks like such a neat greenhouse! The ventilation must be outstanding to deal with those cloudy cold days with little sunlight, I wouldn't think the fans would come on much at all with the extreme cold and some of the cloudy days you posted for that forecast. Do you ever have much issue with botrytis?

I'm in NC so obviously a much different scenario, I grow greenhouse tomatoes in 2 greenhouses currently which aren't really ideal for tomatoes, but I am building a new one, much taller this summer in hopes of having it ready for production next year.

What are the dimensions of your GH?

I love the scenic view with the mountains and snow all around and the contrast of what you have going on inside the GH.

You should invest in a generator! Nothing is scarier than the power going out with tomatoes in the greenhouse! How quickly does the temperature drop in there without power during the night? Last February we had an ice storm and lost power for 26 hours! We have a PTO generator and had the tractor running non stop, that was a stressful time but it all worked out and the plants were fine, the temps dropped from 64 inside the greenhouse to 52 in the time it took us to get everything hooked up which was probably only 20-30 minutes.
McGee - Thanks!

The GH is 15' x 28' and 16' at the ridge. Ventilation is a key system in the GH. The very first year we opened the GH we did not have the ceiling fans yet installed and had problems with mold/fungi. We have never had a problem since that first year after installing the ceiling fans. We run them 24/7. With all of the windows and vented screen doors at both ends of the GH we can move a lot of air in a short period of time through the GH. We have box fans in the windows at one end to move air as needed too.

A generator is a great idea. Our power company is very dependable (very few power outages in the 20 years we have lived here). For sure we would have a back up plan if the GH were for profit.

Our GH is screened and closed to outside insects. I know you and other GH operators may not believe this (knock on wood) but since we started vaporizing with sulfur about once a month for two-three hours during the dark of the night two years ago we are absolutely insect free!! No Thrips, spider mites, aphids, white flies, nematodes, cutworms, earwigs, hornworms - nothing! How good it that?!!
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Last edited by Hudson_WY; May 26, 2017 at 09:31 AM.
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Old May 26, 2017   #55
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Hudson WY, I love what you are doing with your plants. This is a fun thread to watch and you take great pictures.

Now that you have mentioned that you vaporize for insects, I am going to be watching to see if I can spot a BUG!
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Old May 28, 2017   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bower View Post
You are really beating the bad weather there! Everything looks gorgeous.
I've grown Carmen in my greenhouse and it was great for me too. $5 for 5 seeds, so I only grew a couple of plants each year - but they produced plenty!
I tried Diva last year, that's another self pollinating type for greenhouse, but I started them too late so only got a couple of cukes - the quality was excellent though so I will try again this year but make it earlier. They are way smaller than Carmen though.
Bower - would you mind sharing where you can get 5 seeds for $5? The best price we could find is 25 seeds for $23 but we only plant about 5 seeds a season. I'd rather purchase a smaller quantity!
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Old May 28, 2017   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MissS View Post
Hudson WY, I love what you are doing with your plants. This is a fun thread to watch and you take great pictures.

Now that you have mentioned that you vaporize for insects, I am going to be watching to see if I can spot a BUG!
I love your photography, too.

MissS, "spot the bug" could be fun like "where's Waldo"
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Old May 29, 2017   #58
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MissS - Muddy Toes - Thanks for your comments! Please "Spot the Bug"! I quit looking so I could use some help! I haven't even vaporized since we planted this year so I better vaporize this week as prevention - don't want to get any started!
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Old May 29, 2017   #59
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Can you elaborate on the sulphur process?
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Old May 29, 2017   #60
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Can you elaborate on the sulphur process?
It is really easy and simple. We purchased the 99.9% pure sulfur prills and the vaporizers from Amazon. We purchased two of them - one for each end of our GH to get good even distribution of vapors and of course our ceiling fans are operating too. We fill the vaporizers with prills and hang them centrally in the walkway away from any plants at about 8' in height - plug them into a timer that turns them on at 1:00 AM and off at 3:00 AM. Sulfur is generally an allowed pesticide in organic gardening. Sulfur prevents mold spores from germinating, so it brings a fungal infection under control by stopping its spread and gradually killing it. The sulfur vapor is also effective against thrips, spider mites and psyllids.

There are precautions when using sulfur and you must do your homework before using it. Sulfur can damage tomato plants when the weather is hot, and should not be used if temperatures climb above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. While sulfur is less toxic than many chemical pesticides, it is best not to get it on your skin or in your eyes as it can irritate them. Avoid use on a windy day to keep from inhaling the sulfur or it spreading to other areas. Wash tomatoes thoroughly before eating them to remove any sulfur residue.

In the beginning we vaporized about every two weeks. Now once a month is sufficient. We ventilate the GH as usual during the day(s) following vaporization. Used correctly, we have found that vaporizing with sulfur in our GH is a safe and effective method to control fungi and insects!
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