Solar Heated And Cooled Greenhouses
Slideshow of Solar Greenhouses heated and cooled by the Subterranean Heating and Cooling System featured at http://www.sunnyjohn.com
120 mph Winds Destroyed Our Greenhouse
The Snap & Grow greenhouse that we purchased from Home Depot Online could not survive the Colorado wind. A microburst caused the greenhouse to blow apart. We picked up all the pieces, but unfortunately it is destroyed beyond repair. The greenhouse frame was still anchored by steel cables as the rest of the structured twisted and snapped.
Pictures of the destroyed greenhouse:
Hail Safe
I have covered my garden against hail for eight days in a row. I have it down to a science: when I hear thunder, I race out to the garden and yank the tarps over the plants and bungee in place. Viola: Peace of mind. The tarps are the 10 by 12 feet, blue, medium duty ones. I used bailing twine to anchor the east side of the tomato tarp at three places, then I bought these nifty bungees specific ally for the purpose of anchoring tarps. They have a ball at one end which slips through the metal tarp ring, eliminating the chance a bungee hook will come undone. The other end is adjustable and has a latch over the hook. Great invention.
Tarps vs. Hail
I have covered my garden against the threat of hail for the 10th time today. Of course, each afternoon on the Front Range brings a threat of severe weather. I just have to be prepared for it. I plan ay appointment around it, and the Minion checks the weather forecast constantly to see if tarping is imminent. Yesterday, I purchase two replacement 10 x 12 tarps to cover my raised beds. The tomatoes are, of course, the first priority, but the peas and beans are close second. The average-use, $17 tarps withstood the pea-size hail. I hope they don’t see anything bigger. They seem kind of flimsy.
Drip Irrigation
I purchased the components to water my trees. It is getting hot on the hill here, and my thirty tiny Ponderosa pine trees need to be watered regularly. So, on the advice of This Old House and Drip Depot, I took my shopping list and set out to compare prices. However, when you get to the store with stars in your eyes, you kind of forget yourself.
However, the older gentleman working the drip irrigation supplies department was really invaluable. Confronted by thousands (seemed like) of boxes of tiny parts, with negligible differences, I grew disoriented. The Minion made matters worse by pointing out that I didn’t have nearly enough “Goof Plugs.” I didn’t even know those existed until today. Too bad they are not multi-purpose….
Anyway, I told the Home Depot Associate what I wanted to do, and he said, “you don’t need half that stuff…”
So, I came home with Hose filter connectors, half inch line, quarter inch line, 1 gallon per minute emitters and lots of staples to hold them into the ground. I am going to assemble this tomorrow, so I’ll post the results.
Be cool if it works…
Drip irrigation project
My next project will be to install drip irrigation. Just by chance, I received an email from Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply with the link to their video about how to set up drip irrigation. Turns out, they show lots of ideas.