Gardening

[Gracii Guns]

So after starting this thread, I've decided that it's about time to hire a gardener. I just won't have the time to look after it this year. Has anyone else done this? Any regrets? Happy to accept advice.

[cineater]

That was the end of any of my thoughts about that lady's sex life, lol.  Nice enough woman but wouldn't have drawn me into switch hitting if you know what I mean.

I started watching that Marvellous show but it didn't hold my attention for long.  If you get prime, you can watch the narrow boat shows.  Wasn't my friends thing either so don't feel obligated.  

I followed that whole process through to the algae too.  Scary shit.

[cineater]

9 minutes ago, Gracii Guns said:

So after starting this thread, I've decided that it's about time to hire a gardener. I just won't have the time to look after it this year. Has anyone else done this? Any regrets? Happy to accept advice.

Where I'm at you hire a formal landscaper.  Everything is very ridged, individual plants and lots of mulch.  If I'm remembering you right, you had a meadow, lots of plants?  Is that the norm for your area?  I'd be very clear in what you want your gardener to do before you start looking for somebody and what gardening practices you allow by way of chemicals.

Sorry life takes you away from your garden.

[Gracii Guns]

6 minutes ago, cineater said:

Where I'm at you hire a formal landscaper.  Everything is very ridged, individual plants and lots of mulch.  If I'm remembering you right, you had a meadow, lots of plants?  Is that the norm for your area?  I'd be very clear in what you want your gardener to do before you start looking for somebody and what gardening practices you allow by way of chemicals.

Sorry life takes you away from your garden.

Thanks for your advice. Yes, we have what's known as a cottage garden. A bit of everything. I've told someone I'm enquiring with that I'm only a tenant who needs someone to mow, weed and keep on top of things through the spring and summer months.

I'm hoping that this will free me up so we can spend more time as a family enjoying the garden instead of worrying about how much work it needs. I think I mowed the lawn twice last year. 

[cineater]

lol, little fun writing tonight.  Got a backside drenched in cold water.  That will calm your ass down.  One should never tell a god what he should do.  Fortunately I was only slightly pissed and annoyed with him.  I could have had a whole creek dumped on my head.

[Len Cnut]

11 hours ago, Gracii Guns said:

So after starting this thread, I've decided that it's about time to hire a gardener.

Oh yeah?  First its holidays without the old man and next its sweaty young continental gardeners hanging around the gaff, tsk tsk.

[Gracii Guns]

2 hours ago, Len Cnut said:

Oh yeah?  First its holidays without the old man and next its sweaty young continental gardeners hanging around the gaff, tsk tsk.

I'm just cruising for penis. 

[soon]

15 hours ago, cineater said:

That was the end of any of my thoughts about that lady's sex life, lol.  Nice enough woman but wouldn't have drawn me into switch hitting if you know what I mean.

I started watching that Marvellous show but it didn't hold my attention for long.  If you get prime, you can watch the narrow boat shows.  Wasn't my friends thing either so don't feel obligated.  

I followed that whole process through to the algae too.  Scary shit.

Marvellous kinda stalled for me too. Early season 2 and I'm just not feeling it. Thats cool about the narrow boat show - Ill check it out! Im sure I would enjoy it. I like to watch peoples sailing videos on YT.

My seedlings seemed to have stagnated. I already learned that these lights weren't sufficient for the adult kale and use other lights for that. I will be pissed if my T5s are already shot. Thats 2 &3 years for these ones. And the bulbs arent replaceable, you have to get the whole rig new. How often do you need to switch yours out?

7 hours ago, cineater said:

lol, little fun writing tonight.  Got a backside drenched in cold water.  That will calm your ass down.  One should never tell a god what he should do.  Fortunately I was only slightly pissed and annoyed with him.  I could have had a whole creek dumped on my head.

Youre falling in the creek too now?  Hope youre okay?

[cineater]

If I have to explain why my backside is soaked, I was going to use slipped and fell into the creek.  No, he threw that at me on purpose, lol.  Fucker!

Now you are sounding like Marsha with the T somethings on the size of the light bulbs.  I have the size you would normally see in the ceiling of an office.  I'm trying to get her to do light blub training.  My lights came from the pot growers so I don't know how long they were on before they came to me.  So far I've replaced one and they are going into the 3rd year.  I noticed those little size ones do seem to burn out quicker.  I want to say that's the 5 size but I could be wrong.

I have a couple of the red spectrum lights she told me the flowering plants go under.  I am not playing switch out the bulbs, don't tell her.  All the veggies she wants under the white lights only.  Maybe you need to give them some diluted fertilizer?  I don't think there's hardly any nutrients in the growing medium.  My onions started looking a lot better once I started feeding them.

[soon]

2 hours ago, cineater said:

If I have to explain why my backside is soaked, I was going to use slipped and fell into the creek.  No, he threw that at me on purpose, lol.  Fucker!

Now you are sounding like Marsha with the T somethings on the size of the light bulbs.  I have the size you would normally see in the ceiling of an office.  I'm trying to get her to do light blub training.  My lights came from the pot growers so I don't know how long they were on before they came to me.  So far I've replaced one and they are going into the 3rd year.  I noticed those little size ones do seem to burn out quicker.  I want to say that's the 5 size but I could be wrong.

I have a couple of the red spectrum lights she told me the flowering plants go under.  I am not playing switch out the bulbs, don't tell her.  All the veggies she wants under the white lights only.  Maybe you need to give them some diluted fertilizer?  I don't think there's hardly any nutrients in the growing medium.  My onions started looking a lot better once I started feeding them.

Why a jerk!  This was Del? Why did you do??

Sounds like you have fluorescents? Im going to have to explore if micro greens are happy with florescent as it seems like an all around better option. LEDs have the energy consumption in their favour, but Im sure florescent gets more efficient by the year? I have some red and blue spectrum lights. If I recall the mix of red and blue is to help cannabis grow buds, but not flower. Something like that. I used it on tomatoes once and it seems happy enough.

I just worried that if its the lights leaving the spouts weak then maybe even diluted fertilizer might be too much of a shock?

Thats great about your onion! Growing onions has got to be one of the greatest of all veg, in that to me its emblematic of cooking great food.

[cineater]

No, not Del, the god in my story.  He knows how to accentuate a point, lol.

I have florescent lights.  I'm not a fan of the LED lights.  There's something not right about those.  And they don't seem to last as long like you say.  You can do the science experiment, give half of them some fertilizer and none to the rest.  The onions go to the greenhouse tomorrow.  My greenhouse shift starts on Sunday.  I'll be doing that until the end of May.  I'll pick up two evening shifts in a few weeks.

I did catch a garden show on the precision of the French garden.  And one on the English cottage garden but with a tropical twist.  I must say I lean towards the French style in what I like but I lean towards the English in what I've got, lol.

I asked somebody if she knew who was cutting trails through the woods.  I've always wanted to do that.  She'll keep a lookout for some group and then decided she would go with me.  Wait, no, lol.  This was kind of my escape from the group.  I wanted to go by myself.

Do you realize, we are one month away from spring?!

Edited February 19, 2020 by cineater

[soon]

That is fantastic news about spring!!! Cant come soon enough!

Oh, I thought it was part real life and part fiction. I see! I havent written any more yet 

Thats a great idea about doing the fertilizer experiment. Thanks! Im so happy you get to start at the greenhouse! And the onions today. Jealous! My first grow rig was florescent and I loved it! I am pretty convinced to go back to florescent because its not 'more sustainable' to use t5 if they need to run for more days to bring the plant to maturity. Or worse yet, stall out the growth and waste all the energy. I just hate having to buy all the sockets and building the rig from the ground up. Its not easy to find ready to go florescent rigs around here. Everything is LED/T5's. 

English gardens are kinda 'everything all together' I think?

Youll have to sneak off with out mention. Maybe wear some camo 

Okay, so now that my seedlings are gaining true leaves its become clear to me that theres something not right. I dont think thats kale! haha. And it wouldnt be the first screw up from this seed supplier either.  It was from a bag of mixed types of kale. But all the seedlings are the same. And none of them look like any kale Ive seen before. They look like wax beans except I would have noticed the seeds in that case. The seeds were tiny like Kale. Or I guess the seeds couldve all been duds and a second supplier screw up found seeds in the soil I bought?

[cineater]

That could be a fortunate mistake with the kale, lol.  Although you might have withdrawal symptoms if your Kale supply is cut off. 

English gardens are your plant communities called cottage gardens.  They have a lot packed into one spot.  The ones they show you are usually all perennial flowers of some type but I've seen them use cool foliage plants.  They have some ornamental trees and bushes mixed in.  Everyone has a garden shed.  The English are dead serious about their gardens.  I think they invented pretty gardens.

Purple geraniums are ordered to the greenhouse.  I guess I'll be coming home with 4 seedling flats.  I'm starting to get water bottle spraying hand. 

My daughter is getting all involved selecting a wedding cake person.  I told her don't sweat it.  Nobody really notices the cake and by the time you start serving cake, people are drinking and there is no cake that goes with alcohol. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by cineater

[soon]

36 minutes ago, cineater said:

That could be a fortunate mistake with the kale, lol.  Although you might have withdrawal symptoms if your Kale supply is cut off. 

English gardens are your plant communities called cottage gardens.  They have a lot packed into one spot.  The ones they show you are usually all perennial flowers of some type but I've seen them use cool foliage plants.  They have some ornamental trees and bushes mixed in.  Everyone has a garden shed.  The English are dead serious about their gardens.  I think they invented pretty gardens.

Purple geraniums are ordered to the greenhouse.  I guess I'll be coming home with 4 seedling flats.  I'm starting to get water bottle spraying hand. 

My daughter is getting all involved selecting a wedding cake person.  I told her don't sweat it.  Nobody really notices the cake and by the time you start serving cake, people are drinking and there is no cake that goes with alcohol. 

HAHAHAHAHA! So true about the kale mix up being fortunate.  Ill have to monitor my vitals as i withdraw... when I run out of kale finally in 2025 

Interesting about the English gardens. I think I mentioned watching BBCs 'The Great Allotment Challenge' on YT? And I think you may have watched it too, but I cant recall in this moment? But it really conveys the passion their culture has for gardening.

Rum Cake disagree with you  But yeah everyone will enjoy whatever is served, especially if the are pre-sauced.

Okay, speaking of growing kale in the winter. I just learned about people using active composts (really hot composting) to heat their hoop houses. That is the only heat other than the sun! And its enough heat to grow things like kale!! Blows my mind! He puts his hand into the centre of the compost heap and it burns his hand!!!

If you are interested in checking it out, it starts around 18 min mark

 

[cineater]

There's no sitting space in the greenhouse!  It should be taken up with plants, lol.  It would be so nice to have an office in there.  The aquaponics was cool if you like fish.

Okay, I don't think he knows what he's talking about with the compost heap helping to heat the hoop house.  Our greenhouse is a modified hoop house about the 3/4 the size of those.  If you don't know enough about compost not to stick your hand into the center of the pile where it will get severly burned, you don't know what you're talking about to begin with.  Noticed he was able to sit on the pile?  How much heat is that really generating to the open air if you can comfortably sit there?  Not much and it's going to be even less with cold air going across it.  Compost heat is all in the center.  That's why you have to turn it.  Our greenhouse has never gotten below freezing.  They heat up big time during the day and it takes them all night to cool off.  They are growing cool season crops in there that can take colder temperatures at night and the soil in the middle is not getting time to cool off so it's at growing temp for that plant.  Notice they weren't planting closer to the sides?  The compost heap might be doing a very little bit but I think the real reason it is in there is because they will turn it until it becomes growable in and make rows to get a head start on the crops they grown in there in warmer temps.  The compost heap would have slowed down outside in winter.  Remember he said they can roll up the sides?  You grow in the middle of that during the summer and those plants will need water twice per day, likely just fry. You grow on the sides in the spring/summer so you can let in and out the hot air. He wasn't working at that place.  I don't think he really knows how things work there.  

Okay, this is all your fault soon.  I came home with two flats of kale.  I figured if I had problems getting it to sprout, you could help me.  I have Black Magic and Scarlet.

I'm sorry but I'm still laughing at that guy burning his hand in the compost.  He was truly shocked it was that hot.  Even after he realized he was being burned he was still trying to pull out a handful and hold it.  His brain kept telling him this shouldn't be happening.  Believe what your nerves are telling you guy.  And when he should have dropped it, he kept trying to shake it off to get to the cooler stuff he thought should be there.  Maybe I should have Tim put up a warning sign the center of the heap is extremely hot.

Edited February 20, 2020 by cineater

[soon]

10 hours ago, cineater said:

There's no sitting space in the greenhouse!  It should be taken up with plants, lol.  It would be so nice to have an office in there.  The aquaponics was cool if you like fish.

Okay, I don't think he knows what he's talking about with the compost heap helping to heat the hoop house.  Our greenhouse is a modified hoop house about the 3/4 the size of those.  If you don't know enough about compost not to stick your hand into the center of the pile where it will get severly burned, you don't know what you're talking about to begin with.  Noticed he was able to sit on the pile?  How much heat is that really generating to the open air if you can comfortably sit there?  Not much and it's going to be even less with cold air going across it.  Compost heat is all in the center.  That's why you have to turn it.  Our greenhouse has never gotten below freezing.  They heat up big time during the day and it takes them all night to cool off.  They are growing cool season crops in there that can take colder temperatures at night and the soil in the middle is not getting time to cool off so it's at growing temp for that plant.  Notice they weren't planting closer to the sides?  The compost heap might be doing a very little bit but I think the real reason it is in there is because they will turn it until it becomes growable in and make rows to get a head start on the crops they grown in there in warmer temps.  The compost heap would have slowed down outside in winter.  Remember he said they can roll up the sides?  You grow in the middle of that during the summer and those plants will need water twice per day, likely just fry. You grow on the sides in the spring/summer so you can let in and out the hot air. He wasn't working at that place.  I don't think he really knows how things work there.  

Okay, this is all your fault soon.  I came home with two flats of kale.  I figured if I had problems getting it to sprout, you could help me.  I have Black Magic and Scarlet.

I'm sorry but I'm still laughing at that guy burning his hand in the compost.  He was truly shocked it was that hot.  Even after he realized he was being burned he was still trying to pull out a handful and hold it.  His brain kept telling him this shouldn't be happening.  Believe what your nerves are telling you guy.  And when he should have dropped it, he kept trying to shake it off to get to the cooler stuff he thought should be there.  Maybe I should have Tim put up a warning sign the center of the heap is extremely hot.

You have kale now too!!!???  Must be something about me that draws in kale from the universe? Enough that it comes to those I talk to as well!  I can try and help for sure! Youll likely have the 'elbow shoots' that you then 'replant' the bottom portion of, so that they sit straight up. And if I had in fact been germinating kale I could show pics of the procedure 

Black Magic is one of the varietals I have growing! Like already mature. I know it as "Dino kale." Under the lights it doesnt grow very tall so I cant harvest it very often, so Im unsure if I will continue with it, but its early stages of experimentation. Scarlet is just beautiful! The other type Im growing so far is Siberian kale. Well, honestly its some variety of whats called "Russo-Siberian" but Im not sure which specifically. Its from a mix packet. It is doing really well, surviving even Beaker. The leaves are much bigger than Black Magic and it grows larger under the lights. Since Im only harvesting any of it as baby kale the Siberian is more like lettuce, suitable for a sandwich. It doesnt hold up to cooking, but the Black magic is great to saute. 

Oh thats too bad about the compost hoop house thing. It made sense to me because I use a single, tiny, tea lamp candle to reheat meals and even cook over. 

Have Tim erect a sign that reads "Due to the reality that a bunch of dummies are learning to garden via YouTube, we'd like to make clear that compost piles are hot!" 

(Hey maybe thats why volunteers for the compost heap always flake - they burn themselves and are too proud to inquire??)

[cineater]

That's just my thoughts from watching that video.  I could be way off.  I'd be running around with a temperature probe to explore my thoughts and asking a lot of questions.  I don't like fish but that was really interesting.  I'm wondering about water roots, they are not as strong but the goal isn't a thriving healthy plant the goal is food production.

Last year several gardeners dug into the leaf mulch pile.  It had been sitting there all winter decomposing.  Once they got to the middle where they realized it was hot, they still went straight to their beds and put it on there.  Then they realized those new plantings couldn't handle the heat, lol.  It cools off pretty quickly once you spread it out but you need to wait a little bit.

Me and kale, it's all your fault if it turns into an obsession.  I only have to get them to germinate and get to the stage where they are ready for transplanting.  I take them into the group to transplant and then they should go to the greenhouse for group care.

I have to rethink what I'm doing with the Master Gardener group.  For years we went without a person from the Extension office and we did our own thing.  Now that we have that person, our leaders want to step back and let him take the lead.  It's going to take some time for the two to figure out where we are in what we are doing.  I'm okay with that and that's probably the way it should be.  I can continue to be part of the group and volunteer for stuff.  I don't want to be in a position where I feel like I'm working for somebody else.  I like developing stuff and running my own show.  I'll find another outlet for that.  I have a bunch of things I'm doing with them that run through June but after that I'm stepping back.  What can I say, I'm a high energy person.  I can't sit and wait while there's so much that can be done now.

[soon]

Theres some other videos of people experimenting with various methods of composting to heat their hoop houses. It seems to be popular to try out, but theres not a lot of conclusive evidence on YouTube, so Ill have to do more thorough research if I want to get to the bottom of it. Ive always wanted to use a composting toilet and now that I know that I could heat my apartment with it...  Theres also some DIY geothermal rigs heating hoop houses! People are amazing!

Theres a million micro greens tutorials on there and they are all lacking. I guess one day Ill have to rectify that issue.

Ahaha! They burned all their seedlings! lol

Lets go full-bronco with the kale?!?! haha! A few true leaves made clear that at least some of my new growth are kale. So perhaps the ones germinating the most are simply a varietal that I dont recognize. Still odd since I use the same mix packets all the time, though.

Im sad to hear you say that about Master Gardeners. You add so much value to it all! But I hear you about not wanting to start working for the new boss. I guess like a butterfly you will just go pollenate other awesome work?

[cineater]

I like the new guy and will support what he wants to do with us as a group.  I just saw him as a support to what we wanted to do.  I don't want to volunteer him out of a job and I don't want to do his job for him.  It will be fine.

So you don't think totally badly about Del.  I think you will like this article he shared with us. https://rodaleinstitute.org/science/articles/tips-and-steps-to-planting-insectary-strips-for-organic-pest-management/  It explains how you can plant plants that artract the bugs that prey on the bugs you don't want.  Towards the bottom is a table of plants and the bugs they attract.  The other table is a list of those bugs and what bugs they eat.  Kale was not on the list of plants, lol.

I think all those videos too but a lot of them I'm finding some issues with.  Once in a while I go look further into it but most the time I just let it go.  I shouldn't laugh too hard at that guy putting his hand into the compost.  I'd probably do it too.  I like to get my hands into stuff. 

At a meeting tonight and someone I don't know asks me what I think of GMOs.  Yeah this could start a fight, lol.  I went with, "history shows us that in the beginning of all this scientific interjection it was great but later on we found out it caused a problem in another way.  I lean more to how mother nature does it."  She liked that answer.  That is my go to answer from now on when anybody asks me about GMOs.

They didn't give me the seed packet with the seeds.  How long before the kale comes up?

[soon]

10 hours ago, cineater said:

I like the new guy and will support what he wants to do with us as a group.  I just saw him as a support to what we wanted to do.  I don't want to volunteer him out of a job and I don't want to do his job for him.  It will be fine.

So you don't think totally badly about Del.  I think you will like this article he shared with us. https://rodaleinstitute.org/science/articles/tips-and-steps-to-planting-insectary-strips-for-organic-pest-management/  It explains how you can plant plants that artract the bugs that prey on the bugs you don't want.  Towards the bottom is a table of plants and the bugs they attract.  The other table is a list of those bugs and what bugs they eat.  Kale was not on the list of plants, lol.

I think all those videos too but a lot of them I'm finding some issues with.  Once in a while I go look further into it but most the time I just let it go.  I shouldn't laugh too hard at that guy putting his hand into the compost.  I'd probably do it too.  I like to get my hands into stuff. 

At a meeting tonight and someone I don't know asks me what I think of GMOs.  Yeah this could start a fight, lol.  I went with, "history shows us that in the beginning of all this scientific interjection it was great but later on we found out it caused a problem in another way.  I lean more to how mother nature does it."  She liked that answer.  That is my go to answer from now on when anybody asks me about GMOs.

They didn't give me the seed packet with the seeds.  How long before the kale comes up?

Thanks for that article! Its so helpful! I had used plants to repel bugs using their scent (like marigold which is also part of this list), but never understood how to attract beneficial bugs. But without kale being listed, its of no use to me . Man I do not want to attract a wolf spider though! Thats too cool. Is there a plan to try that out at your garden?

Things like that, eliminating pests using predator bugs, which also offers pollinators refuge and pollen while removing the need for pesticides, is what I live for! On top of it being important ethically, its just so cool and fun. With legal weed a lot of growers are introducing beneficial bugs to avoid using pesticide so thats good for the planet. I think they just raise them in a separate room and fly them through the grow room once a day though.

And one wonders how many times gardeners have sprayed pesticide on these beneficial bugs.

I repositioned my larger solar panel and really increased my intake! And its got me pumped up and planning my next solar purchases. So I been watching vids on that. I am very suspicious how all these YT vids are people starting an experiment. Lets see the two years later proof of concept please?

Sweet answer about GMOs. Im gonna use it too!  

In my experience kale is quick. Most of what Ive grown is 3-6 days. Thats what I had this round, with many stragglers too, but I plan to toss the runts. It likes it cool.

[cineater]

I know!  That wolf spider freaked me out.  I had one in my van one time.  I ran in the house yelling for Russ to get his gun, lol.

You have solar panels?

[soon]

21 minutes ago, cineater said:

I know!  That wolf spider freaked me out.  I had one in my van one time.  I ran in the house yelling for Russ to get his gun, lol.

You have solar panels?

Hahaha! 

Yeah, just two. Both small. And they're just in my windows as thats the only option I have. Ones the size of a dvd case, lol, but it charges a light and charges usb things like a phone. The other is newer, its about 2ft by 1ft and is the flexible solar panel type. It has its own storage bank that Im currently using to power a daisy chain of lights and to charge a separate power bank that I have. I can take the power bank out with me and use it to charge my phone. The bank is about the size of a larger smart phone.

Its all just really beginner stuff, but Im learning and planning on a more substantial system. Also, next purchase is for the cook in me. Im buying electric spice grinders that charge via my solar panels USB port 

My newer panel has more options. Like I can accessorize it with an AA and AAA battery charger.

I want to get a more substantial flood light /solar rig that will be the only lights I ever use at home. That rig is $80 - the prices are getting really affordable for these smaller 'plug and play' systems. And if the lights are as powerful as they say then I plan to try using it for the micro greens!! And then Id really be getting to something substantial.

Again, its a really small amount of power that is only replacing things that dont draw much electricity to begin with, but its what I can do. I like to support the industry and fool around with all the gear. And when the power goes out from the weather Im the only home with lights on in my neighbourhood. Everyone elses phones die while Im fully charged and listening to a podcast 

[cineater]

That's cool you are getting into those solar panels.  Know nothing about those but think you are heading in the right direction.

Talked to Marsha about the compost pile and heat.  She initially lit up at the thought but then wondered too just how much heat that was generating.  I looked through the stuff online.  They talked a lot about forcing air through the pile and heat coming out that way.  They talked about manure piles, I can see that generating heat but I have no experience with them and don't want to, lol.  I'll ask Tim about it next time I see him.

Glenda built one of those fairy/witches out of branches and garden plant stuff down at the main street garden.  I wanted her to build a couple for the main garden but I didn't know where we could put them.  Got Leslie to agree to put one in the native meadow (Chiggerville).  She's excited, I'm excited.  We're going to use it as a group activity to pull the native team back together for this year.  I want them as another reason to come visit our gardens besides the plants. 

Edited February 22, 2020 by cineater

[soon]

15 hours ago, cineater said:

That's cool you are getting into those solar panels.  Know nothing about those but think you are heading in the right direction.

Talked to Marsha about the compost pile and heat.  She initially lit up at the thought but then wondered too just how much heat that was generating.  I looked through the stuff online.  They talked a lot about forcing air through the pile and heat coming out that way.  They talked about manure piles, I can see that generating heat but I have no experience with them and don't want to, lol.  I'll ask Tim about it next time I see him.

Glenda built one of those fairy/witches out of branches and garden plant stuff down at the main street garden.  I wanted her to build a couple for the main garden but I didn't know where we could put them.  Got Leslie to agree to put one in the native meadow (Chiggerville).  She's excited, I'm excited.  We're going to use it as a group activity to pull the native team back together for this year.  I want them as another reason to come visit our gardens besides the plants. 

I got a little long winded there about solar - sorry! haha. I get really into that stuff.

It feels cool to have something I brought up raised with Marsha! I saw those versions of forcing air through, or having tubes to the middle. And the version that is just hay and manure, too. That one seems to have a name and come from permaculture, but I dunno. Its like theres enough videos there to make it seem possible, but why cant any of it be conclusive then? Looking forward to what Tim thinks. 

I saw in some cases that they didnt use it year round where there is serious winter but rather started their seedlings just a month sooner than otherwise. In that method they set the seedling trays directly onto the compost pile. I thought that one seemed likely enough to work?

Im not sure if I can picture those fairy/witches. I think i can bring it to mind. They are a bit scary? That will be fun to build together. I hope the team really comes together for the season!

 

[cineater]

Like I don't get long winded, lol.  That was interesting.  Didn't know any of those small solar panels existed.

Yeah I think so too on setting the seed trays onto the compost.  It's like a heat mat but what's going on with the top?  Might have to protect the seedling from frost.  Maybe build a cold frame top you throw over it at night.  Our greenhouse has a stone floor to help absorb heat and let it out at night.  People also use those water barrels to soak up heat.  Both I think do a little but the biggest problem with those hoop houses is getting the heat out.  If you're like me, you'll work outside and suddenly realized you feet and hands are freezing, remember you can stick them in the compost pile to warm them up.

I'm not really sure what those things made out of twigs and garden materials are called so I couldn't really find a good picture of one.  They are a bit scary.  I saw some called Irish fairies.  I'll ask Glenda today what they are.

Leads meeting today.  I got a call at 2 yesterday that there may be a parking problem and I might have to shuttle my people in.  I've kind of worked Marsha that I'm running this meeting, not her.  I'm letting her have a talking spot earlier on so she can get that need to take over out, lol.  And will get her to take charge of the wood piles.  I'm calling on different people to present some of my points.  My other meetings were me taking charge and setting the direction of the group.  This one is a make us a team meeting.  I have to stay in my chair, lol.