Barncast 63 -- The Green House

2007-04-22 22:03:50

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Dialup (51:59)


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A little late, but here's the show notes, now that our hosting provider is online again! This weeks show has a huge round up, it's amazing how busy things start getting in the spring! Other things in the show:

I hope you enjoy the show this weekend. Make sure to call us and leave your question for show 65, question show. You can call the farm phone, leave a comment, or send us an email at gfl@geekfarmlife.com.

Picture of the week, Caroline's doeling:

Plants in the greenhouse, and time to move the pasture:

Comments

Paula on 2007-04-23 10:20:56

Hello Misty and Andrew,

I have a video podcast for you to look at. It's called the Gardenfork. It's put out by Eric Rochow.

http://gardenfork.tv/

Episode 23 is about how to make a cold frame. Eric has a tip using a vent that automatically opens if the cold frame get too hot. I don't know if you could use it in a green house but might be worth a look.

I know Misty has said she is not a fan of Video Podcasts but Eric is unintentionally funny. ie, He licked the camera lens to clean it off or the time he took a bite from a salad green and then through the ends back into the bowl. He is so scary with the power tools I am expecting an episode in the ER.

With our tax return this year my hubby got me a new MacBook so I could use ilife. Check out my new blog. I am still learning but it is incredibly easy to use. I think he is expecting me to do a knitting podcast. Unfortunately,even though I have been knitting a long time I am not very good at it and I don't think I could be funny on demand.

I love your podcast by the way. (psst...don't tell the others but you're my favorite)

Have a great day, Paula

John G on 2007-04-23 19:07:38

Eggplant dehydrates very nicely. Other than pickling, it is the only way to preserve it. However, you will want to vacuum pack it because moths like it. Do you have trouble with moths in the kitchen/pantry? How do you address it?

For heat retention, black containers filled with water is very practical. Higher humidity is better but not saturation level humidity. 60% to 70% is ideal. Another major concern in your greenhouse is air circulation and fresh air exchange. As the seeds germinate, they need oxygen. After the first true leaves appear, more carbon dioxide is needed. If you have an opening opposite the door to the greenhouse, the passive circulation is sufficient.

andrew on 2007-04-24 14:44:14

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the link Paula, I'll make sure to check it out.

The link you put it doesn't work. If you want to send me the URL in the body of a message or email to gfl@geekfarmlife.com I can fix her up so everyone can see it.

I don't think being funny is a requirement. I know some people think we're funny, but it's not really our goal. Though there's nothing wrong with laughing either. ;)

Thanks for the info JohnG! Dehydrating egg plant sounds like a plan. We've never had a moth problem, know on wood. Our greenhouse isn't well sealed on the bottom so has circulation, in the fall I'll try and plug it up some.

John Macfarlane on 2007-04-24 16:57:39

Enjoyed watching the Gardenfork video podcast on my Apple iMac.Better than than other gardening shows on UK TV. Would love to see a GFL video podcast :) John

India on 2007-04-25 09:00:48

Glad to hear about the bees, Misty. Hope the hive does well this year. Andrew - any chance of the cheese programme? I know, it's not enough that you guys bust your asses getting a podcast out, you've got demanding listeners as well. Hope all is weel chez 3 Elms, India

misty on 2007-04-25 09:11:19

We keep finding new things that would be fun to video. The goat kids and lambs outside are absolutely adorable right now. They are in that stage where their legs seem to have springs in them, as they just leap up in the air for no reason. Plus they all chase each other around, head-butt, etc. When someone gets his feelings hurt he runs back to mom and latches onto a teat. Too funny!

India, I assume you read my blog post. Were you ever able to get commenting working there? You should NOT have to register to comment anymore. Please let me know.

Cheese is Andrew's department. I think next week we will be talking about the new bees, but maybe the week after we can do a cheese-cast!

John G on 2007-04-25 16:39:10

There is a very nice little book about foodways in Provence, A Pig in Provence by Georgeanne Brennan. The first chapter deals with her learning how to make fresh goat's milk cheese and the parsimonious use of rennet. In all, it is a very GeekFarmLife type of book, highly recommended.

NYTimes has an article about vanishing bees in the Science section "Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons".

DailyKos has a macabre poll on disappearing bees on Tuesday's date, so the scary trend is starting to be noticed by politics junkies. My answer was: "They think we humans are jerks and are sick of pollinating our damn food".

Andrew, I don't think you have enough air circulation in the greenhouse with just the loose bottom (insert flatulence joke here). I would recommend a vent on the roof at the far end of the door, which could just be an oversized flap of the plastic material you used for the covering. To create something of a seal, use two-sided adhesive tape to affix flexible magnets (check polarity before applying!) We've been having 80F days here and the heat being trapped in your greenhouse is going to stress your plants. I really admire your design otherwise!

Hope my xhtml coding works here!

andrew on 2007-04-25 19:59:20

The shearing video would be a hit or miss thing. To do it right it would take a long time, but then you would end up with a hour of video and have to edit it down to 10mins or so. Anyways, don't hold your breath for any video podcasts any time soon. :)

JohnG, I think we have the circulation under control. Opening the door keeps the temperatures under 100f. Thanks for all the links, I'll go check them out.

-Andrew

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