Greenhouse Update and More

On Sunday Harold and I put the plastic roof on the greenhouse!   It took us most of the afternoon.  The wind wasn't too bad, but breezy enough to make things a little difficult.   It actually went on better than I thought it would.   We still need to trim up plastic, add some lath reinforcements, and clean up the yard and mow.   I hesitate to show you how it looks now because of the mess yet, so please excuse things!   I know my readers have been anxious to see the finished product.  We also still have to put the side roll up bars on.   Harold is working on the handles, and did some welding on them today.  When everything is "nice and pretty", I will take better pictures.   But, anyway - here is a preliminary photo of the building:

Not finished yet or pretty, but you will get the idea.

 Here are some views of the inside :

Looking toward the front.

Looking towards the back.

Looking through the doorway.

We debated whether or not to put two layers of plastic on the roof  - some say you should, some say it's not necessary.  We bought plastic for 2 layers of roof, then I read that two layers of plastic cuts the sunlight down to 70% and raises the temperature inside by 10 degrees.  It is already over 90 degrees in there with the sides open!    But using only one layer makes for a noisier building as the plastic flaps around easier in wind, and it is easier to tear with hail or wear.   We don't get hail very often, and we got the plastic pretty tight, so it doesn't flop around much.  So we are going with one layer, and now we have a 'spare' for a few years down the road.   We used ropes to bring the plastic over the top, after anchoring the base with lath boards.  Even with the small wind we had, it was all I could do to hang on to my rope, as the upward pull on the rope was terrific.   But we got it done! 

Inside I have planted a little of everything, as I am not sure what works well in the high tunnel, and what doesn't.  So far I have planted all of my hot peppers, some green peppers, some tomatoes, (a couple cherry tomatoes, too), 5 kinds of onions (red, white, yellow, sweet and leeks), many types of salad greens including mixtures (mesclun), romaine, buttercrunch, spinach and green leaf.  Also lima beans, green beans, oregano, basil, parsley, carrots, and bok choy.   We will see what does best!  I will also plant these things in the regular garden for a comparison as to what does better in which situation.

Today Harold is working with the bees - dusting them with powdered sugar for varoa mites.  This is an old natural method for getting rid of mites, as we do not want to use the chemical strips available to most beekeepers.   You cannot put on honey supers for 8 weeks using those chemicals, and we would miss a great deal of the honey flow for certain plants like basswood, which is excellent for honey.   This method is cheaper and non-chemical, and we would rather do this than use sprays or strips.

"Bee Man" working on the hives.

Harold started on the first set of boxes - see how many he has to go!  You gotta love bees to do this job!

All the Latest So Far

The rain finally quit and things have dried up enough to do outside work.  We've been busy mowing grass, checking the bees (they are doing great!), and starting to work again on the greenhouse.  Today Harold put the door in, and we put the outside mesh on the other side of the greenhouse.  Tomorrow we hope to put plastic around the outside, and maybe this weekend the plastic on the roof if it's not too windy.  I worked up the soil inside the boxes, since the rain made it all nice and soft to work with.  Tomorrow I plan to plant peppers, onions, and salad greens in the first box. 

The door is in, the sides are on, and next step is the plastic!

The last few days, since it isn't freezing at night anymore, I have set my plants on the screen porch, ready to put in the garden and greenhouse.

Petunias and peppers and tomatoes ready to plant.

Cabbages, bok choy, more petunias and tomatoes ready to go.

This evening Harold tilled up the garden for the first time.   He usually goes around it a couple more times before planting.   We had to wait for the ground to dry up a little after a week's worth of rain.

Tilling up the big garden.   He already did the smaller garden with the tiller attachment . Sure beats using the old walk-behind Troy-Built! The older we get, the smarter we have to work!

I use large cans to protect young plants.   How do you like the way I store them?  I put rebar in the ground and just stacked them up - "yard art", eh?

My temporary yard art - cans I will use for young plants. 

As soon as we get some plastic up on the greenhouse I will post some updates.   Next year should be easier for early gardening, as the greenhouse will already be built.   We're getting a late start this year, but that's OK.   I never plant the main garden until Memorial weekend anyway (usually the traditional May 30).  This year the weather guys are saying no more frost this month, so I'll take a chance and plant what I can this weekend - IF it doesn't rain!

While it was raining last week, I made myself a summer quilt.  I made it completely from materials I already had in my stash and didn't have to buy anything!   I love these "something from nothing" gifts to myself!

How do you like the patriotic themed quilt I made from my stash of fabric?

Frittata - My favorite Egg Dish

Here is an egg dish that I've been making and serving since the early 1980's when I first got this recipe out of a Family Circle magazine.   I haven't seen it in any magazines since then, and I wonder why, because it is just plain good and simple! Everyone that I have ever served this to likes it!  And the best part is that you can add anything you want to the basic egg/milk/cheese mix and vary the taste to your liking.   It makes an excellent brunch dish for family or guests, or a simple supper for a late supper or a Sunday evening dish.  You can fancy it up with gourmet cheese, serve it with muffins or croissants or just plain toast, or even biscuits, which I often do.   It is different and elegant and even kids like this.

Here is the basic recipe:

FRITTATA

6 eggs
a scant cup of milk (I don't fill it quite to the mark)
2 T. butter, melted (use butter - margarine is too watery for this dish)
salt and pepper to taste
about 1 c. cheese (you can use more or less - but I like lots of cheese!)
vegetables of your choice and/or meats of your choice

     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 10/and 1/2 inch glass or Pyrex quiche pan with some of the melted butter.  Beat eggs, milk, melted butter,  and salt and pepper together.  Pour into the quiche pan.  Sprinkle with some shredded cheese (about 1/2 cup).  Then put on whatever vegetables or meats you want, then put on this the remaining cheese.   Sprinkle with paprika for a nice colorful touch!  Carefully put in the oven so as not to jar the combination around too much.

     Bake for about 30 minutes, until eggs are puffy and set and the cheese is slightly browned.   Let sit for a minute or so, then cut into wedges like pie, and proudly serve to your guests who will be very impressed with your expertise!  

     Serves 4 to 6, depending on what you serve with it, and what you put into it. 

Choose from vegetables like:  chopped broccoli, red pepper, green pepper, sliced cooked potatoes, onions of various kinds, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, chopped tomatoes, olives, leftover cooked veggies, etc.  Whatever you like! No need to pre-cook the veggies, the baking does this for you.

Choose from meats like:  chopped ham, chopped Spam (now don't laugh, chopped up it makes a good meat for this dish!), browned Italian or seasoned sausage  or sliced up Little Sizzlers cooked, chopped cooked leftover roast beef or pork, sliced Polish Kielbasa or cooked venison. 

Choose from cheese like:  Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack, Cheddar, American, Gouda, Swiss, flavored cheeses, or a combination of odds and ends of whatever you have in the refrigerator.  Mozzarella does NOT work very good, though, too stringy for this dish. 

Here is a photo of the dish before it goes into the oven: 

First put in the egg mix, then some cheese, then some toppings, then more cheese, and sprinkle with paprika.

Here is a photo of what it looks like after it has baked: 

Slightly crisp, browned and baked to perfection!

Some of my favorite combinations:

In spring, I like chopped tiny fresh asparagus, green onions, fresh mushrooms and Gouda cheese. 

In summer, I like chopped zucchini, chopped fresh tomato, shredded fresh spinach and Cheddar cheese.

In fall, I like red and green pepper, boiled and sliced small red potatoes with the skins on, chopped red onion and Monterey Jack cheese. 

In winter, I like chopped broccoli, mushrooms, and Pepper Jack cheese.  

Truly, this dish is as versatile as you want to make it.   I usually make it meatless (because I am a vegetarian) and serve the meat on the side, but you could add any kind of meat to any kind of veggie combo and you will always have a different tasting frittata every time you make it!   For a fancy brunch for guests, I like to serve this dish with blueberry or apple muffins, or some kind of coffeecake, or freshly made biscuits, fresh fruit, sausages on the side and fruit juice.   I do hope you try your favorite meat and cheese combination - you won't be sorry!

The Bees are Back from California!!

Today our bees arrived!  We sent them out to California with our beekeeping friend Josh over the winter, along with his hundreds of hives.  Thanks to his great generosity, we sent out 6 hives and got back 32 (but one hive is for our neighbor).  So this year, we are starting off with 31 hives!  Thank you Josh!  While out in CA he split some hives, and got a good deal on hundreds of other hives.  We will begin  our 8th year as hobby farm beekeepers.  We started keeping bees in 2008.  Early in 2008 (in February of that year) we took a beekeeping course at the Univ of Minnesota. 

Today we inspected all the hives and fed them a pollen patty and some sugar syrup.   It was sort of a cool and windy day, but when the sun came out, the bees already began to work.   The dandelions are in full bloom and the bees really love dandelions.   We are hoping for a really good year for honey!  Between the bees, the greenhouse, and the gardens, our busy season is about to explode into crazy full time work!

Josh unloads bees from the truck. 

Consulting with Harold about where the bees should go.  In the background you can see our apple tree is in full bloom 

We put a pollen patty on top of the hive, and poured some sugar syrup into the hive feeder.

While inspecting all the hives, the cats did, too!  Our cats have no fear of bees.

Within a couple hours, the bees were already working the dandelions!  You can see a bee on a flower here. The yard is already buzzing with bees working the dandelions.

Standing in the bee yard.  I am the official "record keeper".  Each hive will be numbered and activity recorded throughout the season. 

 

A close-up of the inside of a hive.  That is burr comb towards the back of the hive.  The bees love to fill in spaces with extra burr comb - gives them something to do, I guess!

Just look at our beautiful wild plum trees in full bloom!  Pretty soon the bees will discover these blossoms, and the whole tree will be buzzing with bees.

Greenhouse Update 3 - Dirt Work Finished!

We spent the last 5 days shoveling dirt.  (We took off Sunday - day of rest, you know.   The Lord says to rest on Sundays, and that sounded like a good idea to us!)  All the dirt work was extremely back breaking grunt work for sure.   All we have to do yet is put a little more dirt around the outside edges of the greenhouse to shore up the foundation, and put a little more in the walkways.  Then I need to water the dirt real good and break up large pieces of clods.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow evening and the next day, so that will suffice for watering!  Then we will have to put up the mesh on the other side of the greenhouse, add some more treated 2 x 4's for the side plastic, and put the door in.   Then, on a calm day we will get some help and put the roof on.    And finally I can have fun planting!
     It was hard to keep the cats out of the greenhouse while doing the dirt work.  Of course they thought we were building "custom litter boxes" for them!  The boxes do have dirt and cow manure in them, so if it smells like poo, it's a litter box, right?  I spent a lot of time chasing cats and throwing clumps of dirt at them.
     We were able to back up the truck to one of the outside walls and get in the back of the truck and shovel dirt into the boxes that way.   For the middle box, we had to fling quite a ways, but it beat the bucket method.   For the box along the outside wall, the dirt filling went quickly as we could both get in the truck bed and shovel, then move the truck down a ways, and continue shoveling.   It was amazing how much dirt it took to fill these boxes!!  The boxes are only 6 inches deep and mounded up a bit, but when they are 25 feet long, that's a lot of dirt!  The two outside ones are about 3 feet wide, and the middle one is 4 feet wide.

Harold shovels out the last of the dirt from the pick-up. 

 

The middle box will be cut off to about where the little chunk of square wood is sitting.   I need a space around the doorway for a wide walk area.   We will put a board across the end after we cut it.   So the middle box will only be about 21 feet long.

We used both new treated lumber and old junk lumber to build this greenhouse.   All the outside posts and beams are new lumber, and the boxes are actually made out of some old free pallets Harold got several years ago.   He took them apart to use the 1 x 6's in them.   The walkways are 30 inches wide.  We still have to cut up some more re-bar to shore up some of the boxes yet.
     We knew the dirt hauling and shoveling would be the hardest job in this project, and thankfully it is done!  Now our backs and sore arms can rest.............

Greenhouse Update 2 - "Dirt Work"

Before we put up the sides of the greenhouse, we are building the inside boxes (raised beds), and hauling in dirt for them.   It's a lot easier that way - no walls to deal with!  Harold got some dirt from a wooded hillside with his tractor/loader, and we also brought in 2 pick-up loads of manure/dirt from a neighbor who used to have beef cattle about 15 years ago.   His pile of rotted manure and pasture dirt is so well rotted, it is pretty much beautiful black dirt.  He has more if we want it.   Shoveling dirt into buckets and emptying them is hard work.   I sure wish I was about 30 years younger!   We can't use a wheelbarrow because it won't get over the side boards and is too heavy and unwieldy anyway.    Harold and I emptied dozens of 5 gallon buckets full just for the first box.   Today he is building the middle raised bed box, which will be  about 4 feet wide.   That will take an enormous amount of dirt!  We quickly discovered that the gnat season is here in Minnesota, so any work has to be done before 8 p.m. or you can't stand the gnats! So today and tomorrow will be pretty much taken up with the middle box building and filling.   If we need more dirt, Harold will fire up his tractor/loader and get more base dirt from the woods, and then we will go over to the neighbor's house and he will fire up his tractor/loader and get more of that manure rich dirt for the top layer.  My neighbor teased me that he always gives me "s#*t" about stuff, and  now he can really give me some "s#*t" !  It IS beautiful top soil, though.........

Harold gets soil from a hillside mound that was bulldozed years ago  when Harold farmed this land years ago with his Dad.  They got rid of some trees to make a cornfield.

One bed is finished and we are working on the middle.   One of our pick-ups filled with dirt in the background.

Measuring off a space for the middle box.  We are using old re-bar cut into pieces for box supports.

We filled our other pick-up with more manure dirt.

Progress report on the Greenhouse

We've been working hard on building the high tunnel greenhouse.  Slowly it is coming together.  We ordered the plastic for the roof and it should be here on Tuesday of next week.   It is special for greenhouses, 6 mil thick, and has a 4 year guarantee (we'll see about that!).  Meanwhile we bought some plastic/fabric netting for the sides and some thick plastic (clear) that goes around the sides and rolls up on a long pvc tube when you want air into the building..  A neighbor has a used door we can have (combo storm/screen door).
This morning Harold was tying together the roof panels with wires :

By late afternoon, one side of the greenhouse had the netting on and support boards.

Here is a view from inside:

The roof panels are held inside with fence steeples.

Our ever-present cats were always "inspecting" the progress:

Besides the greenhouse work, today I worked on transplanting some of my seedlings.  The plants are looking very nice:

I turned on the grow lights for the evening.

If you recall, last September I collected a bunch of petunia seeds (see the post for 9-3-14) and wondered if they would germinate.  Well, I had almost 100% germination, and I have been thinning the trays for a couple weeks now, gradually.   Today I transplanted the crowded cell trays, and spread them out into larger trays to grow.  I still had to thin out a bunch.   You know, I just hate tossing out plants!  I tell myself:  "the poor things never had a chance"!  But I know it has to be done.  I must have had 1000 petunia seeds germinate, and several hundred are still around and growing!  For some reason, though, the yellow, white and blue striped ones never germinated.   I am thinking I either harvested them too late (after they froze) or they were too dry.   I'll have to do some internet research to figure out what happened, and if temps or time of collection make any difference.  The red, purple, and mixed colors germinated just fine.  Go figure.

Way too many petunia plants in one pot!  They need thinning and transplanting!

This is much better! Six or 8 plants to a pot. 

At least I proved that a person CAN save petunia seeds, and they will grow, and you can save a lot of money doing it yourself.  Yes, it's a lot of work, but I do love gardening! 

Stay tuned for further progress reports on the greenhouse!   I can't wait to get in there and start planting things!  One thing about having a closed in greenhouse, I can even work out there when it's raining or windy or even at night!  We have built this about 30 ft or so from the plug-in at the power pole, so there will be electricity in the greenhouse.   We need it anyway, as we are putting up a double layer of roof plastic with a small fan to blow air in between the layers.   This will serve as a cushion for any hail and winds that might puff out the roof too much - it will equalize the pressure.   I told Harold that I can already see that I want an extra set of garden tools for out there, a shelf for a radio (so I can listen to political talk radio, also my favorite Christian radio station,  and oldies!), and also some kind of small table for potting and setting supplies on without having to stoop too much.   Yep - this is going to be very enjoyable!


 

Update on everything around here

We finished the maple syrup - we ended up with a pint shy of 11 gallons (87 pints)!  Not bad for a couple of old timers like Harold and I, eh?  It was a lot of work, but we feel a sense of accomplishment.  Now we have to go around and pull all the tree taps and get rid of the sap bags.  AND the ticks are out!!  This will not be a fun job!!

Now, we are working on finishing our high tunnel greenhouse.  If you recall, Harold started this project last November.  Yesterday I took this photo of Harold's progress:

All the posts are in.

Today I took this photo of his progress:

The roof panels are going up.  We are using cattle panels bent to fit.

Harold uses a hammer to bend the edges of the cattle panels.

A close-up of the roof panels. 

I will post pictures of the progress.  Basically the greenhouse will be covered with a very thick plastic, and there will be one inch wire mesh all around the bottom, about 3 feet up, all around.  We will have to install a door, too.  Inside will be long raised beds for the plants - one down the middle and one along each edge.   The sides will roll up for air if needed.  This is our own design based on professional models we have seen.   We have never built anything like this before, so this is all a new experience!  This story is definitely "to be continued"!

The ice is off of the ponds!  Here is the view from our front porch:

As I walked up the driveway after getting the mail, my cats came to greet me.  It was getting close to their dinner time, so I suppose they thought I was coming to feed them.   Since I always carry my camera with me, I thought:  Here's a chance to get a photo of all the cats.  Well, you know cats never cooperate for picture taking.  They just wouldn't sit still!  Here's the latest pictures of the "mouser crew" anyway:

Here are 9 of my 13 farm cats. 

Still trying to get them to sit down and pose - no cooperation here - just TippyToes agreed!

I finally gave up on trying to get a group shot, and so did they!