Stephanie Chen's 8'x12' Cedar-Framed Greenhouse

Stephanie Chen’s gardening hobby had gotten serious. What once fit nicely under a sunny windowsill, grew into a monster that swallowed up a big chunk of the patio, and then overran her husband Tom’s workshop. Grow lights, and fans gobbled up every outlet, and a horde of  potted plants crowded every surface. It was time for a greenhouse, and luckily there was a perfect site for one - right outside Tom’s workshop.

 

The little nook faces south and is neatly enclosed with a 5’ wall,  and has a gate with access to  the backyard. A maple tree in front of the greenhouse, will protect it from harsh UV exposure in the summer, while the bare branches will let sunlight through during the cooler months when the greenhouse is used most.

 

The first step with this greenhouse was to create a strong, level, 8’x12’ base using 6”x6” landscape timbers. The dimensions outer dimensions of the greenhouse frame are 8’x12’, making it absolutely essential that the outer dimensions of the base be perfectly square and exactly 8’x12’.  At Stephanie’s request, we installed a French drain within the greenhouse floor that channels water to an existing drainage system nearby. Once the drain was in place, we covered it with several inches of #78 crushed gravel ;  a hardworking greenhouse floor material that lets water pass right through, and compacts over time, making a comfortable, extremely durable, non-slip surface.

 

The next step was to assemble the cedar frame and anchor it securely onto the base. Whenever possible, we cut and dry fit greenhouse frame pieces in our own workshop, then transport the partially assembled frame components to the site. This minimizes noise and and time at the job site, and helps the installation process go smoothly.

And when it comes to the greenhouse frame, we believe the strength of the frame is just as important as the type of glazing. After all, what good is a greenhouse with costly glazing if it collapses during the next wind or ice storm? We cut choice pieces of red cedar, crafting stout rafters and a burly ridge pole that don’t even notice high winds and heavy snow or ice loads.

 

With the walls and rafters securely in place, we then framed four roof vents, including special baffles to help keep out rainwater. 

 

Once the walls, entry doorway, and four roof vent windows framed, it was time to cut and install the glazing. For this greenhouse, we used 8mm twin-wall polycarbonate - a durable, high performance greenhouse material with excellent insulation value. Unlike glass, polycarbonate is extremely difficult to break and virtually shatterproof, making it an ideal choice for greenhouses with trees nearby, or where children or seniors may be working inside. And to help balance the intensity of the sunlight inside Stephanie’s greenhouse, we used a special type of polycarbonate with an opaque finish, called Polymatte. This special greenhouse glazing made by Polygal diffuses sunlight, helping to prevent scalding damage to plants on clear, sunny days.

 

With the entry door and automated vent window openers installed, it was finally time to put the greenhouse into action, and it’s hard to say who was happier ; Stephanie or Tom. At long last, Tom got his workshop back, and Stephanie’s plant diversion finally got a home of its own. But it was actually Stephanie’s congregation of plants were the happiest of all - all nice and cozy in their new cedar-framed greenhouse.

 

7 Convincing Reasons You Should Be Making Compost For Your Garden

Composting has become red hot, and that’s an eco-friendly wave we should keep riding forever. But making compost out of yard waste and kitchen scraps isn’t just a feel good way to keep plant-based stuff out of your local landfill. Homemade compost is a really, really good soil amendment for your garden. Many would even argue that it’s better than anything you could ever buy in a bag. Any one of the reasons below would be enough to start composting at home, but add them all up, and it’s a home run.

1.Compost reduces the need for fertilizer because the microorganisms in compost convert nitrogen into a form that’s usable for plants.

2.Studies indicate that gardens amended with homemade compost consistently produce healthier plants, and have better soil fertility, than gardens amended with fertilizer alone.

3.Compost releases nutrients slowly, allowing new plants to become established and begin growing at the proper rate.

4.Compost nourishes earthworms and supports beneficial microorganisms in the soil.

5.Compost buffers toxins in the soil and helps maintain ideal pH levels, which maximizes nutrient availability.

6.Compost helps suppress many plant diseases, including fusarium crown and root rot.

7.Compost helps create soil structure with the ideal balance of drainage and water retention properties, which allows nutrients and water to be absorbed by plants more efficiently.

How to Make Brine-Cured Pickles

Dreaming about making sweet, sour, or spicy pickles out of that horde of cucumbers out in your  garden? Curing cucumbers or other vegetables in brine is the first step towards the satisfying snap of a homemade pickle, and the process is surprisingly simple and inexpensive.

Begin with whole cucumbers up to 7” long, and prepare them by first wiping away any dirt, then trimming and removing any stems and blossom ends.

Next, weigh the cucumbers and pack them into a clean container like a fermentation crock. Cover them completely with a cold brine solution made with one pound of pickling salt per gallon of water. Use one gallon of brine solution for every two pounds of cucumbers. 

Keep the vegetables submerged within the container with a weighted plate or lid.

The next day, add a half pound of salt for every five pounds of vegetables, placing the salt in a pile on top of the submerged plate or lid, so it won’t sink to the bottom of the container. This step is essential because as the salt begins to draw liquid from the cucumbers, the brine solution becomes diluted below 10%. At the end of the first week, and again for the next five succeeding weeks, add 1/8 pound of pickling salt for every five pounds of cucumbers. 

Remove any scum that forms on the surface of the solution, and add more 10% brine solution as needed to ensure that all of the cucumbers remain entirely submerged. 

The fermentation process will continue for up to eight weeks, ultimately depending on the storage temperature. Storing the container at a temperature of 68-72 degrees will help minimize spoilage. 

As long as the brining solution is kept at 10%, more cucumbers may be added to this recipe during the first week or two of the fermentation process. You can easily check this by placing a fresh egg in the solution; an egg in its shell will float on the surface of a 10% brine solution.

The curing process is complete when your cucumbers have an evenly translucent, olive green color. Soak the cured pickles in fresh water for 24 hours to remove the salt, changing out the water several times. A solution of equal parts water and vinegar can also be used to desalt the pickles. 

Will they become mouth-puckeringly sour, or delightfully sweet? The choice is now yours, so bon appetit! 

Not a Moment Too Soon ; The Weber Family's Garden Coop

The Weber family’s new home nestles into a quiet corner of the Myers park neighborhood like a chocolate egg in an Easter basket. Neighbors catch up on the sidewalk while kids ride past on two wheels. The strip of woods just beyond their backyard screens what would be a clear view of spandex clad joggers circling the lake and hopeful anglers casting their lines at Freedom Park. And if they could only see past the wall of elm and ash trees, they would glimpse the Weber family’s new Garden Coop.

 
Dan Weber is a long way from the farm he grew up on in Southern Illinois, but he and Jen still feel strongly about teaching their kids the value of growing their own produce, appreciating the seasons, and loving the outdoors. They had already been growing fresh produce from a large organic garden in the backyard, so why not have free-range eggs too? And once the idea of having backyard chickens came up, it wasn’t long before a large cardboard box with a heat lamp and lots of peeping appeared in the family’s basement.

Weber Family's Garden Coop from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

 

Soon the peeping got louder, and the box started to smell. Really smell. Elmo, Bama, JJ, Ruth, Hermione, and CJ Marshmallow needed a permanent home. Something attractive, sturdy, and outside. 

The Garden Coop was the answer. 

 
The clean, attractive design fit right into the neighborhood, and the coop has plenty of room for the growing flock to stretch out their wings. In fact, the Garden Coop is large enough for up to eight hens, which means extra space for a smaller flock. The more square feet of coop space you allow per bird, the less likely you’ll have to deal with bullying and other aggressive ‘peck order’ type behavior.

And because the coop essentially sits on the edge of a forest teeming with natural predators like raccoons, possums, hawks, owls, and coyotes, it has to prove itself nightly as pairs of eyes appear in the shadows. But that’s no problem.  The Garden Coop is one of the sturdiest designs out there. The burly cedar frame is joined with 3” exterior screws, and wrapped with 1/2” galvanized hardware cloth - buried up to a foot deep, around the entire perimeter of the coop to thwart even the most determined predators. 

One of the best things about the Garden Coop is covered run built right into the design. The durable, tinted polycarbonate roof panels help keep the hens dry and cozy in wet, winter weather, and cool and comfortable on hot summer days.

The human sized entry door and large hinged clean-out door on the roost box make it easy to refill food and water, and clean the coop. A double nesting box helps prevent squabbles, and little touches like the ladder with natural branch rungs and 4” diameter rustic roost branch make the coop more comfortable.

So how is the Weber family’s backyard flock settling into their new home? “They really seem to enjoy their coop and feel safe in it”, says Jen. “They put themselves to bed every night after getting a few hours to roam around the yard. The hens all have unique personalities and it’s been fun watching them develop over the past couple months. Ruth is definitely the “mother”, Bama is the most assertive and JJ is the friendliest and likes to be held.”

Healthy Fundraising with Seeds for Schools

Raise money for your school, and encourage healthy living in your community? How could anyone say no to that?! Especially when Southern Exposure Seed Exchange’s Seeds for Schools program makes it so easy to do both. Every time you sell one of their fun, easy to grow organic seed collections, your school keeps 50% of the price.

Just imagine the educational impact of earning money for school while integrating relevant class topics like agriculture, business, and sustainability. Plus, every buyer receives a beginner-friendly gardening guide - so even brand new growers can taste success in the garden. And Southern Exposure has also partnered with online fundraising platform, FarmRaiser, which has simple tools for accurate orders, excellent customer service, and offers several options for sales and receiving payments. Think your school would enjoy raising money by selling seeds? click here to learn more!