Grow Big or Go Home: Cindy Lovell's 13'x40' Grow Smart Greenhouse

Carrie and Cindy knew that in order to get their new microgreens business of to a strong start, they needed to invest in a high quality greenhouse. But  like most new business owners, they also had their eye on the purse strings of their start up budget.

The 13’x40’ Grow Smart greenhouse design by EarthCare fit the budget, and had the right combination of a sturdy aluminum frame, corrugated polycarbonate panels, double doors at both ends, and high performance features like UV protection and automatic vent openers.

We started by grading the sloping site, and pouring footers at key points around the perimeter of the greenhouse for structural stability.  Next we placed a baseboard around the perimeter using pressure treated 2”x6” lumber and fastening it to the piers. While not essential, the baseboard will give a much cleaner, even surface on which to fasten the base of the greenhouse frame.

The hobby and light commercial greenhouse kit market is competitive, and almost all of the designs are made overseas. The instructions that come with most kits are iffy at best, and the grainy cad drawings that came with the Grow Smart were no exception.  Disappointment about unclear assembly instructions and missing parts abounds in online forums and reviews about foreign made greenhouse kits.

Lots of patience and intermediate to advanced experience in carpentry/construction will make the difference between assembling a fun but challenging puzzle and wrangling in vain with a monster.

Fortunately all of the parts were present in Cindy’s kit, and once the site was prepared, the 13’x40’greenhouse came together nicely in about 3 days.

It was a chilly but sunny day when we put the finishing touches on Cindy and Carrie’s greenhouse, and the automatic vent openers were already scooping fresh air into the balmy interior, when Cindy and Carrie finally walked through their company’s newly completed headquarters, eager to get growing.

Atherton Market Has FREE WiFi....and High Quality Local Produce & Artisans

Never anywhere to sit at that corporate chain coffee shop? Are sluggish connection speeds at your crowded wifi spot hampering your latest stint as a day trader?

Atherton Market has fast, FREE WiFi access, and also plenty of room to get comfortable and stay for a while.

So why try to make that crucial stock limit order trade with dial up connection speeds and sassy corporate baristas barking,  “large double skim mocha latte!!” every  15 seconds?

Plus if you’re into premium quality coffee drinks, locally farmed produce, meat , dairy, NC caught seafood, artisanal breads, cheeses, oils, home and bath products, locally grown plants, and friendly people, Atherton Market has all that too.

Would you like to see some of Microfarm’s urban farm projects up close? Remember that Atherton Market is our de facto  ‘storefront’ location, and right outside the market’s front door we have a 4’x6’ Kitchen Garden style raised bed, Garden Ark Chicken Coop, and an 80 gallon rain barrel set up on display, 24/7. Of course Atherton Market is also where we sell seasonal organically grown heirloom vegetable seedlings.

Want to get a feel for Atherton Market before you show up with your coffee mug and laptop? Visit athertonmillandmarket.com for info on vendors, hours, special events and more.

Atherton Market
2104 South Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28203

Tuesday 10am-7pm
Wednesday-Friday 10am-2pm
Saturday 9am-2pm

The Permaculture Philosophy

Simply put, Permaculture is about sustainability…. A methodology of building natural homes and abundant food production systems, regenerating degraded landscapes and ecosystems, and more. Permaculture philosophy emphasizes the synergy between all of the elements of a group, rather than focusing on the individual parts. While much of what we already do at Microfarm meshes well with the ideals of Permaculture....food gardening, plant guilds/companion planting, building with recycled and  locally sourced materials, composting, backyard poultry & goats, rain harvesting, etc....don't be surprised to see our menu of permaculture services expand to include multifunction landscape design, and watershed/wastewater management & recycling.

Food Forests & Food Guilds
Designed and managed ecosystems that mimic the architecture and beneficial relationships between plants and animals found in a natural forest or other natural ecosystem.

Poultry & Backyard Animals

Fostering the relationship between domestic/wild animals and food plants results in a more productive garden. Foraging by chickens, goats and other domestic animals directly benefits food gardens by cycling nutrients, clearing fallen fruit, and controlling weeds and pests.

Rainwater Harvesting
Permaculture encourages landscapes that are designed to absorb rainwater, as opposed to outdoor environments that shed runoff, where it rushes down hillsides, streets, and roadways, causing erosion and carrying pollution directly into waterways. Rainwater harvesting can be practiced by channeling runoff through earthworks into the soil, or capturing runoff from roofs or other hard surfaces to be stored in cisterns.

Designing for Multiple Functions
Permaculture stresses to always capitalize on the investment of work and resources. Everything should serve multiple functions through design. It can be as simple as a water collection cistern creating a warm microclimate or as complex as a road channeling cooling winds to a home, while draining runoff to an orchard, simultaneously acting as a fire defense line, all the while providing access to a property.

Heirloom Plant Varieties and Animal Breeds
Counter to the mindset of industrialized agriculture, Permaculture design for gardens and farms focuses on utilizing and preserving heirloom plants and animals to keep them thriving through use.  Permaculture creates complete systems where seeds are saved on-site and animals are allowed to breed to reduce reliance on increasingly conglomerated agricultural suppliers.

Watershed Restoration
The health of watersheds, as clean and running water is a primary necessity of human culture. Reversing the process of landscape degradation and pollution, permaculture design strategies repair watersheds, purifying water, reducing flood danger, slowing erosion, and increasing water availability.

Natural Building
The goal is to design and build structures that are both strikingly beautiful and sustainable. Permaculture encourages climate specific design, using biological resources before technological solutions. For example, designed structures often use the sun for heating, and breezes and vegetation for cooling. A permaculture-designed building might feature a wind blocking woodlot to assist in heat retention (through slowing wind speeds) and heat generation (through firewood), or a pond on the sun side to reflect sunlight indoors reducing needs for heating and lighting.

Waste Management
Waste is turned from pollution to a resource through permaculture design. In permaculture, waste is a resource whose functions have yet to be uncovered. Kitchen waste is composted, beautiful homes are built from reclaimed and recycled materials, and wastewater is returned to the landscape for productivity.

Ecological Economics
Since permaculture focuses on the connections between things more than the parts, the design of resilient economies relies on each contributor to build a strong network. Many small businesses and contributors are valued over a few larger corporations.

How to 'Force Fruit' a Mushroom Log

So you’ve followed your new mushroom log’s care instructions to the letter, giving it an inch of water per week, elevating it 6+ inches from the ground to avoid rot, and keeping it shaded so that the wood tissue won’t dry out. Perhaps you’ve enjoyed a flush or two of mushrooms from your new mushroom log, but consequent 'flushes', or yields of mushrooms have been slow coming.

Or maybe you’re a little frustrated because you’re still searching the bark everyday in vain for signs of that very first flush.

Whatever the case, take heart, because there is an easy and effective technique to ‘force fruit’, or trigger new mushroom growth from your log.

The mushroom mycelia cells in your log are constantly growing, replacing the wood cells with their own cells. The mycelia cells need air, water, and light to grow. Every couple months or so, you can trigger fruiting by submerging the log for 24 hours in ice water. This mimics conditions in the spring or fall rainy season, when mushrooms will naturally produce new growth.

To force fruit your log, simply place it in a tub large enough so that the log(s) can be completely submerged when it's filled with water, weight the log down with bricks, cinder blocks, rocks, etc. ( the log will float on the surface otherwise ), fill the tub with cold water and add ice. Let the log sit submerged like this for 24 hours.

When fruiting begins,  the log will "pin,” meaning little white buds will break through the bark. The pins fill out, or fruit, into beautiful brown mushrooms. At first you may only have a few mushrooms, but as the mycelia fill the log, and the log is fruited regularly, production will increase. In the second or third year, your log can be covered with mushrooms.

After the log fruits, and you’ve cut the mushrooms, resume the regular care regimen of water and shade, allowing the log to ‘rest’ for two months while the mycelia cells recover, grow, then prepare to fruit again. You can fruit the log earlier, but force fruiting too soon or too often weakens the log. Resting longer may produce larger crops.

Keep your log strong and healthy by soaking it every 2 weeks. Using only unchlorinated water if possible… filtered or bottled water, well water, or rain water.

If you take good care of your log, you can enjoy growing and eating fresh mushrooms for three or four years, until all the wood cells have been replaced. The light, temperature, and moisture level will affect how quickly the log will fruit and how many mushrooms you'll yield in each flush.

"The Shack"

 

“In a modern world of hastily made products that break or fall apart easily,  it’s refreshing to have a company like Microfarm that crafts quality, long lasting garden structures", explains Nathalie . "My husband Carlos and I are excited about our latest Microfarm piece, a greenhouse/garden shed combination we affectionately call ‘the shack’  ”.

It’s true that we go to great lengths to give customers the highest quality craftsmanship, whenver possible made with local materials. It’s also true that ultimately it’s the customer who retains any naming rights of our completed projects. While “the Shack” may not have been my first choice for the 10’x12’ greenhouse/garden shed combo, it does have a memorable ring to it, and it’s kinda starting to grow on me.

The Shack came together as a dual purpose building to give Nathalie – the family gardener – a place to start seedlings indoors, as well as a work space for other garden tasks. Carlos needed to create some space in the garage for a new sports car, so the 120 square foot ‘Shack’ gobbled up a wheelbarrow, hand powered lawn mower, and an arsenal of garden tools and other garage stuff.

Because the area where ‘The Shack’ sits is on a slope, we placed the floor on a series of concrete piers using 4”x4” posts to adjust the height and create a level floor.

The building is wrapped in ½” T1-11 siding stained with Timber Pro UV Cedar colored transparent stain, which is non-toxic. The bank of windows facing east captures gentle morning light, and four vents placed throughout the structure create good air exchange.

Because of the height of the floor, we built a sturdy ramp to help get the wheel barrow and mower in and out of ‘The Shack’, and to maximize space and efficiency in ‘The Shack’, we created a set of custom made shelves and work benches. Now Nathalie is ready to get the jump on the spring gardening season, and Carlos can finally put some horsepower in the garage!

CLICK HERE to see more photos of 'The Shack'

CLICK HERE to see a video of 'The Shack'