[Market-farming] germination chambers, revisited

Liz liz at horseshoegardens.com
Sun Mar 1 19:49:41 EST 2009


Hey everyone!
 
After getting a false start last year (we only did pasture poultry and
eggs), I decided this year to quit monkeying around, and get back into this
fulltime.  We're set up to sell at 4 really good markets this year, but
after more market research I'm thinking of concentrating on the 2 largest
markets since they are also year-round markets in large population areas .
Any advice on year-round markets is greatly appreciated.
 
Marie, you asked about using your old refrigerator/cooler as a germination
chamber.  I've been so busy getting ground worked up and prepped I've not
had time to post this about ours.  Now that we've got 6" of snow on the
ground and more to come, I've got time to post ; ))  Joe's family has used
this for their greenhouse bedding plants for about 6 years now.  This year
we're using it to start crops.  It's undercover in the front of one of their
greenhouses.  You can see pics and read about it
<http://horseshoegardens.com/blog/?p=44> here on my new blog.  It is
strictly a germination chamber--no lights, though it could certainly be
fitted with them easily enough.  We rotate out germinated flats so fast it
isn't an issue for us.    
 
There are pros and cons to using these--mice can wreck havoc very quickly if
they get in through any holes (Joe's dad punched a hole in the sidewall to
thread through the plug for the heater and the mice went crazy chewing up
his seedlings.  He put up with this for years before I suggested expanding
foam in the hole which worked).
 
It's hard to adjust the temperature to specific crops.  Since heat rises, we
put the seeds needing more warmth on the top shelf and those needing cooler
temps on the bottom.  
 
The chamber stays moist and consistently warm...no problems with hot/cold
spots, and no drying out of the seedlings.  We do cover flats with clear
domes to further keep in the moisture.   I'm hooked on this versus heat mats
and won't ever go back.  This chamber holds 24 flats, but with additional
shelving (which we intend to build next winter) it can hold twice that.  
 
Liz Pike
Horseshoe  <http://horseshoegardens.com/> Gardens.com
Hillsville VA
zone 6b/7a
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