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  • From: "Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Greenhouse trees, was Speaking of Western medicine
  • Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 15:39:10 -0500

I believe I can keep the greenhouse at least at zone 8 temps and maybe
zone 9 or better. It would allow me to grow small trees like bay or
lemon verbena, too. Right now, the floor of the greenhouse is waste
concrete that we shoveled in there. It is actually thin and
porous...water goes right through it. It could be breeched rather
easily, I think, and the roots could get back into the soil. With a
pick, I could punch small holes in the floor. Building a large raised
bed inside the greenhouse I don't think would be the right solution..I
have a sloping roof, 8 ft max, 6 ft min...not much room for small trees
in a raised bed. However, if I punch holes in the floor and use lumber
to create a small, say, 8" deep soil bed...What do you guys think of
this idea? Other solutions?

My greenhouse is turning into a tree farm :-) The floor is thick concrete, so mine are all in raised beds. I make them out of pallets lined with plastic and fill them with my 'special mix' (one of Eliot Coleman's greenhouse soil recipies). I have a tall roof (close to 20' at the peak); with a 6-8 foot roof, it makes sense to plant in the ground. I'd be concerned with cold coming up through the ground, though. Maybe you could insulate/mulch the soil around the outside of the greenhouse to keep the cold from creeping in.

I had a terrible whitefly problem trying to grow things like tomatoes and peppers and melons. But nothing bothers the fig trees or the kiwi (fuzzy, not the hardy kind). I'm a little too far north for figs outdoors (I had them in Philadelphia, but they don't survive here), but they love the greenhouse; it gets down to about 20 degrees at the coldest. I have 5 fig trees now, with the 2 tallest up to the peak). I had a huge lemon verbena that lived through a couple of warmer winters, but finally got frosted. I'm looking for other fruiting short trees/tall bushes that can take temps down to 20 or so. I'm thinking of getting an olive tree, but they cost so much and live so long that it's practically like adopting a child...I'd feel guilty if I killed it.

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA




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