Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

I continue to be surprised that stories about harvesting huge amounts of
produce from incredibly small plots get totally ignored. Not just on this
list either. And the news that market growers can double and quadruple
their profits with permanent beds doesn't get noticed or even disputed.
What is it? I know it's a fact because I get those results myself. Does no
one connect this solution with the problems of freshwater, topsoil loss,
fossil fuel and input prices, the shrinking of good agricultural land, and
low income of farm families? 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 2/26/2008 at 6:13 PM Aliza wrote:

>Someone on OHG has a pit greenhouse that works great even in really cold 
>weather.  If I remember correctly it has 4 foot walls and then hoops over 
>the top.  Maybe some barrels of water for a heat sink.  I'll try to dig up

>the link because it was cool - or warm really.
>
>Here is one with a subterrainean heating and cooling system 
>http://www.sunnyjohn.com/indexpages/shcs_greenhouses.htm
>
>I'll dig some more up if I can.
>
>Aliza
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
>To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 12:58 PM
>Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] the Dervaes family - No-till, Permanent Bed

>Farming
>
>
>>
>> Tall order but doable. Remember some INdeterminate tomato varieties can
>> keep producing long after cold weather sets in. Heating a greenhouse of 
>> any
>> size isn't commercially viable in the coldest climates, but can be done 
>> for
>> what you want. You need thermostat controls so you don't have to babysit
>> it. I'd forget removable covers. They have automatic vent openers and
>> thermostat controlled exhaust fans. Check the fans they sell for attic
>> ventillation. I use those, and the $10 box fans on a $10 timer to draw
>> outside air through.
>>
>> Also check out Eliot Coleman's book on Four Season Gardening. He's in
>> Maine.
>>
>> This is BTW one of my favorite subjects. I've been adding amendments to
>my
>> 12 bed greenhouse lately and started more Costoluto Genovese in 4" pots.
>> They'll transplant to gallon pots for a month or less, then I'll use the
>> posthole digger to make exact size holes for gallons in the greenhouse
>> beds. The trick will be keeping the first two-bed section warm enough by
>> April Fool's Day for the transplants. That section is walled off with
>> plastic and the other section with 4 beds in it will get transplanted
>> later. Stagger peak production to last at the market into November. Our
>> outdoor growing season is 4 months frost free.
>>
>> Should get $5,000 worth of tomatoes from a 15x50 greenhouse by November.

>> We
>> were gettting $4 a pound by the end of the season last year, even tho
the
>> grocery was selling at half that price. With prices going up now we may
>> start at $5 or $6. Better to be on the selling end in inflationary
times.
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>
>>
>> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>>
>> On 2/26/2008 at 10:45 AM Dean wrote:
>>
>>>Paul, speaking of year around growing, we are quite a way north of you
>>>but
>>>at a lower elevation (I think) but would like to have produce for
>personal
>>
>>>use as close to year around as possible.  Is that feasible with a decent
>>>size green house?  If a tomato plant is grown in an environment with a
>>>removable cover, i.e. started under cover then the cover removed and the
>>>cover replaced in the fall how long will that plant produce fruit, etc.
>>>etc.
>>>Dean
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>>From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
>>>To: <emitch@att.net>; <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
>>>Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:34 AM
>>>Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] the Dervaes family - No-till, Permanent
>Bed
>>
>>>Farming
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Mitch, I saw that article on the Dervaes some time ago but was
>skeptical
>>>> about anyone producing so much on so little land. Now they reveal how,
>>>> growing in beds year round. We can't do year round in this climate,
but
>>>> with permanent mulched beds we come close in productivity. So it's
>quite
>>>> believable.
>>>>
>>>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>>>
>>
>>
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>
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