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market-farming - Re: more greenhouse questions!

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: robert schuler <sunnfarm AT bellatlantic.net>
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: more greenhouse questions!
  • Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 20:05:03 -0500


A few more tidbits
Double layer inflated plastic will eliminate wind damage but not help keeping
plants
warm in unheated house, in my county we have thousands of single layer houses
for
holding perennials that stay put by eliminating the ridge pipe, the plastic
squeezes
down tighter without the ridge, you can also make poly tie downs with 4" wide
strips of
plastic placed over the house at 10 ft intervals...
Ventilation, if you use one year poly then just cut holes about 16" diameter
in the
sheet every 20 feet and leave a small amount uncut to act as a hinge then you
can tape
the hole partly shut on coldest nights this is only done in late spring
before you
remove the sheet all together, if you cut holes be prepared for water damage
to any
plants below.
I use a double layer house with supplemental 100000 btu propane heat set at
35 deg. this
really improves the quality of the crop but is costly even at the low
temps,burning
about 20 gallons a week but worthwhile because you must have quality if you
are selling
to a supermarket for example, greens or lettuce with tip burn from constant
freezes just
won't holdup in the market

Infrared sheeting really makes a difference and at 25% more in cost, its very
cost
effective but it seems to be sensitive to damage more so than regular 4 years
poly, you
will gain about two extra hours of stored warmth after sundown compared to
regular
poly.
Use fans to keep constant air movement this will keep plants dry and prevent
disease
like botrytis, I have been using Patton brand 18" fans that are quite
inexpensive and
very powerful and have been running them nonstop in some cases for three
years.
Good luck to all
Sunny Meadow Farm
Bridgeton,NJ.





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