The Mother of all Greenhouses

We took a reconnaissance trip to Planting Fields in Long Island to examine their greenhouse. I had a spiritual moment realizing the amount of food one could grow in this square footage. Beyond my childlike excitement, we picked up some neat ideas for our green monster. The Planting Fields greenhouse managers tried to maximize upon their square footage by hanging plants from the structure. In addition, the cold traps foundations were constructed out of brick. Brick is an excellent material for insulation. Overall, the day trip provided more insights about running a successful greenhouse.

There is a sucker born every minute!

There is an endless supply of suckers in the world while the same holds true for tomatoes plants. These plants sometimes grow these tiny branches that sap the power of the main the branch known as “suckers”. If your green thumb does not eliminate these bloodsuckers, the plant might not produce healty tomatoes.

Organic Nepeta

A number of friends have speculated that the greenhouse is being used to harvest suspicious plants.  I would like to address the accusation by elaborating about the first crop.  Our cats have been the happy recipient of catnip or also known by the genus of nepeta.  We have only planted catnip on our property so federal agents please do not raid our home.  Strangely, we have discovered that fresh catnip from our property does not produce stronger physiological effect on our fur balls.  They side for catnip that is purchased from the store which seems to pack some potency.  I have two theories for this weak reaction. The plant leafs need to be dried. We need to buy a new plant.  Overall, the fur balls are happy consuming the less potent plant.

The Assassination of Oregano by the Coward Suburban Gardener

Our oregano plant has passed away due to neglect.  We failed to transfer the plant to a larger pot and did not provide enough water to survive the summer heat.  Nevertheless its death is not in vain, we will dispose of it in our compost.

Purple Basil

Before my foray as a suburban farmer, I have never heard of the purple basil plant.  But the purple plant quickly caught my attention.  Besides the rich color, the plant does seem to have a stronger aroma.  Further research indicated that this heighten olfactory stimulation might be my “nasal imagination” at work.  Some gardeners claim it smells exactly as the green brother.  While other green thumbs, they believe the plant has a different taste and smell.  I will solve the mystery by simply saying it probably boils down to the type of plant.  Nevertheless if the taste or smell is exactly the same, the aesthetically pleasing leafs could be tossed into a salad to give it a more exotic flair.