Suburban Greenhouse

The Mother of all Greenhouses We took a reconnaissance trip to...

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:18:00 -0400

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...

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:17:00 -0400

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...

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:24:46 -0400

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...

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:29:54 -0400

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...

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:59:20 -0400

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.

Guerilla Gardening I thought this article was great because it...

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:03:00 -0400

Guerilla Gardening

I thought this article was great because it introduces this movement that allows anyone to be a “soldier” or heck a “revolutionary”. The idea is that we forgo the buzzwords like consensus building to implement simple concepts like planting a garden in public area. These Londoners simply choose a spot that is needs beautification and proceed to improve it by bringing their own plants. Daring! Heck I know some good parts in Queens.

Link:

Video Link:

Money Savings! How much food does 48sf of greenhouse and about...

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:48:40 -0400

Money Savings!

How much food does 48sf of greenhouse and about 60sf of outdoor space produce in one year? Since our foray as suburban farmers, I have become very curious to discover these numbers. The season is early but we have already enjoyed eating four salads and drank mint drinks-coolmint. If you live in New York City, a salad cost approximately six dollars. While one of those “natural” Snapple drinks, this will roughly cost you around $2.50. Grand total of money savings = $68.00 (Investment in Greenhouse/Related Equipment is $650) At this rate being that it is early in the season, we will recoup our investment in less than seven months. I have been inspired to keep a food log and will keep you posted.

Food Log – 1 month

8 salads - $6

8 cool mint drinks - $2.5

2 Servings of Sweet Basil utilized in a sauce – $3

The First Crop Suburbangreenhouse.com has become a healthy...

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:53:26 -0400

The First Crop

Suburbangreenhouse.com has become a healthy obsession for us. We decided to plant a few plants but the first crop has grown to over twenty plants. So much for balance!

Lemon Hybrid Tomatoes

Bush Tomatoes

Cherry 100 Tomatoes

Sweet Basil

Mint

Cilantro

Parsley

Rosemary

Bibb Lettuce

Mescaline Lettuce

Cucumbers

Strawberries

Squash

Lima Beans

Black Beans

Soy Beans

String Beans

Jalapeños

Cayenne

Banana Peppers

Black Berries

Blue Berries

Peppermint

Mint

Starbucks to the Rescue Please do not send me hate mail fair...

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:49:29 -0400

Starbucks to the Rescue

Please do not send me hate mail fair trade activists! But Starbucks provides the spent coffee grounds from their operations free of charge to their customers. The coffee grounds are available at the store and it is excellent organic material that should be placed in your compost pile. Coffee grains are rich with nitrogen which helps accelerate compost and makes excellent rich soil for the garden. And if your compost stinks, the deposit should temporarily provide a different aroma.

Cool Mint Summer is around the corner! Drinks are always...

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:48:50 -0400

Cool Mint

Summer is around the corner! Drinks are always needed to survive the warm weather. Mint plants can provide the solution if you want a drink that is refreshing and does not come from a plastic bottle that says “Natural”. As usual, Google provided endless recipes for mint drinks.

Some fellow bloggers called for placing mint leaves in a pot of water then warming it up just before boiling. Another variation is to place the leaves in boiling water then allowing the tea to cool also known has monstranzo. Other tea aficionados called for crushing the leaves then placing them in a cup. The latter produced the strongest flavor for the tea. My favorite tea concoction is placing copious amounts of mint leaves in a water bottle then allowing them to sit overnight in the fridge. Excellent!

Mint also is a really easy plant to maintain. The plant grows best in a shady area. With some sporadic watering, the plant does grow very quickly in a short period of time.

Money Savings: 2.50 for a Drink while Cool Mint is roughly about maybe one cent for the water – priceless.

Ones man’s garbage is another man’s gold! In...

Sat, 24 May 2008 16:42:00 -0400

Ones man’s garbage is another man’s gold!

In this case, there is no other man except the waste that is produced in our home. The beauty of composting is that it allows you to take scraps of food that would otherwise end up in your garbage and recycle it to produce soil that could utilized in your greenhouse. I am “professional juicer” which means that my trusty Breville machine produces excellent juices. The fiber that is extracted from the machine can be placed in your compost heap. We collect about 4 pounds of compost a week or 16 pounds a month. In the course of a year, the compost will collect about 200 pounds of organic material – producing a lot of compost. From an environmental perspective, you are doing your civic duty of recycling and minimizing the amount of waste you produce for the municipal dump. You also save money by not having to buy soil.

Composting: http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Compost

Sweet Basil I pray your Highness mark this curious herb:...

Sat, 17 May 2008 22:18:00 -0400

Sweet Basil

I pray your Highness mark this curious herb: Touch it but lightly, stroke it softly, Sir, And it gives forth an odor sweet and rare; But crush it harshly and you’ll make a scent most disagreeable,” articulated by 19^th- century folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland.

The quote should be considered by some of our world leaders. Politics and gardening probably do not mix, therefore, I will proceed with mentioning that we have just planted sweet basil in the greenhouse. To my surprise, the herb grows in a purple color. Purple Pesto! Anyways, we bought five plants which we hope to harvest has much as possible. The plant becomes a little bit shy when the temperature drops.

Suburban Farmers Seven days later, we have just become suburban...

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:45:00 -0400

Suburban Farmers

Seven days later, we have just become suburban farmers. In less than three days after placing them beside a heater and spraying them with water, I am surprised how quickly the seedlings emerged from the soil. We realized that six seed trays represented over nine hundred plants. Family and friends will be elated to hear that our surplus will be donated to their gardens.

Seed Trays cost about six to eight dollars from Home Depot.

Shelter We needed an inexpensive greenhouse that would be...

Fri, 16 May 2008 01:45:00 -0400

Shelter

We needed an inexpensive greenhouse that would be aesthetically pleasing for the backyard. Costco stock which has been soaring due to this recessionary period came to the rescue. The greenhouse typically sells for a grand but due to a sale we bought it for half of the price. After two days of toiling with the instructions, the green monster is grounded on the north shore of Long Island. Optimally, the greenhouse should face the south to receive amble sunshine.

Similar greenhouse(48sf) sold at: Lowes

Seeds

Wed, 14 May 2008 21:56:00 -0400

“Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what...

Why blog about a suburban greenhouse? A colleague encouraged this literary experiment. But this...

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:41:00 -0400

Why blog about a suburban greenhouse? A colleague encouraged this literary experiment. But this...