WINTER HARVEST RESEARCH PROJECT College of the Rockies Community Greenhouse Winter Harvest Environments Report Part 2 February 2009 to February 2011 The College of the Rockies Community Greenhouse extends their thanks and appreciation to the INVESTMENT AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA and COLUMBIA BASIN TRUST for funding the Winter Harvest Research Project. Page 1 of 7
Balcony Garden These containers were placed on the edge of a West facing balcony and planted in August and September. They were not moved closer to the house during winter. Some were insulated with 2 thick Styrofoam insulation duct taped around the edges and bottom. The pictures below were taken mid-january. Temperatures dropped to -18 C for a week in November and -10 C for a week in January. As you can see everything has survived nicely, even the crops without insulation. Page 2 of 7
Low Tech Greenhouse This low-tech structure consists of a one dimensional frame which is held upright with stakes and rope. A bar extends lengthwise at a height of 18 and holds floating row covers which are held down to the ground with pieces of lumber. The upper bar supports a layer of greenhouse plastic. On warm days when there is no snow, the ends need to be opened for ventilation. Effectiveness of environment: This bed was effective in growing excellent fall vegetables. It was difficult to impossible to access in winter due to snow cover but could be dug into in an emergency. Vegetables survived the winter and provided excellent spring crops as soon as the snow melted. Location: Near Wynndel, BC Materials Used: 1 x 2 and 2 x 2 lumber greenhouse plastic Poly rope Floating Row Cover Clamps to hold plastic to upper rail Total Cost: $50.00 approximately Page 3 of 7
Tiny Greenhouse 1) Beds: 4 foot by 4 foot raised beds are constructed of 2x8's attached with 3" decking screws. After assembly, beds are treated with two coats of boiled linseed oil as a preservative. 2) Hoops: The hoop frame to support the plastic is a 6 foot square on the ground, which gives room inside for clearing the top of the remay inside. The hoops are made from 1 inch by 1/8 inch flat bar from Comfort Welding. Each piece is 14 1/2 feet long (174 inches) costing $.05 per inch, so each bed is $8.70 X 2 = $17.40 total. The straps are drilled with a metal bit in the middle and joined with a screw and nut. Each corner of the frame is anchored in the ground with 6 inches of 1SCH40 pipe from Comfort Welding, driven into the ground 15 inches out diagonally from the corners of the bed. The pipe costs $.21 per inch, so total is 4 X 6 X $.21 = $5.04 per bed. Late addition to construction- two more pieces of 1 inch by 1/8 inch flat bar to support the plastic only on the sides that open up for access to the bed, drilled and anchored with screw and nut; 28 inches per side for an additional $2.80 per bed. Remay cloth support is the 9-gauge wire distributed by the Winter Harvest program. Due to the height of the raised bed above the ground, we used 9 foot lengths of wire for the 4-foot wide bed. The wire is pushed into the ground and also anchored to the bed using small fencing staples driven in part way so that the wire can be removed later. Remay cloth is attached to the wire using clothes pins, which should work since the plastic will block the wind and weather. 3) Plastic: Plastic to cover the hoop is 6 mil, 4 year greenhouse film from Wilson Orchard and Vineyard Supply in Washington State (http://www.wilsonirr.com). We got 12 foot wide film, which we cut into two 7' x 12' pieces for each bed, overlapped by one foot in the middle and attached using "bull" clips. The 12 foot wide plastic roll costs $1.21US per linear foot, with a 50' minimum order; we got 56' for $67.76, which is enough for 4 hoops. Shipping is pricey ($23US) since it is heavy, shipped UPS to Main Street Gas in Porthill, ID. Top Crop in Cranbrook has similar plastic, not sure of the cost. On the sides that DON'T open, the plastic is anchored to the ground using two boards to sandwich the edge of the plastic. The lower board is 6' 6" long, drilled with a 1 1/8 wood bit with holes for the hoop frame to go through. The top board fits between the hoop frames and is attached to the bottom using screws, offset from the middle so that the screws don't go through the plastic. Effectiveness of environment: Excellent fall crop, no access in winter, spring crops destroyed by voles. Location: West Creston, BC (they receive significantly less sunlight than the town of Creston) 2 x 12 lumber 3 deck screws 1 by 1/8 flat bar 1SCH40 pipe 9 gauge galvanized wire (free WH Program) Remay cloth (free WH Program) Greenhouse plastic (6 ml) Total cost: 43.00/environment (approx.) Page 4 of 7
Small Greenhouse Plastic and PVC pipe Location: West Creston Found Materials Greenhouse Cold frame hoop house 20 x 10 made from a recycled A-frame structure (old swing set) and recycled PVC pipe arches to extend width to 10. It was placed on an open garden with the long side facing east to get morning and noon light. The ground is clay soil with compost added. There is a single layer of greenhouse plastic covering the entire structure with an additional layer of plastic and remay cloth inside over galvanized wire hoops for each bed. Recycled lumber and landscape fabric help to keep the beds in place and provide for a center walkway. Effectiveness of environment: A very successful fall, winter and spring garden. Location: Near Wynndel, BC (9k north of Creston & typically up to 5 degrees warmer than Creston) Steel A-frame PVC pipe Lumber Landscape fabric Greenhouse plastic 9 gauge galvanized wire (free WH Program) Remay cloth (free WH Program) Total cost: 150.00 (although all the materials used were free and/or recycled, 150.00 is approximately what it would cost to build using new materials) Page 5 of 7
Found Materials Greenhouse Updated One Year Later Under Deck Greenhouse Cold frame attached to SW side of home is 8 x 8 with two raised beds and 8 individual large pots inside the structure. The structure is coupled to the deck pergola for both summer and winter usage with an option to add heat from the house with a fan or electric heater. It is constructed using recycled lumber and is covered with a double layer of greenhouse plastic. Inside remay cloth is draped over galvanized wire hoops close to the plants for further protection. Openings for ventilation have been made using Velcro strips on the plastic and wood. The raised beds are made of recycled lumber and put together with wood screws. The soil is from the garden with compost added. Effectiveness of environment: This garden produced effectively all through the fall, winter and spring. It provided easy access and easy ventilation. It had a window into the house which allowed removal of humidity and access to a bit more heat. Location: Near Wynndel, BC (9k north of Creston & typically up to 5 degrees warmer than Creston) recycled lumber greenhouse plastic screws Velcro Galvanized wire Remay cloth Total cost: 200.00 (although all the materials used were free and/or recycled, 200.00 is approximately what it would cost to build using new materials) Page 6 of 7
A-Frame Greenhouse Mini greenhouse A-Frame covered in greenhouse plastic, which is accessible via doors along each side. It is placed over a raised bed in the vegetable garden, which had manure and Gaia Green fertilizer added. The dimensions are 4 wide, 4 high and 8 long. The frame is made of 2 x 2 wood (regular lumber, not cedar), and it s painted with an outdoor white stain to help reflect light and protect the wood. It is screwed to the raised bed. The whole greenhouse is screwed together and staples were used to put the plastic on. It is so light that we can move it to a new raised bed each year. Inside the environment there are wire hoops with remay cloth draped over top. In the early season.5 oz remay cloth was used and later another 1 oz remay was added on top. During sunny days some of the lower doors were removed to provide ventilation. At the beginning of the season the environment was irrigated with soaker hoses, which were removed on Oct. 9 th Effectiveness of environment: This provided an excellent fall crop but winter winds caused the doors to blow off and crops did not survive. Location: Canyon, BC The property is located at the base of the Skimmerhorn Mountain, experiences a great deal of wind and is typically up to 5 degrees colder than Creston. 2 x 2 lumber Greenhouse plastic (11 ml woven clear poly, UV stabilized) Cupboard door handles Screws and staples 9 gauge galvanized wire (free WH Program) Remay cloth (free WH Program) Suppliers: Northern Greenhouse Sales - Altona, Manitoba Total cost: 50.00 (approx.) Page 7 of 7