Grow Kale!

Let's talk about kale, even if you don't like it. First of all, if you're not growing it already, you should---it's impossible to kill, very productive, and you can grow it indoors all year 'round. Before we had the greenroom, we grew kale indoors in a planter in a sunny window and harvested tons of it and the plants lasted a few years. It also grows outside in almost any climate, but if you live somewhere with a cold snowy season I'd just recommend doing it indoors only so that you can harvest all through the winter.

Building with Dirt (Part 2)

The first post about our house was literally about building with dirt. Here, I wanted to write about the home's energy efficiency systems. Although there are a few things that we would do differently if building all over again, which I'll mention below, the house in general performs very well---cool in the summer, warm in the winter. Our total energy bill was under $20 per month for the first few years we lived there. Adding a chest freezer and supplemental heat in the greenroom---plus a rise in energy prices---brought the bill to about $28/month, where it remains today.

Kitty contemplates the woodburning stove. Photo by Aaron.

Greenhouse, Heart of Winter: Year 1

To wrap up the first year of gardening in the greenroom – March 2013 to the present, May 2014 – I wanted to write up our greenhouse growing successes and failures. This first year was highly experimental, especially growing through what I’m calling the “heart of winter,” and I think we learned some very interesting things that will help guide next year’s plantings, both the timing and the varieties. I’m more interested in “heart of winter” greenhouse gardening than mere summer-season extension gardening because this is all the fresh garden produce we get during the middle of winter. Shoulder season (spring/fall) crops and using the greenhouse to extend the summer season will be discussed in other posts; this is all about what we tried, succeeded, and failed to grow during the coldest and darkest months of the year.

Attempted crops for the heart of winter greenhouse season included basil, beets, Brussels sprouts, chard, cucumber, kale, lettuce, okra, peas, peppers, radish, tomato, and a few herbs. The short version: we’re going to become radish farmers! Much, much more detail is given below.

“Heart of Winter” Summary:

Successes: Beets, Chard, Coriander, Kale, Lettuce, Radish, Tomato

Semi-successes: Basil, Broccoli, Leeks, Hot Peppers

Failures: Brussels Sprouts, Cucumber, Okra, Parsley, Peas, Thyme

Our Greenhouse

I'll start by describing the greenhouse design and building process, and then briefly show what we've grown inside during its one year of operation to date. Later posts will cover our greenhouse growing techniques, successes, and failures in much greater detail.