Green Growers Maxim #5
'The month of May is when you win or lose your war on weeds'.
The winter of 2010/'11, has been a challenging one up here in Northwestern Ontario for a year-round greenhouse due to the inordinate amount of overcast weather. Last winter had an overabundance of sunshine and was reasonable short. This winter was the opposite. And yet, even with the electric back-up shut off, my GH365 greenhouse performed quite well. Certainly the tomatoes weren't as vibrant as last winter but they survived and I picked fresh tomatoes until a couple of weeks ago. At that point, the older ones were simply not productive enough and had to be replaced with new seedlings for a more efficient use of space. Now I have about 80 to 90 tomato plants coming along from about 3" to 8" in height and all looking very healthy. There is a mix of sub-arctic plenty, beefmaster and sweetie cherry.
The best performers were the broccoli, lettuce, spanish onions, parsley and wheatgrass. Basil has only now in the last month or so begun to show vigorous growth. Marjoram, Rosemary and Oregano in 9" pots, brought in from outside in September, continue to do just fine.
As a small diversion from updates on greenhouse activity, I thought that since today, April 13, '11 marks the fourth year since I returned to my homestead from Southern Ontario, I'd show and tell you a bit about the setting here. My newly renovated log house is set on 160 acres which is about 50/50 fields and boreal forest. Additionally, through a deep gorge that cuts into that forest flows the Whitefish River through my property. And I'm fortunate in having one of the most beautiful sections of the river with a series of spectacular waterfalls only a 15 minute walk from the house and greenhouse. I took that walk today and have posted a photo of my house and the South Cascades.
