GH365 Greenhouse Production through Severe Winter.

The winter of 2013-2014 has been a real challenge for many of us. In this region of Northwestern Ontario, we've had record low temperatures frequently in the minus 30s for a period of well over three months (December, January, February and early March). To compound the problem with my GH365 Greenhouse, we went through periods of little sunshine and yet consistently low temperatures especially at night. Nonetheless, the greenhouse has shown excellent heat retention values and most of the vegetables and herbs survived although in some cases slow in germination and growth. The following photos were taken on Friday March 7th. At that time of morning the outside temperatures were around minus -21 Celsius and the inside temperatures were at + 5.4 Celsius increasing to +9.5 Celsius by mid-afternoon. From top to bottom are -- Lettuce, Broccoli, Peas, Tomato, Oregano, Rosemary and Wheatgrass.

Fort Frances GH365 Presentation

On Tuesday May 21st, I gave a PowerPoint presentation on my GH365 greenhouse project in the conference room of the very impressive, new Fort Frances Public Library - Technology Centre. I've given variations of it many times before but felt this was one of the better ones. About 25 or so people attended, many from the FF Horticultural Society. This is with an eye to a possible community greenhouse based on my concept. Beside me in the second photo is Paul Olsen who spearheaded the event and Anne Ostby, the president of the FF Horicultural Society, who arranged it.

Cherryvale Greenhouse

Traude's Eco-Greenhouse- Greener and greener!

Traude Karia GH365 Eco-Greenhouse Part Six

I had a chance to visit the Traude Karia GH365 Greenhouse recently and was pleased to see that it was beginning to sprout some greenery. Traude's grandson Nathan showed me some of the initial seedlings at various stages. Although still a bit sparse, it's the start of what will be a 365 days a year process. Nathan also noted that they would begin by planting in stages to allow maturation to occur at reasonable intervals. There was a variety of tomatoes including one that was not only blossoming but also had several small green tomatoes coming along. Additionally, Traude had a range of her herbs getting started including oregano and rosemary. In that their greenhouse has a much larger growing area (18'x24') than my initial prototype (14' x 18') they will eventually be able to have a veritable bounty of fresh vegetables and herbs. Also with the 16 foot glazing span, they have the opportunity to hang baskets and troughs for additional produce taking advantage of the increased vertical space.

My own greenhouse is jam-packed at the moment with some 30 or so primarily beefsteak tomatoes in large pots just beginning to blossom as well as at least 36 or so tomato starters for sale in small 4" starter pots in about two weeks time. These are all primarily Borghese plum tomatoes. Also my wheatgrass business is booming at the moment. I grow it, harvest it at it's prime, juice it using a special electric juicer with a wheatgrass auger, pour it into 1 oz. lidded cups and freeze it. My customers are primarily nutrition centres and health (organic) food outlets. Further to that I have plenty of tender Buttercrunch lettuce and spinach for salads, broccoli and green peppers just either germinating or as small sprouts as well as herbs such as parsley, oregano, rosemary and sage.

Traude Karia GH365 Eco-Greenhouse - Part Five

Traude's GH365 greenhouse is now ready for planting. The circulation pumps have been installed and the circulation systems have been tested. The planter tables are 'good to go' with the sand, root-zone tubing, landscape fabric etc. installed.

This has been a warmer than usual winter, however, as I can attest with the continuing operation of my original prototype, it has nonetheless been a bit of a challenge. We have had much less full sunny days than normal. As I've often said, as far as the greenhouse is concerned, I'd prefer 25 below celsius and sunny to 15 below and cloudy.

The January issue of 'Northern Ontario Business' has a feature 'Green Report" article on my GH365 greenhouse project on pages 31 and 32. Check it out. I've had several calls and a number of emails as a result of the article written by Ian Ross when he visited me back in October. Rick Prior of the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre brought my project to his attention.

Stay tuned for the last 'blog' posting on Traude's greenhouse when I will also post photos of a generous flourish of green, which of course was the object of the exercise.

Traude Karia's GH365 Eco-Greenhouse - Part Four

Despite a few delays waiting for electrical inspections and such, we are now nearing the final stages of installations. The electrical and most of the plumbing components are completed. We are now preparing to install planter tables with the root-zone heat tubing. Once these are in place, the heat-retention wall, radiant floor and root-zone tubing will be connected to the pumps and other heated water circulation components.

The first full test is always a bit intense. A GH365 greenhouse is much like a living organism. All the systems must function smoothly and be compatible. We have been creating a unique facility i.e. one that allows living plants to grow and flourish whether it's frosty white with snow outside or scorching under the heat of the summer sun.

Soon the lighting fixtures, ceiling fans and other finishing touches will be in place. Then for Traude, her grandson Nathan and his wife Susan, the fun begins. Growing things!

Traude Karia's GH365 Eco-Greenhouse - Part Three

As we come to the end of September, I reflect on what is my favourite season, which doesn't come every year. And that is "Indian Summer". It always seems a blessing to have summer extend into autumn. For Traude Karia's greenhouse project it has also been a blessing. I think we may have lost no more than a half hour due to inclement weather. So we've made excellent progress. In fact we have now completed the solar system installation (solar collectors on the roof, solar thermal hot water tank and the connections thereof) as well as most of the electrical wiring including the panel box.

As the inevitable colder weather begins to arrive, a third blessing, which a GH365 greenhouse provides, is the ability to continue growing greens, including 'green medicines' in Traude's case, for the benefit of all. It's truly like having "Indian Summer" all year round. Wonderful!!

Traude Karia's GH365 Eco-Greenhouse - Part Two

Pete Silvaggio of Precision Millwork and his crew have been working hard and the project is progressing well. The structure has been cladded, the roof shingled and the south glazing (16 mm polycarbonate) was installed yesterday.

I must say, with the sweeping 16 foot vertical span, the building looks magnificent. I think some bypassers must have thought we were building a church. In a way we are. As Traude said, it will be a "Temple of Greenery".

Soon we begin the solar, electrical and plumbing components installation. I'll keep you posted.

Traude Karia's GH365 Eco-Greenhouse

Green Growers Maxim #6 -- Everyone likes to be touched with affection---even Mother Earth.

We have begun construction of the next GH365 Greenhouse --

Traude Karia's GH365 Eco-Greenhouse.

A word about Traude Wedding. She is a lady full of energy and life, seemingly ageless. Traude is also a specialist in "green medicine" i.e. alternate remedies through the judicious use of often common plants and herbs. So for her, a year-round greenhouse makes a lot of sense.

At this point, the site has been levelled and prepared with a solid gravel base; the continuous concrete footings have been poured; framing has been started; the north heat retention wall is nearing completion and the roof joists are in place.

Traude's greenhouse will be larger than my original prototype at 26 ft. x 26 ft. and a south glazing vertical span of 16 ft. It will look quite magnificent and will incorporate several improvements. As an example, the heat exchange unit, hot water tank and other mechanical, plumbing and electrical components will be in the preparation room allowing more growing space. The solar collectors will stand more upright at 18 degrees off vertical to be more effective during the coldest months and to shed snow better. The 16 ft. glazing span allows for a much larger greenhouse (growing) area of 26 ft. x 18 ft.

I will keep you posted on a regular basis as Traude's GH365 Eco-Greenhouse takes shape.

Spring Thaw

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.

Veggies and Greens in the Dead of Winter

Green Growers Maxim #4 -- There are two rules for watering: 1. For inside plants, when in doubt, don't. 2. For outside plants, when in doubt, do.

This winter I'm taking some risks and testing the limits of my GH365 greenhouse. I shut off the breaker for the electric back-up in my water heater back in mid-November. So I'm essentially heating my greenhouse by passive solar and solar thermal means only. We've had some cold periods reaching a low of minus 31.29 degrees celsius on December 14th. But what is of greater concern is the fact that we've had an unusually high number of overcast (cloudy and part sun) days since November. And yet the coldest temperature I've recorded in the greenhouse was +4.49 degrees celsius, not surprisingly, on December 14th. Otherwise, it never went below +5 C.

Now that's still pretty cold for a greenhouse but as you can see from my photographs taken earlier today (January 6, 2011) the vegetables, for the most part, are performing well. Admittedly, the cold sensitive plants like tomatoes are taking an unusually long time to germinate and to ripen. But the ripening has more to do with the lack of sunshine than the lack of warm temperatures. Even one day with good clear sun has noticeably shown a significant reddening of those reaching maturity.

I've included some photos showing the ripening tomatoes as well as the one with the smallish red one and two green ones with broccoli in the background. These are on a tomato plant that I seeded on November 11, 2009 --over a year old and still producing. Pretty amazing!

Notice as well that the other more cold-resistant veggies like the broccoli and spinach behind the parsley are doing great. Not a bad way to spend the winter!

Wheatgrass Juice

Green Growers Maxim #3 -- "A gardener is a producer. Anyone else is just a consumer".

Wheatgrass juice has been used for thousands of years around the world for its health benefits and healing properties. As an energizer, it gives one a great feeling of vitality. It is a 'whole food' containing all the nutrients for human existence. Wheatgrass juice contains every essential amino acid; vitamins A, B, C, E and K; a full complement of minerals including calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus as well as an abundance of enzymes which assist in nutrient digestion, heart muscle toning and slowing cellular aging. As a healer, it is an excellent detoxifier; the chlorophyll in it is a blood purifier. It can repair ulcers, reduce high blood pressure, fight bacterial growth, purify the liver, improve digestion and much more.

GH365 Wheatgrass Juice (Good Health Every Day) is all organic. The seeds are 'hard red spring wheat' certified organic by OPAM. It is grown using all organic fertilizers -- well-aged local manure, natural fish fertilizer, peat moss and horticultural grade perlite and vermiculite.

And it is all grown, harvested, juiced and frozen in our unique solar thermal greenhouse.

Look for our 'Wheatgrass Juice' page with more details coming soon on our website.

Nolalu Country Market

Green Growers Maxim #2 -- If you want to be happy for an hour, drink wine. If you want to be happy for a day, run away. If you want to be happy for a year, get married. If you want to be happy forever, be a gardener. (Ancient Greek saying).

Country (Farmers) Markets have been around over 200 years in Ontario with the first one established in Kingston in 1780. With a surge in the popularity of supermarkets and their 'convenience foods', pre-packaged and highly processed, country markets declined in the sixties and seventies. But there was a resurgence in the 1980's. Now with greater awareness of food quality and the impact on our health, country markets are more popular than ever. There are some 157 farmers markets listed on the farmersmarketsontario.com website.

And that does not include the 'Nolalu Country Market'. Held every friday from 4 pm to 7 pm at St. Urho's at the junction of Hwy 588 and 590, our little market is growing with increasing numbers of vendors and customers ranging from locals to campers. They come secure in the knowledge that the food is fresh, safe to eat and the next best thing to harvesting it yourself. Also all the artisans' crafts and creations are hand-made locally. Not only is it a way of connecting to the land, it is also a way of connecting with one another-- a wonderful social occasion. We may not always have exactly what you're looking for, but we'll always have a friendly 'Hi Neighbour!'.

Auxiliary Greenhouse

Green Growers Maxim #1 -"Anybody who thinks that gardening begins in the spring has wasted the fall and winter".

One of the important advantages that I came to realize in the early spring was the possibility and opportunity to now get bedding plants (starters) seeded and growing early. I had advanced starters growing as early as February in the main solar greenhouse. I realized that, with a good quality conventional second greenhouse, I could get those starters moved into an interim location, to clear space in the main greenhouse, and thereby be able to transplant them into an outside garden as early as the last frost would allow. Consequently, now it's possible to transplant, for example, tomatoes that are already blooming or even bearing fruit. Thereby, you can begin to pick from your outside garden, vine-ripened tomatoes and other ripe vegetables as early as May even in this cold climate region. This is much better than having to wait until the end of August or even September to begin to pick tomatoes while often worrying about the first frost destroying them. This happened to many of us in late summer 2009.

Additionally, the second greenhouse allows me to clear space in the solar greenhouse all summer long which allows me to almost double production. And finally, it also allows me to be able to use the conventional greenhouse as a control facility to measure the advantages of the solar greenhouse. To that end, I'm now also taking daily readings and noting the current temperature, maximum and minimum over the previous 24 hour period and the relative humidity in the second greenhouse to compare with the solar greenhouse prototype.

The Life and Times of Tommy Tomato

I began to make entries regarding our so called "Tommy Tomato" starting on March 13th, March 19th, March 22nd and April 7th including photos. You might want to check back. "Tommy" is a standard red beefsteak type tomato called "Cobra" from Stokes Seeds. It is described (in part) as -- "Best tasting of the greenhouse grown hybrids. Cobra has field ripened taste. Large and firm".

The seed was planted on Nov. 11, 2009. It germinated eleven days later on Nov. 22, '09. We transplanted "Tommy" from a 4" pot to an 8" pot on January 18, 2010. Blooms began to show on or around March 5th and we did our first hand-pollinating on March 11th. By March 16th, the fruit began to appear and was perhaps 1/4" in diameter at that point growing to about 3/4" in diameter by a week later on March 22nd. This morning, June 5th, 2010, I picked "Tommy" off the vine. He now measures about 2 1/2" in diameter and is deep red in colour. Slightly smaller than some but a very healthy looking tomato. Later today, I look forward to enjoying the taste and nourishment that the now late "Tommy" will provide.

Tommy's place in the greenhouse was toward the back and I think his growth was a bit stunted due to overcrowding and therefore some lack of light that would optimize growth.

Gull Bay and Prospective GH365 Greenhouse site

On Wednesday, May 26th, my friend Sheryl and I drove to Gull Bay First Nation, some 2 hours north of Thunder Bay. Sheryl being an avid photographer, we stopped several times to take photos, and to simply enjoy the view.

Gull Bay 1st Nation is located on the west shore of Lake Nipigon. As we drove up toward the community, it was a study in contrasts. Several homes were modest to the point of wondering how the families survived the long cold winters in them. Upon reaching the heart of the community of about 350 to 400 people, we saw the new modern health centre nearing completion. Also the new "Band Office", now more specifically referred to as the "Government Agency Building", which was well appointed with inspiring woodland native art prominent on the walls of the boardroom and elsewhere. Again the contrast of young teen-age girls clutching babies, the more than usual dogs and abandoned vehicles in a spectacular setting overlooking Lake Nipigon.

We met with Jordan Hatton (Resource Development Advisor) and Tausha Esquega (Economic Development Officer) who had visited my GH365 Greenhouse several weeks prior to that and quite liked what they saw. They had maintained their interest in having one built at their Gull Bay community.

Tausha took us around for a tour of the local sites including the new recreation centre and hockey rink under construction as well as the tiny store that contained little more than potato chips, chocolate bars, soft drinks, freezies and cigarettes. We now understood the serious need for locally grown nutritious food.

Terrace Bay Presentation and Nolalu Sale

On Saturday April 24th, I took a three hour drive to Terrace Bay to participate in the 2010 Green Trade Show. My half hour PowerPoint presentation was well received and I had many productive conversations at my display table. Following that on Saturday May 1st, I participated in the Nolalu Spring and Summer Marketplace which I also help to organize. I had for sale a wide assortment of starters. The most popular ones sold included tomatoes and green peppers. Attached are photos taken of me at both events. Also this weekend we tasted our first ripe tomatoes from the greenhouse. In a few days there should be a pound or two available of several varieties including Sub-Arctic Plenty, Cobra Beefsteak and Camelia (a cherry tomatoe).