- Editors Corner
- Low Tunnels Are Here!
- Follow up – Winter Blues
- In The Next Newsletter
- News & Events
- Newmarket Farmers Market
- Mushroom Update
- New Addition to the HHH Family
- Dr. Tomato’s “Tomato-Mania 2010″ Tour Begins
- How To:
- Begin Selecting a Greenhouse Site
- Questions from Readers
- What Can I Do To Help Those in Need of Food?
Editors Corner
Low Tunnels Are Here!
You asked us to make them available and now we have them – actually, we MAKE them! Those of you who didn’t ask us to make them available are, instead, probably asking – WHAT THE HECK ARE LOW TUNNELS? Perhaps the simplest answer to that question is that they are “mini greenhouses”. If you are a gardener, you undoubtedly have entertained secret thoughts of one day having your own greenhouse. The benefits are many – start all your plants earlier and grow them much later into the season. Grow plants that like a warmer environment than we normally experience in our outside gardens. Keep plants dryer and cleaner throughout the season – which equates to less disease (need we say 2009 tomato late blight and powdery mildew!?!). Keep insects and animals from devouring your plants. Reduce water loss and prevent damage from wind and rain. But, for most people there is still one major barrier to putting up their own greenhouse – cost. You already know that Healthy Home Harvest LLC makes our own greenhouse components and sells them at prices you can’t match. But, the price is still out of range for many gardeners.
Over the past years, there has been rapid growth in the use of “low tunnels”. Instead of a structure that YOU, the grower, can fit into, low tunnels fit only the PLANTS. Instead of a structure that is typically in the range of 12 – 20 feet wide and 30 – 90 feet long, you only put up a “structure” that is 4-6 feet wide, about 3 feet high and as long as you choose to make it! Instead of a support base and multiple support purlins to make the full greenhouse structurally sound, the low tunnel hoops are merely stuck into the ground about 5 or 6 inches. All this simplicity means one thing – VERY low cost! In fact, the cost of a low tunnel hoop is only ¼ to 1/5 the price of a full greenhouse hoop. AND, there is no base to build, no support purlins to buy and install, no doors or windows to build.
The low tunnel also gives you flexibility of use. The low tunnel hoops can be covered with greenhouse poly to provide a warm environment for direct seeding of early greens (spinach, Asian greens, mache etc) a month or more earlier than you can normally plant in the ground. The hoops can also be covered with a light agricultural fabric to give frost protection, insect protection, humidity control, wind protection and increased warmth for MANY different crops. This means earlier planting, season extension in the fall, better quality veggies and higher yields. We use them and highly praise their results.
Bottom line – we bend the low tunnel hoops ourselves which means low costs, which we pass on to you. If you live locally and want to pick it up, you can even avoid the shipping costs. You get the benefits of a greenhouse without the size or cost. We sell both the greenhouse plastic and agricultural fabrics in the sizes you need. We are here, as always, to support you and answer any questions you might have. We use low tunnels ourselves. You will love these things!
Follow up – Winter Blues
Thank you to all of you who commented on your experiences with “winter blues” and depression in general. We could discuss the research on the nutritional connection for hours. This is a serious topic that touches most people’s lives either directly or indirectly. I wanted to mention a program that was recently on Public Television. The show is called – THIS EMOTIONAL LIFE: FACING YOUR FEARS. I strongly urge anyone whose life is touched by depression or PTSD to watch it. It can be streamed on line or accessed through the ShopPBS.org service online. Seriously – watch this show!
In The Next Newsletter
Over the course of the growing season, I get many questions asking me to explain the difference between Open Pollinated Heirloom seeds, Hybrid seeds and GMO seeds and plants. As we come into the season when most of you are beginning to thumb through your seed catalogs and make your choices for this year’s crop, these questions are particularly relevant. Because this is a complex issue filled with misinformation and confusion, I have decided to dedicate much of the next newsletter to helping you understand the science involved. Then, you can make your own informed decisions about which types of seed you choose to use. I will also let you know what seeds we, as environmentally conscious growers, will and will not use in our own production process. This is an important issue and one that can have a profound impact on global biodiversity.
Until Next Time,
The Healthy Home Harvest team
feedback@healthyhomeharvest.com
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News & Events
Newmarket Farmers Market
When: Saturday, February 20th from 9:00am until 1:00pm.
Where: The Stone Church, Newmarket NH.
Last Saturday we were once again at the Newmarket Farmers Market held at the Stone Church. I cannot say it too many times – THIS IS A GREAT MARKET! Jill Leavenworth – the guiding light for this market – has done a wonderful job putting together an “event” that transcends just being a place to go and buy local products. The venue is small and intimate. The vendors are diverse, enthusiastic and friendly. There is great food available and some very talented live musicians provide first class entertainment. The feeling is more like a family gathering than a trip to the local store. As usual, Healthy Home Harvest LLC brought a plethora of SOLARGANIC Salad Greens and wonderfully fresh gourmet mushrooms. And, as usual, we were sold out by about 11:00am. We thank ALL the customers who bought from us and who choose to support our efforts to provide you with locally grown, environmentally friendly, low carbon footprint, ultimately FRESH food – year round! We look forward to seeing you at the next Newmarket Farmers Market!
For those of you not familiar with Newmarket, the Stone Church is up on the hill behind the Post Office in downtown Newmarket. This is our favorite farmers market! Good atmosphere, live music, some wonderful vendors, good food and a variety of products. See you there!
Mushroom Update
Those of you who eat our gourmet mushrooms know that they are the finest mushrooms you can buy! We were told by a visiting French chef that she could not find mushrooms like ours anywhere in France! Whether this is absolutely true or not, it was a very flattering compliment! This week, James is expanding and upgrading the current chamber to allow us to produce more mushrooms to meet your demand for these culinary delights! Keep your eyes open for two new varieties that will excite your eyes and tickle your taste buds! And THANK YOU to all of you who have sent us such glowing reports on our full family of fantastic fungal favorites!
New Addition to the HHH Family
James and I are proud to announce the arrival of a new member of the Healthy Home Harvest LLC family – the HOBBIT HOUSE! Last Friday the 15th of January, 2010 we plugged in the inflator fan signaling the completion of a new 65 foot, double layer, inflatable skin hoop greenhouse that we built ourselves. We now start the process of building the internal systems which will allow us to grow even more SOLARGANIC vegetables year round and also grow the high quality organically grown vegetable and flower seedlings we are so famous for. Keep an eye on our website, we will be posting pictures soon!
Dr. Tomato’s “Tomato-Mania 2010″ Tour Begins
On Wednesday, February 3rd at 6:00pm Dr. Tomato will be speaking at the Goodwin Library in downtown Farmington, N.H.. The library is presenting a once a month series open to the public that will focus on helping the home gardener improve his/her knowledge, skills and enjoyment level. Such issues as seed starting, garden planning, planting schedules, garden type (in ground, raised beds, container), season extension (greenhouses and low tunnels), pest and disease control, watering, fertilizing and how to share your harvest will be discussed. There will also be plenty of time to ask those burning gardening questions you have had all winter! There is no cost for the program and you can contact the library at 603 755-2944 with any questions. We hope to see you there!
How To:
Begin Selecting a Greenhouse Site:
During the winter months of November, December and January, the sun is at its lowest angles for Northeast greenhouse growers. This is an advantageous time of year to assess your property to determine where a greenhouse intended for year round use should go once the weather has become more hospitable.
Select a location that is desirable for convenience and accessibility. Make sure that the southern exposure is free of trees, building and other obstacles that will impede your sunlight. Mark off an area with stakes or in the snow of where you think it should be and observe if it gets a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight in these winters months. We tend to prefer running our greenhouses from east to west for a variety of reasons, however many growers also prefer running them north to south. Also, take note of any trees that may allow sun to pass now, but will block it greatly once they have produced leaves again in the Spring.
Questions from Readers
Question:
Dear Dr. Tomato, What can I do to help those in need of food?
Answer:
I recently had a young person ask me this important question. With so many global events overwhelming our senses, it is often difficult to figure out how and where to begin to make a difference. The recent tragic earthquake in Haiti shocked the world with its magnitude and level of devastation. We should all do what we can to help those in dire need there. However, we also don’t want to forget that there are MANY people in need right in our own state, city and, indeed, neighborhood. The number of people who experience some level of hunger in our own state is unacceptable. As serious growers or home gardeners, here are some thoughts as to what we can do to help:
1). Make a donation to the wonderful people at the New Hampshire Food Bank. Their efforts are responsible for feeding those in need throughout the entire state of New Hampshire. We all know that the economy has pushed many of the food distribution centers to their limits and beyond due to the huge increase in the number of families who need food assistance. Call them at 603 669-9725 and ask what you can do to help. Or send them a donation at:
New Hampshire Food Bank
P.O. Box 9510
Manchester, N.H. 03108
2). If you are able, volunteer at your local food pantry and/or make a food or cash donation. You will be helping to feed your neighbor.
3). Here is one of my favorite suggestions. Talk to your neighbors and fellow gardeners and discuss how you can co-ordinate your gardening activities to grow extra food for those in need. Get to know your neighbors and find out who needs some help. Then, as gardeners, plan on having each one of you grow a little extra of certain vegetables to gather together once or twice a week and deliver to those people in need. The widow who lives alone, the single mother, the family whose bread winner has been laid off, the elderly couple on fixed income, the family of immigrants who are trying to establish themselves in a new country. They are very likely too proud to ASK for the help but very much NEED the help.
Here is another idea. If you live in the city and don’t have a back yard, look around your neighborhood for an empty lot or someone who does have a backyard. Discuss with your fellow neighbors the concept of putting in a neighborhood garden. Then, CALL DR. TOMATO! If you live locally, I will come and meet with you at NO CHARGE and help you make plans for that neighborhood garden. If you are not local, I will still offer advice and support through email. Your garden will produce more than food. It will bring you closer together as a neighborhood, be a wonderful experience for the young people in the neighborhood and give you more control over your own lives. You can grow a LOT of food for a lot of people in a small area at very low cost! GROW FOR IT!
About the Newsletter
The Healthy Home Harvest newsletter is a bi-weekly publication which consists of news, events, how-to and reader submitted questions.