Preparing My Hoop Houses for Winter
As you know, I am a very serious gardener, and am always thinking about new ways I can improve the productivity of the gardens and the greenhouses at my farm.
My outdoor grounds continues to prepare all the hoop houses for winter storage of my warm weather plants, including citrus trees and a vast array of other tropical specimens. Because I live in a four-season region, it’s vital these plants move indoors, where the temperature and humidity levels can be controlled. This year, to maximize the space inside these high-grade structures, my strong crew is installing more shelving for potted plants - all from wood milled right here. With the first frost expected in this area within weeks, everyone is working hard to get the projects done.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- Dwarf citrus plants and other tropicals can be kept outdoors as long as temperatures stay above 40-degrees Fahrenheit. Because temperatures are expected to cool quickly in this area, it was a scramble to get all my greenhouses in top working order – ready for all the plants to be moved indoors.
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- Inside the hoop house earmarked for storing my growing collection of citrus trees, Pete begins organizing the existing shelves, disposing of those boards that are too weak and re-leveling the ones that can be reused from last year.
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- Outside, Phurba and Pete measure the logs before moving any inside. I wanted four shelving tiers, with the tallest just about four-feet high.
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- Each of these log sections weighs more than 150-pounds, so it takes a lot of elbow grease to get all of them in the greenhouse. Pete brings one of the hand carts over to help.
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- I always recycle felled trees whenever possible. These logs and lumber planks make excellent and sturdy shelves. The pieces were milled right here at my farm. I shared the process on a previous blog. http://www.themarthablog.com/2015/08/repurposing-felled-trees-at-my-farm.html
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- With the upright log sections in place and leveled on the gravel floor, Pete and Phurba begin placing the shelves for the top tier. These high-quality wooden boards can withstand the weight of multiple pots.
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- One by one, section by section, Pete and Phurba secure the other tiers – each one about a foot shorter. The wooden planks are about eight to 10 inches wide.
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- These logs are very secure in the gravel – they won’t go anywhere.
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- And look who it is watching from the side and testing one of the secured shelves – hi, Blackie.
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- To be extra safe and to secure these shelves even more, Pete attaches wooden pieces to anchor them to each other.
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- He then screws the shelves into the stumps from above.
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- And from below – Pete wants to be sure the shelves don’t move or fall when the plants are being watered or turned, etc. The entire process of installing these shelves in the greenhouses takes several days.
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- One side is all finished – I love being able to repurpose what I already have at the farm. These shelves look great.
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- Here is Pete securing the boards to the stumps on the other side.
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- There will be a lot of room on the center floor for taller plants and now plenty of shelf space for the smaller potted specimens.
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- I am very pleased with how well it turned out. This room will soon be filled with lots of healthy dwarf citrus trees.
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- More lumber planks were transported to the smaller greenhouse located next to my head house.
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- Here is Fernando carrying an upright support stump from the truck – already cut to the proper size.
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- Pete measures the space inside the structure for a horizontal wooden plank shelf.
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- Every board is measured outside and cut to size before it is brought into the hoop house.
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- It’s a perfect fit with one foot in between the shelving tiers.
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- Here we built up the center to have a taller shelf with a shorter shelf on each side.
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- Look how great the topiaries look – they will be so happy here this winter.
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- We’re now beginning to move all the plants indoors – right on schedule. Using what you have to maximize existing spaces for storage is a very good thing.
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