The green is back in the greenhouse

I’ve got six new benches in the greenhouse and am putting them to use. Have already been eating cherries and blackberry. Lots of figs going on. I hope to have main crop ripe by late May. Those should ripen until December.

33 Likes

Yum!! :yum:

3 Likes

you mean mulberry, not blackberry, right? or did you complete the chill cycle before last winter? :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Chill cycle this yr was the earliest ever, mid Oct until early Dec. Since then I’ve been running nights in 50s and low 60s. Days mostly 80s. So this is the earliest fruit ever.

I did mean blackberries. The red mulberries are Morus Nigra that should start to ripen in April. They’re black when ripe.

2 Likes

At this rate, you’ll end up on the southern hemisphere! :grinning:

4 Likes

Not far off. Basically I’ll have two summers in a row. I’m thinking chill cycle next yr won’t start until late Nov or early Dec. So that’s 12 months in a row of highs in 80s and 90s. We’ll see how the plants react to that.

The most economical way to run the gh is chill Dec and Jan and only enough heating to avoid freezing. That’s what I’m thinking for next winter.

3 Likes

It seems you did not thin your pluots :blush:. Which variety by the way?

1 Like

Everything is looking great! I love the idea of a greenhouse and have played around with the idea of building one for years. Pics like that sure does push me in the direction of getting one! :grinning:

3 Likes

The set wasn’t very good. So I left everything.

1 Like

thinking along the same lines as @Poncho65. Can you mention the dimensions of your greenhouse and a word or two about how you got it. Great pics and very inspirational! I have my very first fig and I’m really excited.

2 Likes

It’s 32x54x16ft tall. I built it back in 2005 when I was young and strong. It cost 25K. There is 10,000 lbs of concrete on each side holding the frame in place. The design called for pillars of concrete on each post of 16 inch by 60 inch deep. No way to make that kind of hole so I trenched out a footing on each side about 18-24 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Put a bunch of rebar in there, set the posts in place in ready mix, and poured it full of concrete.

If building again I’d hold height to 12-13 ft rather than 16 just to make it easier to work on. It took me 6 months to build. I thought I could do it in three but after working 7 days a week for two months I figured out that wasn’t happening and backed off for a bit. I still managed to plant the first trees in March of 2005 spaced 4ft by 8ft. Those trees mostly on Citation produced the best fruit I’ve ever grown. They are long gone. I’ve made major changes nearly every winter for the last 6 yrs.

4 Likes

Wow Steve! I never realized you built it yourself, and after retirement, which makes it even more impressive.

1 Like

How do you manage pollination? Hand pollinate or use a bee-hive?

1 Like

For real pollination a class C hive of bumblebees works wonders. For a little bit I’ve done hand pollination. The hand pollination works well but it’s tedious and time consuming to do very much. For peach/nectarine I spray/mist the trees lightly with water once or twice a day. I think that helps some. Temperatures above 80F probably aren’t good for pollination.

My understanding is that honeybees aren’t a good option. They get disorientated inside a greenhouse and just bounce off the roof rather than pollinating. The bumblebees do some of that but it’s mostly the males wanting to go off and mate. The females collect pollen and carry it back into the hive for the brood. New bumblebees do emerge after the hive arrives. A class C hive lasts ~5 wks. That’s enough to cover everything I’ve had needing bees.

1 Like

Amazing! Thanks for the info. I’m exhausted just hearing about the construction. You have a lot to be proud of @fruitnut

1 Like