Maine 4-Season Greenhouse Grow

Lights cost more than sun, but I do it for my mental health...it gives me a winter project and I love to see something green and happy in February :)

We were lucky to get our hands on a Harmon pellet boiler before the FDA made them stop production (just fell short of the crazy low emission requirements, which is hilarious when you see a neighbors outdoor boiler burning trash!) It heats our floors, radiators (only when it is below 0F, which is rare) and hot water. We go through about $1250-1500 a winter in pellets, all sourced in Maine (or Canada). Pellets are carbon neutral and the money stays local versus fossil fuel $ going out of NE.

We use a wood stove at our cabin and I love sourcing and prepping the wood as well. My 10-year son is learning the value of a good days work when he helps me. Plus, I am surrounded by enough timber to last several lifetimes...pellet production is a complex process, and they need to be delivered, so if that supply is ever disrupted we have a wood cookstove as well.
Hey Blew I run a Harmon. Almost trouble free for almost 15 years. One main board and one igniter in that time. They make a great product.
Please have a great Christmas.
 
Highya BH,

Happy New Year to you and yours! Hope you have a great growing season in your GHs. Cheers
 
Hey Blew.....Chilly day down here brother. Got the wood stove cranking today as I get ready to chop a couple plants. Hope all is well with you and the family! Stay warm brother!
Likewise....I was hunkered out of the wind as much as possible.

All good here...we are enjoying 2020 and trying to keep the madness of the world at arm's length.

:peace:
 
Hello Blew Hiller, I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions, I am considering putting in a high tunnel that is about 20 x 36 and I am just afraid of it getting too warm or humid, Do you have any issues with this problem and if so how do you deal with it? I am located in Northern Michigan. The sides roll up so that should help. I mainly just want to keep the rain and dew off my crop and extend my season a little more in the fall from the threat of a early frost. Thanks.
 
 
I am considering putting in a high tunnel that is about 20 x 36 and I am just afraid of it getting too warm or humid, Do you have any issues with this problem and if so how do you deal with it? I am located in Northern Michigan. The sides roll up so that should help. I mainly just want to keep the rain and dew off my crop and extend my season a little more in the fall from the threat of a early frost. Thanks.
High tunnels are awesome and I highly recommend them, especially in your zone. There is so much airflow with the sides up that you don't need additional venting. Make sure you get a gothic (peaked/pointed) frame that allows snow to slide off easier. Also, if you have room to make it longer than 36' consider making it 48'....It is a nominal price increase overall (just adding 3-4 more ribs) and you can use that additional space as a covered workspace, storage, future growing etc. I :love: my high tunnel and so will you! :)
 
TGIF! Been busy with life and slack with posting here. I realized that I wouldn't be able to effectively grow the photo kush in the Box in the GH because it has too many light leaks and that would have resulted in too many issues during flower. I changed course and decided to stick to a known thing which is autos in the Box. Additionally @Vulx was kind enough to send me some samples so I am incorporating them into this grow. The idea is to grow 2x Kush Autos from @SeedsMan with one pot having Vulx added. Give me a week to pop them and post some pics. Hope all is well with everyone here :peace:
 
Highya BH,

Glad to see you're still at it! Wondered how you're getting along this winter. Autos in a box. Works for winter grow. I found a lady who grows cbd candida strain in mass. So she gave me some seeds and I can grow a few cbd ladies. Good medicine. Cheers
 
TGIF!

Well dang, has it really been 2 weeks since my last post? That is pretty slack, but not unheard of for February! Still not sure if we are gearing for Spring or another Winter push. Ready for either. I have had several side projects that kept me busy, and remiss, from posting. World getting a little crazy it seems, so less time on the interweb does my soul good. I plan to update in the next few days and slowly segue into Spring and then the eventual summer grow. Hope all is well with y'all as things are good here with me.

:peace:
 
Highya BH,

Glad to see you're still alive, lol. I'm wondering what March holds for us. Last year March was the coldest month of the winter. Hope we don't get that this year!
The world is getting real crazy, I agree! I still use the net, but can turn it off when necessary, (very often).

Question - when do you drop your beans for summer grow? Would it be different if you didn't have a greenhouse? I usually drop on April 1st (or close), and that's been working for me. Just wondering what others do. I also don't think many grow putdoors anymore (at least, those on 420 mag). Cheers
 
Glad to see you're still alive, lol. I'm wondering what March holds for us. Last year March was the coldest month of the winter. Hope we don't get that this year! The world is getting real crazy, I agree! I still use the net, but can turn it off when necessary, (very often).

Question - when do you drop your beans for summer grow? Would it be different if you didn't have a greenhouse? I usually drop on April 1st (or close), and that's been working for me. Just wondering what others do. I also don't think many grow putdoors anymore (at least, those on 420 mag). Cheers
Yes, alive and all is well. I have been knee deep in two projects that hopefully I can share a bit here in the future. One is new 7x10' outdoor screen porch (similar to the cabin kitchen design) and another is CNC milling.

I dropped beans last year in mid-May and that worked fine for me. I made the mistake the previous year thinking because I had a GH I should start earlier...the result was over-vegged plants that I was frantically cutting back. Last year worked well for me and I plan on doing the same this year. I know you grow outdoors and I don't see a reason you couldn't drop them in April and let them get a month's growth under their belt before transplanting.
 
CNC milling! That's an odd and awesome surprise to hear for me. I'm an old cnc repair tech that hasn't had my hands in the field for over 30 years. What machine tool do you have and controller?
That seems a far stretch from farming and the hospitality industry. You're a many faceted person Blew, do you produce a specific item(s) or are you jobbing?
 
CNC milling! That's an odd and awesome surprise to hear for me. I'm an old cnc repair tech that hasn't had my hands in the field for over 30 years. What machine tool do you have and controller?
That seems a far stretch from farming and the hospitality industry. You're a many faceted person Blew, do you produce a specific item(s) or are you jobbing?
I'm training as a volunteer for our community workshop where they have a ShopBot (desktop and full size). I am teaching myself Vectric for basic design and operation of the equipment. The CNC is being made available to area students and residents which is an unbelievable opportunity...I wanted to get in early because I think it will be popular (and access to machines might get harder). The workshop also has a laser and 3D printer. Eventually I'll get trained on them so I can supervise for those as well.

I have been writing grant proposals and shaking the trees locally trying to source donated material, as we have a fair amount of local carpenters and craft artisans. The workshop was funded for machinery, but not materials, but it has been going well and we are getting good feedback. So many people fondly remember "shop" in high school and love to see kids getting an opportunity to use their hands (and brains) again.

A benefit of being a volunteer is I get non-public machine time at a discount (and volunteers hours are = to free machine hours :cheesygrinsmiley: ). I plan on making a few touristy things for summer folk to buy (wood signs of the town name, the farm, etc).
 
Just wondering what others do.
I'm in this boat as well - I will be growing in soil in a greenhouse (Leanto style attached to shop) - I sprouted on May 1 last year (unknown seeds) and harvested around Oct. 12 and I don't know if leaving them any longer would have helped - they looked real tired. 4 were outside, undercover and tarped at nite but I think the cold nites were taking a toll so I harvested but it's weak.
 
I'm in this boat as well - I will be growing in soil in a greenhouse (Leanto style attached to shop) - I sprouted on May 1 last year (unknown seeds) and harvested around Oct. 12 and I don't know if leaving them any longer would have helped - they looked real tired. 4 were outside, undercover and tarped at nite but I think the cold nites were taking a toll so I harvested but it's weak.
If they are touching the plastic in flower, the risk of rot becomes exponential...which is more stress than I wanted :)
 
They all had a buffer so I don't think they were touching plastic. - I'm thinking that the below freezing temps did them no good. Plus, the aphids really got ahead of me.
I had a devastating run of rot that essentially fvcked my summer grow 2 years ago...last summer I had almost zero rot issues...lessons learned were less vegging, more airflow, better plant spacing (no touching). Then I botched 2 of my dry/cures :rofl: . I applied those lessons to the remaining 9 plants and overall I had a successful summer.
 
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