There is little differences in High Tunnels, hoop houses, poly-tunnels, and green houses. The biggest differences are if they are covered completely or partially in hard glass or plastic panels vs. a plastic sheet that comes on a roll, or if they have vertical walls for sides instead of the hoop extending into the ground, or if they are heated or have electric service in them. The ones I have here have solid end walls with a double layer of poly plastic sheeting over the rest. Ours also have four foot high walls that can roll up to increase ventilation in the summer and are heated by a wood burning furnace/boiler in the winter months. I can therefore raise a tropical fish like tilapia here in Kentucky during the winter months and keep the cycle of Aquaponics going year round. Our first HT is a 80×35 and is a “in ground” garden. The second one is a little smaller and houses the aquaponic system. The third has yet to be built but will be an off the grid operation using passive solar and rocket mass heating in the cold months and geo-thermal cooling in the summer months. Water and air pumps for the family sized off grid aquaponic and aeroponic systems will be 12 volt solar powered and operated, and with the option of bicycle, oxen or windmill power water pumps.
404
Page not found.
Biochar is basically charcoal that we make here and has been inoculated with bacteria and fungus to help enrich the soil. There is much information available on this great substance and its importance, and I am glad to be a part of sharing this information and raising awareness of the benefits of bio-char.
This fly isn’t the nasty house fly that we all disdane for its infamous disease carrying ability. This fly lives most its life in larvue form and when it matures and emerges with wings does not even have a mouth with which to eat. It only lives a few hours and spends its time looking for a suitable place to mate and lay eggs before dying. As a larva, it is a ravenous consumer of organic matter and can help quickly reduce a compost pile into usable castings for the soil. It makes great fish and chicken feed live or dried, and is self harvesting!
Learn how to raise bees in general, build your own boxes or supers, grow Queens, split hives, catch swarms, collect and spin out honey, mite and disease control are examples of topics covered in the training classes.
Vermiculture is worm composting. Worms are a farmers best friend. Growing worms to seed the garden or feed chickens is only part of the benefit. The production of worm castings and aeration for soil creates a healthy soil for plants to flourish. They also help with your compost pile.
Training in grape vine varieties and methods of trellising and training, pruning, basic disease and insect control.
Aquaponics is the symbiotic relationship between Aquaculture (growing fish in controlled confined space) and Hydroponics (growing plants in water). By using the “dirty” water from the fish tanks in the hydroponic beds the plant roots take up needed nutrients and help filter the water. The water is then returned to the fish tanks clean and ready to start the cycle over again. While this seems very simple, and in a way it is, it is by no means “easy”. There are many formulas and rules that have to be observed or this very delicate balance can be loss and all will suffer. Here at our facility we use the UVI system that has been proven for nearly 40 years now.