Alas poor Mayapur! It won't work here because...!

[Guest guest]

Haribol Carol

 

I haven't heard from you since that last letter of mine. You might be upset

or discouraged by what I have said. I do have a big mouth and shoot off what

I believe in. I take no leaf before my mouth and don't speak to be loved.

You are angry, think i'm stupid or whatever ? I don't care... but haven't

done so to upset you or whatever. Please keep in mind.

 

Any way, I was doing some back up reading and had some comments to your

text:

 

<<......Any body out there that is really doing any

thing except flap your keys on the computer? I am still harvesting okra.

Egg plant, a few small carrots, the last of the beets and one variety of

squash and a few tomatoes from my garden still.

 

It's approaching the end of february now and winter still seems far away

here in Europe. This is a little worrying to me, but on the other hand is

very welcome.

Due to the execptional weather I'm still eating from the garden and even

have some winter-spinach coming up.

And yes, I'm flapping a lot on the computer, while nature is doing the main

job. I just have to do my daily shopping in the garden and cook them green

stuff. Spring is coming up and I have my seeds & 2 piles of compost ready.

it's in vain though... cause:

 

<< If you can't get enough sun light to grow your crops you can substitute

CO2 and still get a sixty percent yield. I blathered on about that at some

length as I was doing it this past summer. Did any of you guys try it?

 

This was intresting to read and I guess I've missed your previous texts on

this (I was out of computer for months). Still, it might help me if you

could get into it some lenght again. See, I'm moving from Belgium within a

good week or 2. I've found a job in Iceland (of all places) on a sheepfarm.

It's a farm combined with social rehabilitation-home and they want me to

help with the daily life of the 'guys' and farm work. And they also want me

to start a garden (as I have some experience). But see, they have a shorter

growing season, and so I'm intrested to know how I can provide for some

variated yield during the season. I could ofcourse concentrate on crops with

a short growing season, but that will not leave me with much options I

guess. And I could build glass-boxes and a green house, but I was hoping to

also find some natural ways of invention.

We will have enough sunlight during summer, even upto 24 hours a day and

will have plenty of rain, but as I said a short season. By winter time we

get upto 5-7 hours only. And it gets really cold upthere north.

 

<<Do not let the negative nay sayers near you!

Those type of vampires will suck away your enthusiasm and pleasure and then

you will be as miserable as they are, which will make their day.

 

That was a good one. Don't speak to be loved. Anyway, it hasn't killed my

enthusiasm for simple living and high thinking. I guess the desire is too

strong:-)

 

So, if you want to, I would love to hear from again. And if not, so be it..

I will be leaving early March and will be off for a year. I won't be able to

follow the conference or write letters during that time. Time for the simple

life, dig into and depend on the Lord for guidance. Just do it, right ?!

 

One Love

dirk

[Guest guest]

Dirk old boy

I generally ignore vampires. Iskcon varieties and all the rest. If you

don't want to hear me don't listen If you think you insulted me I really

don't remember it so I can we can say it doesn't matter, and drop it.

In extreme climates where cold is the issue I would suggest a cold frame

and a small green house. The green house is for personal comfort and as a

place where you can get an early start on the season. You can use sheep

manure in a thick pile on the green house floor to keep the place warm and

use the warmth to get a jump on a short season. All plants should be started

in cold frames six to eight weeks before the growing season is due to start.

If you use a green house to grow only the most cold sensitive plants like

squash, melons, tomatoes peppers and then grow the traditional crops outside.

You can have a beautiful marriage of both kinds of crops and really

supplement your table foods.

How CO2 works is that most green houses and most plants don't get all

the CO2 they would really like. Green houses are sometimes in desperately

short supply because the plants suck up everything in the green house and

then are suffering for lack of it. You can get CO2 from welding shops in big

orange tanks. You place a clear plastic bag over the needy plant and at noon

crack the valve on the Co2 tank and give the plant a 15min blast. The Co2

should be introduced at the high of the period of photosynthesis (noon) the

clear bag so it can get sun light and hold the CO2 into the area so the

leaves can suck up the Co2. You can blast an entire row of crops by making a

plastic tent over them and laying the CO2 tank 0n its side and opening the

valve for fifteen minutes or so if outside. Sense you will be in a place

where there is a midnight sun in the summer you might consider getting a roll

of "fabric" that is white, the name varies but gardening supply houses and

catalogs carry it the fabric, it lets the sun in and keeps the plants three

to five degrees warmer it has been my experience that bugs have a rough time

getting in and the extra warmth will give you extraordinary yields, where

seasonal crops are frequently damaged by "summer frosts" While in Point

Barrow Alaska I and the camp cook grew eighty-five pound cabbages and two

pound carrots in a green house. We used the exhaust from the generator to

heat up the green house and the Co2 a by product of combustion put the plants

in hyperdrive. To get humidity to the plants we rigged a vent fan from the

kitchen ceiling to the "green house" Even in the darkest winter three months

of dark we had fresh produce and tomatoes, we had three eight foot long two

lamp each grow lights that was all the illumination we had in the green

house. The green house was thirty feet long and eighteen feet wide. I used

tinfoil to act as reflectors to increase the light on the floor. I grew

Spinach and lettuce from pipes that were less than the width of your wrist.

I just sawed a small hole about 4 or 5 MM (1 1/2 inches). Filled the pipe

with Styrofoam shipping beads "peanuts" I placed my tiny seedlings growing in

newspaper (we didn't have any dirt it was under yards of ice and snow) in the

holes and tied a rag over the bottom to keep the "peanuts" from falling out.

and hung the pipes from the rafters. We made compost from the table scraps,

and any thing else we could get. I found some caribou Poop once and was able

to make a manure tea from it which I poured in the top of the pipe, it

trickled through the pipe and fell out into a pan under the pipe. I reused it

for several weeks and them mixed the poop crumbs with the compost and made

more compost teas. we had some produce in the winter not enough to feed the

entire two hundred man crew, all the winter but enough to have fresh salads

and some fresh veggies every other day or so. The tomatoes were worth their

weight in gold. We grew Cherrie tomatoes which produce prolifically and all

season long. they hogged all the light they could get, so the other plants

suffered. I think the Co2 from the generator made up the difference. the

grow light wasn't very bright and there weren't enough of them but the plants

went into hyperdrive and produced any way even though we had to struggle to

keep the temp over fifty.

I hope this helps. By the way what did you say to earn my "dismay" or

anger?

Carol

[Guest guest]

Dear Carol

 

I was happy to hear from you again.

 

<<Dirk old boy

 

Uhu, old boy ? I hope not... sometimes do feel like it, yeah. But, 28 is

hardly worth mentioning a life...

 

<< If you don't want to hear me don't listen

 

Where did I say that ?

 

<< If you think you insulted me I really don't remember it so I can we can

say it doesn't matter, and drop it.

 

Good. Won't bother...It was just because I haven't heard from you ever since

my last letter. And I'd been a little harsh in my comments...

 

<<In extreme climates where cold is the issue I would suggest a cold frame

and a small green house.

 

cold frames meaning low glass boxes ? I'm sorry but i'm not always that

familiar with american terms, and then I'm not sure...

 

<< The green house is for personal comfort and as a

place where you can get an early start on the season.

 

I do my winter growing in the greenhouse aswell. It was good you mention the

low CO2 available in greenhouses. I never really though about it. What we do

here is just open the greenhouse during the day (especially when there's

sunshine) and have it closed at night. It must help a bit, no ?

 

<<You can use sheep

manure in a thick pile on the green house floor to keep the place warm and

use the warmth to get a jump on a short season.

 

That was well mentioned. I should find a natural way of heating the place

when it's neccessary. Especially early season the plants would need a boost

to be ahead of the season. But the pile manure will take up space and we

will need all we can get. i don't know if I will have a green house at all

and won't be able to spent much on providing one. I will have to feed about

10 people from it.

 

<< All plants should be started

in cold frames six to eight weeks before the growing season is due to start.

 

What about night frost, which might be harsh at times ? i don't have

experience with cold frames. Do you have the 'four season harvest' book ? He

developped a real effecient system of cold frames and movable greenhouses.

He grows all year round. This is tho USA based experience...

 

<<If you use a green house to grow only the most cold sensitive plants like

squash, melons, tomatoes peppers and then grow the traditional crops

outside.

 

Yes, but will i have enough of grow season for the outside crops. I'm

thinking about those you can't pre-seed. Can't put everything in the

greenhouse, can I ? Potatoes will do, but what about carrots, red beets ...?

 

<<How CO2 works is that most green houses and most plants don't get all

the CO2 they would really like. Green houses are sometimes in desperately

short supply because the plants suck up everything in the green house and

then are suffering for lack of it.

 

What about providing plants that supply co2 ? Are there any that supply

sufficient amounts ?

 

<<You can get CO2 from welding shops in big

orange tanks.

 

That is pressurised gas, or what ?

 

<<You place a clear plastic bag over the needy plant and at noon

crack the valve on the Co2 tank and give the plant a 15min blast. The Co2

should be introduced at the high of the period of photosynthesis (noon) the

clear bag so it can get sun light and hold the CO2 into the area so the

leaves can suck up the Co2.

 

This plastic has to be to the ground ? Cause I can imagine the plant needing

aeration...

This clear plastic has to be over the plant all the time ? Or you can't just

place it when you provide co2 ?

 

<<Sense you will be in a place

where there is a midnight sun in the summer you might consider getting a

roll of "fabric" that is white, the name varies but gardening supply houses

and catalogs carry it the fabric, it lets the sun in and keeps the plants

three to five degrees warmer it has been my experience that bugs have a

rough time getting in and the extra warmth will give you extraordinary

yields, where seasonal crops are frequently damaged by "summer frosts"

 

Here we go again. I'm not familiar with the term "fabric". Is this what you

put over trees to protect them ? (Gosh... can help me on this ?)

Cause fabric here means cloth... and I don't think that is what you are

talking about, is it ?

 

<<We used the exhaust from the generator to

heat up the green house and the Co2 a by product of combustion put the

plants in hyperdrive.

 

You ran it thru pipes, right ? Or just straight in the green house ?

 

<<Even in the darkest winter three months

of dark we had fresh produce and tomatoes, we had three eight foot long two

lamp each grow lights that was all the illumination we had in the green

house.

 

Tube lamps ? You used them how much a day ?

 

<<The green house was thirty feet long and eighteen feet wide. I used

tinfoil to act as reflectors to increase the light on the floor.

 

You put it on the floor ? Any other material I could use to get more light ?

 

<<I grew

Spinach and lettuce from pipes that were less than the width of your wrist.

I just sawed a small hole about 4 or 5 MM (1 1/2 inches).

 

What was this hole for ? Or you mean the holes to put your seedlings in ?

 

<<Filled the pipe with Styrofoam shipping beads "peanuts" I placed my tiny

seedlings growing in newspaper (we didn't have any dirt it was under yards

of ice and snow)

 

I hope I have this right: this are the foam things that look like fried

crisps but you shouldn't eat them right ?

 

<<in the

holes and tied a rag over the bottom to keep the "peanuts" from falling out.

and hung the pipes from the rafters.

 

Actually this is a good idea. It gives you a double crop: one from the floor

and the other hanging from the greenhouse ceiling !

 

<<I found some caribou Poop once and was able

to make a manure tea from it which I poured in the top of the pipe, it

trickled through the pipe and fell out into a pan under the pipe. I reused

it for several weeks and them mixed the poop crumbs with the compost and

made more compost teas.

 

There will be no shortage of poop I guess. We'll have 300 sheep to take care

of that ! Plus they also have rabbits on the farm, so... i'm looking forward

to the composting. If the people are into it and cooperate it will be a

whole factory. Tons of compost every few months, which could well be sold

for use in the greenhouses all over the country and as starter-soil for

seedlings...

 

<<I hope this helps.

 

Sure did, sister. Thanx a lot for the time...

 

<< By the way what did you say to earn my "dismay" or anger?

 

Well, if you don't remember, maybe it is not worth bothering ....

 

One God

dirk