# Fresh carrots



## begreen (May 30, 2010)

This week we started harvesting carrots from the greenhouse. Yummy!

Outside it's still cold and damp. Our carrots in the outdoor beds are only a couple inches tall. But inside things are growing mighty! We have had several harvests of lettuce, spinach, radishes and peas. Cukes are already a couple inches long, and we have eggplant, tomato and peppers all with baby fruit on them. Love having a greenhouse and now wonder why I waited so long.


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## Shari (May 30, 2010)

Yummy!

Shari


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## raybonz (May 30, 2010)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> This week we started harvesting carrots from the greenhouse. Yummy!
> 
> Outside it's still cold and damp. Our carrots in the outdoor beds are only a couple inches tall. But inside things are growing mighty! We have had several harvests of lettuce, spinach, radishes and peas. Cukes are already a couple inches long, and we have eggplant, tomato and peppers all with baby fruit on them. Love having a greenhouse and now wonder why I waited so long.



Wow great looking place you have there! My wife would be in heaven if she had a set up like that! Will show her the pics when I see her in the AM..

Ray


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## fossil (May 31, 2010)

Pretty dang cool, BG.  I keep imagining building an outside raised bed vegetable garden, but now yer makin' me think.  I _hate_ that.   %-P   Rick


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## NWfuel (May 31, 2010)

That looks great, I recognize those concrete blocks that are set in there. Do you know Weinbrenner? He has those in the back of his p/u everytime I run in to him. They look way better in your application.

Thomas


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## begreen (May 31, 2010)

Thanks Thomas, this is our first season with them. The nice thing is that with beds like this you can glue together a quick pvc tent frame and put some clear poly or reemay over it to extend the season. Looks like I am going to have to do that for a couple beds due to the cool spring we are having. I have heard Weinbrenner's name before, does he own/work at Sawdust Supply? I got the blocks made by Paul Cooper who I think is his partner.


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## begreen (May 31, 2010)

fossil said:
			
		

> Pretty dang cool, BG.  I keep imagining building an outside raised bed vegetable garden, but now yer makin' me think.  I _hate_ that.   %-P   Rick



Sorry about that.  The nice thing with this system is that it goes together very quickly. They blocks are inert and will never rot.


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## NWfuel (May 31, 2010)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Thanks Thomas, this is our first season with them. The nice thing is that with beds like this you can glue together a quick pvc tent frame and put some clear poly or reemay over it to extend the season. Looks like I am going to have to do that for a couple beds due to the cool spring we are having  . I have heard Weinbrenner's name before, does he own/work at Sawdust Supply? I got the blocks made by Paul Cooper who I think is his partner.




Yes he is on retainer there. His specialty is hydraulics for little things like the bridge at pearl harbor and Manson const.

If they are L blocks then that is them. Nice to see them in action.


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## bjkjoseph (Jun 1, 2010)

you have good taste...


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## Shari (Jun 1, 2010)

Okay, someone spill the beans - what in the world is an L block?

Shari


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## begreen (Jun 3, 2010)

These are 16" x 16" cast concrete blocks cast into an "L" shape. That way, as you load in soil, the weight of the dirt helps stabilize the block.


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## Skier76 (Jun 3, 2010)

Awesome looking setup! The property looks outstanding.


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## SolarAndWood (Jun 4, 2010)

Nice looking carrots BG.  Raised beds under a roof with some glass are a beautiful thing.


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## begreen (Jun 4, 2010)

Skier76 said:
			
		

> Awesome looking setup! The property looks outstanding.



Thanks, it's a work in (continual) progress. Currently weeds have the upper hand in several other areas, so it's nice to have an area where we are temporarily in control. (Though the slugs are moving into the neighborhood as quickly as their slimy bodies will let them.)


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## FireAnt (Jun 4, 2010)

Amazing! Very nice looking set up and property.


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## vvvv (Jun 4, 2010)

pretty! what u burn thru that chimli?


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## Jags (Jun 4, 2010)

BLIMP said:
			
		

> pretty! what u burn thru that chimli?



Vogelzang box stove. :lol: 

Very - very nice BG.  Now I KNOW I ain't gonna show a pic of my weed infested garden. :red:


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## begreen (Jun 4, 2010)

LOL, nope, not a Scandia either. Our old Jotul 602 is connected for the cold season. In winter we only grow cold tolerant crops, so it's really just for rare, long cold spells. Last winter it didn't drop below freezing in the greenhouse. Even if it's 25 outside, if it's sunny, the greenhouse will be 50 or higher inside. It's insulated and has built in mass + water storage for overnight heat retention. 

Jags, no worry. We have two other weed infested gardens. That is why we are shifting to the new system. The hope is to spend less than 50% of our time weeding.


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## begreen (Jun 6, 2010)

Here's a couple more shots of the raised beds and the herb garden. The herb garden is with 9" high blocks. He made the ends custom for us.


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## BucksCoBernie (Jun 8, 2010)

wow BG, you're set up is awesome! What are the dimensions of your garden area? what do you have on the ground between the raised beds?


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## begreen (Jun 8, 2010)

This is garden #3. It's about 50ft wide and about 40ft long for the beds, then there is a bank of flowers and a small corn and artichoke patch. The black stuff is commercial landscape fabric. It is used in nurseries as a tough weed barrier. Garden #1 (not shown) is our original patch and it's about 50' x 50'. We grow pole beans, asparagus, blueberries, currants, raspberries and have 3 extra beds up there for sprawling squash & pumpkin plants, cool crops like broccoli, kale, brussel spouts, etc. This year it's getting a rest for some of the beds. The lower garden #2 has more raspberries, cherry and apple trees, strawberries, peas and a few more beds that get good sun, but the soil is not as good. We are gradually converting this to all orchard.


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## fossil (Jun 8, 2010)

We'd love to have a small-scale version of that (or at least_ some _of that)...one of the significant considerations for us is the mule deer population around here.  They regularly browse around our property and eat whatever looks good to them.  A part of our backyard is fenced to 4' high, and they (or at least a few of them) pretty much laugh at that as they leap over.  Seems like I'd need an 8' fence around any sort of garden I cared about harvesting from.  Rick


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## begreen (Jun 8, 2010)

I got fed up fighting the deer. As of this year there's an 8 ft. deer fence surrounding about 50% of our property. The upper garden has it's own deer fence. There's no way I would be growing out in the open here without a fence.


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## man of stihl (Jun 10, 2010)

Nice work, WOW!! BG that is a really great looking setup you have. I love it!!


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## billb3 (Jun 10, 2010)

I've tried growing in a small greenhouse and had nothing but problems.
Summer heat, insects  and too small containers  for what I was trying.


I'm lucky in that  the soil here is good, so ground growing isn't frustrating.



The deer stay away until Fall for the most part finding food away from houses.
I've lost Arborvitaes and Winter squash to them in October , though.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 11, 2010)

First year I had a garden here I had some deer come in and it looked like someone had run a lawn mower through my garden . . . albeit the "mower" was about 6 inches high. Ever since then I've set up a deer fence . . . only 3 feet or so high . . . but it's enough to deter them from my garden.


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## SolarAndWood (Jun 11, 2010)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> . . . only 3 feet or so high . . .



You must have dwarf lazy deer.  I had to reinforce our 8 ft high vinyl coated wire fence with heavy gauge wire as it looked like they were ramming it at high speed and breaking the welds apart until they had a section knocked down.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 11, 2010)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> firefighterjake said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



HehHeh . . . probably lazy . . . the first year I actually ran the fence all the way up -- about 6 or so feet high . . . and then I got lazy and just did the 3 feet . . . and surprisingly enough it works.

Now truth be told . . . I suspect the deer see or brush up against the net and simply are spooked since it is a bit difficult to see . . . that and there is plenty of other food for them to eat in the area without even having to jump the fence . . . apples from the many apple trees, clover in the field across from me, etc.


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## begreen (Jun 11, 2010)

That's what drove us nuts. There is tons of forage all around for the deer, but they just love to munch on things growing in our yard. I mean, they come up on a paver patio and eat flowers in boxes right up against the house! They would be over a 3ft fence here in a NY minute. And that is inspite of (or maybe because of) old apple trees all around for them to fatten up on. 

Solarandwood, sounds like your property intersects a major migration route. Are you sure you don't have some moose up there?


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## Delta-T (Jun 11, 2010)

WOW BeGreen, that is impressive. I might be at FT. Lewis for a few days this summer, maybe I'll take a walk and try to find you. I'm sure the pics do the whole setup little justice. Is that a yin-yang, or a couple of little fishes you made there?


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## SolarAndWood (Jun 11, 2010)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Solarandwood, sounds like your property intersects a major migration route. Are you sure you don't have some moose up there?



I haven't heard of any moose around here but I am only a few miles from downtown.  You are spot on with the migration route.  There is an old ATT right of way across the bottom of the property and I am pretty sure that is where they all come from.  The right of way is a pretty clear path through mostly scrub and hits a large electric and gas right of way about a quarter mile away.


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## Gasifier (Mar 5, 2013)

Hah! Talk about an old thread coming back to life. I had to add something in here so you could all see this beautiful landscaping job of Begreen's at the beginning of the post. Very, very nice Begreen! The last time I was out your way to my sister's house around Redmond was about 27 or 28 years ago! I guess. I was about 17!  It is a really beautiful area. (No comments out of the peanut gallery about age!)


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## Jack Straw (Mar 5, 2013)

Our house isn't that neat!


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## begreen (Mar 6, 2013)

Nor ours, lol.


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## Eatonpcat (Mar 19, 2013)

That's way cool!!


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## charly (Mar 19, 2013)

We had to fence this whole thing with chicken wire,,, surprisingly not for the deer,, but because of our free range chickens... We kept loosing all our ripe tomatoes, ripped up a bit and never saw a chicken in the garden until a month went by.. So up went the chicken wire...So far they have enough to eat that they haven't flown over the top of the fence..  Wow real nice place you have BeGreen..You guys must can a lot? Vegetarians?


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## begreen (Mar 19, 2013)

Thanks. We were vegetarians many years back but now eat chicken and fish too, and I've munched on some bacon now and then. Hard to resist.


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## charly (Mar 19, 2013)

begreen said:


> Thanks. We were vegetarians many years back but now eat chicken and fish too, and I've munched on some bacon now and then. Hard to resist.


Wife and I try to eat a raw diet as much as we can but not 100% either.. Fruits and veggies sure make you feel good.. Sometimes no dinner,, we'll split a quart of fresh juiced veggies! My self I grow my own wheatgrass and juice that as well... Nice growing your own food and knowing what your eating! Fresh is best!


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## begreen (Mar 19, 2013)

Looks like you have a mighty nice garden there supplying those fresh veggies too.


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## Gasifier (Mar 19, 2013)

I have to expand our garden this year again. We need more of those vegetables. We run out too early in the winter and are back to the stuff you can find in the grocery.  Nice gardens there gentlemen.


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## charly (Mar 19, 2013)

begreen said:


> Looks like you have a mighty nice garden there supplying those fresh veggies too.


Was actually too big the first year, wasted a lot... This year I'll throw a lot through my juicer,, I love doing that.. Your body likes that plus lots of nice energy to get things done...


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## JustWood (Mar 20, 2013)

Grew this "work of art" in the garden a couple years ago


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## charly (Mar 20, 2013)

JustWood said:


> Grew this "work of art" in the garden a couple years ago


Your quite the artist.  Definitely some happy carrots there.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 22, 2013)

JustWood said:


> Grew this "work of art" in the garden a couple years ago


 
So that's where those tiny little carrots you sometimes see in salads come from . . .


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