Crickets Greenhouse Part 2

the pomegrante tree is next on my list to get-its very hardy here-is it there? I just love the blooms-I saw one at my friend's house-he had a dble bloom-beautiful. It will look great in my tropical garden!!
Cricket-the coffee tree is a tropical -not sure if its possible to grow where you are. In Hawaii there was a coffee grove that i had to walk through every day-the trunks are some of the straightest I have ever seen-they make great walking sticks. I have made coffee from the beans-but it is a lot of work-you have to dry the beans for a few days in the sun, then roast them then grind and brew!! I wish I could remember if it was good coffee or not! I do remember the freah cocoa that we made with fresh coconut milk/cream-that was good!

HEY,
The chat room seems to be working 24/7

http://www.davesgarden.com/chat/

I am there now. 5:38 pm Central time. Sat.

I been trying to find a miniture orange. I think someone called it a mini mandarian orange. sigh.

Today I transplanted 594 big beef tomato plants to flats and later will be for gh#2 tomato crop. Which gets transplanted around June 8-9 to 5 gallon pots.

I have no idea what kind of rose this is but it smells so nice. I smell it every time I pass it.
light peach color. very large bloom. covers my hand.

this yellow has no aroma but pretty.

Cricket, what do you mean by miniature orange? Dwarf rootstock?

Cricket, it looks like you have a forest in your greenhouse! Awesom!!!
:) Donna

I bought a bush one time from a nursery and the lady working did not know what it was. It was about 18 inches tall and loaded with tiny orangy fruit. Someone else had told me it was a miniture mandarian orange. It did not grow like an orange tree. It branched out like a bouquet. I had put it in one of those terra cotta 15 inch bowls and it was so pretty. I have no earthly idea what happen to it. It just disappeared one day. I been looking for another ever since. But its hard trying to find something if you don't know its true name. It was never sweet---tasted kinda like a twangy orange--lemon twangy. It made a nice glass of juice just like lemons do.
The fruit was about the size of large gum balls.-Smaller than a golf ball.

could of been Calamondin Mandarian Orange Bush.

Hi Cricket..there's one on ebay :)

will check it out Jazz---thanks

yw

Some of my customers have come back for more plants. Though I can not remember them from the first visit cause I have so many, but they just talk to me like we have an on goin friendly relationship and they talk about their other friends who visited the greenhouse and what they are doin in their lives and I try to act like I know what they are talking about when I have no clue what they are talking about, who they are talking about much less who they are. I need photo graphic memory.

Sounds like you got the touch and gift of making peeps feel comfy around you and you will do just fine fitting in with your new customers.

Good going there gal ;-D

Plant sales are deffinately over with. No plants available. Green and Vine Ripe Tomatoes ONLY.

Brandywines.





This message was edited May 27, 2006 6:14 PM

Up here THIS weekend is THE weeked to put the tender garden plants out , so I would guess another 2 weeks and veggie plant sales will fizzle out.

This message was edited May 27, 2006 8:10 PM

I been so busy with the greenhouse tomatoes, and the garden tomatoes----that I don't even want to grow plants for the public.
I feel like I am working against myself. Which some family members say the same.
Some say I should not grow tomato plants for the customers and grow tomato produce too. They say I should just grow the produce. Some say--If I tell the customers how I grow my tomatoes to be so fruitfull and pretty then I will go out of business when they grow them as well as I do and they wont need my tomato produce.
I don't know what to do.
I know above all else ---I will always grow tomatoes cause the plant sales are not good profit. I have better profits growing and selling tomato produce.
I think I should do both produce and annual bedding plants cause no matter what--if customers want to grow their own tomato plants then they will buy them somewhere. But--Maybe I should start telling the customers that my method of growing tomatoes is a secret.

I just read this whole thread with great interest. I would say that there will always be plenty of folks trying to grow their own but most will not spend the effort or learn the expertise to rival your beauties. Plus in the south we are plagued with every pestilence known to man and then some which is very discouraging. I would continue to sell plants and produce but I wouldn't tell them all my secrets. Just tell them you use Miracle grow and let them go try it. By the time the slugs, stink bugs, nematodes and blossom end rot get through ravishing them, many of them will be back buying your tomatoes.

thats all true twiggy.
I have a hard time keeping the darn worms off my maters due to the butterflies visiting my greenhouse. I hate to kill a butterfly but geeeeeeeeee. I hate spraying my tomatoes with liquid seven dust too. Danged if you do and danged if you don't. The worms attacked my tomatoes when I wasn't looking. I am getting it undercontrol now.

The problem now is ---lowing the vines. The plants are in 5 gallon grow bags which set the plants a foot higher. The plants are a good 6 feet tall. I am only 5'11" . I am having to untangle the vines, and the tomato clusters, then lower the vines making sure the clusters don't tangle up in the process which knocks some green tomatoes off. :( I really need a second pair of hands.
I do not know anyone who could help me. Everyone has their own job. If I could lower those vines 2 feet I could increase the (production) sales by at least $2000. That alone would buy another greenhouse system. : ). So--basically---I could loose at least $300 worth of maters by lowing the plants but gain $2000. ($1700 differance)

I am constantly figuring on paper. I bet I use up 10 note books a year. drawing--figuring--doodling.

Those are tomato TREES, Cricket. Your greenhouse looks like the Sequoia National Park of 'maters. :)

As for an employee, next season, go to the local high school basketball games. Find the tallest kid on the court. Offer him/her a job for the summer. :)

-Joe

I managed to lower one row---one foot down. I cannot lower them too much cause the maters will lay on the floor and I dont want that. The worms and slugs would really have a hay day. I really need a taller greenhouse.!!!
12 feet tall would be wonderful! It would be alot of trouble---but I can take the greenhouse down and put in side walls 4 feet high.

I OWN a 17 yr old who is 6 feet tall. LOL
But he has a job. And makes good money.


Thinking :-? (my husband would kill me)

I got the other greenhouse tomatoes planted in their pots. It took me two days to gather the supplies and put together a watering system for those tomatoes.
I finished it today.

After I proudly finished that project, I went over to the other greenhouse to water the big tomato plants and sadly found one of the middle rows had fallen down. The upper line had broke from the weight of tomatoes.
OOOPS. Another job.

The new tomatoes look great....thats a great looking job you did Cricket, you should be proud of yourself-nice and neat, plants look great, watering system is nice....you can come work with me any day-and I don't say that lightly!!

Wonderful job on the new system Crickett.

Hope your fallen 'maters were not too much of a problem.

I still dont quite unnerstand the string technique. Anybunny have a link I can study ?

visualize a clothes line.
put your tomatoes under that clothes line.
tie a peice of twine at the base of your tomato plant loosely--- make sure twine is long enough to reach to the top of the clothes line.
Tie the other end of the twine to the clothes
As the tomato plant grows taller---wrap the tomato vine around the twine.

As the plant grows taller---just wrap the vine around the twine

the clothes line view---tie the twine to the clothes line----In my case---I used tomahooks---easier to handle.

Thanks crickett, I googled tomahooks and now I understand.
Thanks much for the mini tutorial
S

My pickings today. Picked about half that yesterday.

To answer a few soil mixing questions.

I use to mix soil in a truck bed liner with a shovel.
Then I started mixing it with a mantis cultivator.
But the cultivator kept catching the groves in the liner.
We purchased a small riding lawn mower trailer.
I started mixing the soil in that trailer with the mantis cultivator and it is my favorite method.
That mower trailer will hold about 48 gallons of soil.
Or a whole bale of promix that needs to be loosened. The mower trailer cost about $88 at walmart.
This is my second year using it. They last along time.

This message was edited Jun 16, 2006 11:11 AM

Look for thread
Crickets Greenhouse Part 3

link to part 3

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/616802/