Gardening In A Hoophouse With Guest Pam Dawling
The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 121 – April 28, 2019 – Gardening In A Hoophouse With Guest Pam Dawling
On this podcast episode I’m joined by Gardener and Author Pam Dawling as we talk about how year round gardening in a hoophouse can increase yields and the quality of vegetables and extend the growing season.
Homestead Updates:
Baby rabbits on the homestead.
Going to grow a couple different beans this year.
Teddy Bear Sunflowers.
Bringing elderberry and currants to the homestead.
Main Topic:
Gardening In A Hoophouse With Guest Pam Dawling
Pam Dawling has grown vegetables at Twin Oaks Community, central Virginia for 27 years, feeding 100 people from 3.5 acres. She is the author of Sustainable Market Farming and The Year-Round Hoophouse. She is a contributing editor with Growing for Market magazine, a workshop presenter, and a weekly blogger on www.sustainablemarketfarming.com
We Discuss:
Pam’s journey into gardening and writing books
What is a hoophouse
How having a hoophouse can extend the growing season
Crops you can grow year round in a hoophouse
Pam’s book: The Year-Round Hoophouse
Resources:
Pam’s Website
www.sustainablemarketfarming.com
Pam’s Books
The Year-Round Hoophouse: Polytunnels for All Seasons and All Climates
Sustainable Market Farming: Intensive Vegetable Production on a Few Acres
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Other Links Mentioned
Homestead Recipe Of The Week:
This week’s recipe comes in from Echo and she shares a family favorite recipe with us for Russian Potato Leek Soup and 90 minute Soft Pretzels.
This Week’s Question For The Podcast
Hey Harold. Love your show. My name is Sam and I’m a homesteader in western North Carolina. Just listened to your episode on your rabbitry. My friend yoko and I run a small rabbit farm and I had a question about your watering setup. This past winter was super harsh and we had a lot of trouble keeping water lines unfrozen. We use the nipple gravity feed but everything shut down after low temps. How do you keep your rabbitry watered during the freezing winter months?
My answer:
The hard way! Gravity feed systems just don’t work when it’s below freezing so the only other choice is to put in the work of swapping out water bottles frequently or using bowls.
The way I do it is I keep a bucket full of 32 oz water bottles in the house and every morning I fill them and take them out and swap them for the frozen bottles and then do the same thing in the evening.
If you have electricity running to your rabbitry you can use heated water bottles or bowls but I have found they won’t heat up properly unless you use a heavy duty extension cord so you need outlets near each cage.