Here are a few photos of the greenhouse work that I needed to do yesterday. Yesterday was also the hottest day of the year, and we got to over 100 OUTSIDE the greenhouse.
The first order of business was to build up soil around some of the tomatoes. We have some low spots in our greenhouse and the water, during bad rain, will stand around some of the plants. I built up around the plants so that hopefully the water will drain away from the roots.
Next came weeding. Whilst the weed mat helps, there are still weeds that poke through around the plants. The weeding is actually pretty easy, until you hit an ant bed! My goodness the little black ants we have here bite with a fury and sting like fire! They do not blister like fire ants, but you can feel the sting going up the nerve away from the bite. Quite unpleasant, though it only lasts a few minutes.
It was very warm in the greenhouse, very humid. I was praising the Lord, though, as I worked because I actually do not get that uncomfortable in the greenhouse. I love heat and humidity and it was a very pleasant working environment for me. The sun was not beating down on me, the fans moved the air around, and I was thankful that the Lord had put me in a position of what feels comfortable for me, after so many years in the cold and dry of the sub arctic.
However, I definitely needed to be much smarter and go by wisdom, not physical feeling. By the end of the day working, I knew I had pushed too far (even though I did not feel like I was) and had not drunk enough. I love heat and humidity, but towards the end, my brain was starting to send subtle signals of "this is dangerous, stop now, this is starting to hurt you". But I ignored it as I was almost done anyway :) Next time, I will try to pay closer attention :) To reinforce the lesson, I ended up with a tremendous headache most of the rest of the night!
The thermometer above is high in the canopy of the greenhouse. It used to be that the cooler air actually stayed there, while the warmer air (because of the energy of the sun being absorbed by the black mat) stayed around the tomatoes. This was not good for the tomatoes, so TWS framed a transom at both ends of the greenhouse, which you can see in this photo below (this thermometer is at plant level). Additionally, we have put shade cloth over the greenhouse. Now the higher temps are away from the plants (though "higher" is relative when it is 100 degrees outside :) ) and are circulated through and out. We still need to bring the temps down though as tomatoes do not pollinate when they are too hot (above about 95).
I am such a proud farmer! We are finally starting to get little blossoms on a few of the plants. I am actually tempted to pinch these off so that the plant will continue to grow for another week or two, but I want to make sure that that is acceptable. The tomatoes we are grown are Sakura Honey and are indeterminate, meaning they do not all ripen at once. This extends the harvest, which will be good. So, presumably, I could pinch these off and more will follow later.
Most of the weeds are harmless little groundcovers that are prolific but easy to pull. However, every so often I encountered one of these which pierce right through the glove in a very unpleasant surprise!
Taking a Gatorade break. Parenthetically, water with a little salt and sugar is absorbed more quickly than plain water and is more hydrating. The sugar and the salt draw water through the intestine quickly.
While I worked inside the greenhouse, TWS worked outside improving the drainage. It was wonderful to take a break, get a drink, and appreciate the cuteness of a man in a cowboy hat on a green tractor ;)
After the weeding was done, all the detritus was swept away to prevent disease. Then it was time to go inside and get cool and clean :)
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