In the greenhouse. if you look closely you can see the weed fairy.
The plastic channel that holds the plants
That's a lot of plants!
Hi Folks,
Once again the weather forecast was pretty much on the money. There was rain this morning, a break and then more rain this afternoon.
After breakfast we adjourned to the greenhouse to do some weeding. The capsicums grow with their roots in rockwool blocks which sit in long narrow soft plastic channels set above ground through which the hydroponic solution is circulated. They are tethered with clips and twisting to plastic twine that hangs from above. They actually grow to about 2.5 metres, much higher than the home garden due to the fact they are pruned and tethered. The greenhouse is double skinned plastic with blowers to fill the gap between the skins. Boiler tubes run up and down the aisles to provide heating when required. It is quiet apart from fans mounted overhead to circulate the air. Pest control is done with natural predators. i.e parasitic wasps are purchased to control white fly, aphids and such. Last years yield was around 40 tonnes which is pretty impressive. They are all of the red variety. The customer requires that the produce is blemish free. Accordingly any with defects are removed. Susan has gathered a couple of dozen and will try her hand at pepper and onion relish.
The areas to be weeded are the gravel floors between each row. From a distance there doesn’t look to be many weeds. However we pulled out plenty today and have more to do tomorrow. It was warm and humid and we worked up a good sweat. I transported the bulk of them to the new compost area but didn’t get finished as I required retail therapy in Devonport for a new 3G router and some canvas waterproofing spray. We will continue the weeding tomorrow as the weather does not look to be improving. Tonight’s tea was chicken, pea and asparagus Risotto cooked by Kaye which was very tasty. After dinner – UNO.
This is a very relaxing and enjoyable environment.
Night folks
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