Finally an update! The Farm Moves Forward! (BIP#5)

Wow… I have been busy for the last few weeks. My last Farm update was on July 17th. That was the day that I returned to Texas from my summer vacation in Costa Rica. I came back to Texas to experience the absolute joy of 110-degree F temperatures, and I had exactly 2 weeks until I started my new position as a High School Aquatic Science Teacher at a new school.

In the past 30 days, I have had to put all work on the farm aside as I moved my daughter out of her college dorm and into her first apartment. I was able to prepare my son for the start of his Freshman year of High School. I attended 10 days of Professional Development as a New-To-District Teacher, and I also planned out the first semester's worth of lessons and such for my class (thankfully, I only have one subject this year!)

BUT!!!!! I haven’t given up on this farm project, and even though I haven’t been sharing the progress, I have been making some (incremental) progress on pieces over the same time.

And I am SUPER EXCITED to share that I managed to make one MASSIVE step this past week.

I was able to bring the greenhouse frame home to the farm!

I am very happy to report that I am now the proud owner of a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse frame and that I can now actually start the process of clearing my property, leveling the site, and ultimately building the greenhouse itself.

This frame is for a 30’ wide by 96’ long greenhouse. After some thought and calculation of options, I have decided that I am going to assemble it as two separate greenhouses. My reasoning for this has to do with how I can best achieve my climate control needs. Texas gets really hot, and since I am going to try and run this greenhouse with minimal equipment, I think that the best solution is to try to build TWO 30’x50’ houses. This will actually give me a true 3,000 sqft, and will make it much more affordable to build, and operate, my air circulation / evaporative cooling units.

OK, let me back up a little bit. In a previous update (#2, I think) I shared that my plan is to grow a mix of salad greens using DWC troughs, and then to also grow fruiting crops using Bato Buckets. To hit the production goals that I want, I have done the math, and I can adjust my system design to fit the new 2 greenhouse model, so that is a positive.

Also, the frame I bought only has 4’ sidewalls, this will work fine for the salad greens, but it is not really optimal for the fruiting crops (I need at least 6-8’ sidewalls for proper height for vining crops). So, I have been considering a modification to my plan. I was already planning to only grow salad greens this fall and then build out fruit production in the Spring of 2024. Now, I am thinking that I can just build one frame as is (with the 4’ sidewalls) and run this for my greens. Then in the Spring, after I have some experience with this frame, I can set some 8- to 10-foot posts in the ground and use those as the sidewalls for the hoops of the fruiting greenhouse. That would also allow me to use the entire length of each end wall for my cooling panels and exhaust fans; with 8’ sidewalls, I could have an entry door on the wall of the GH.

I firmly believe that while planning is essential to success, you must also have the flexibility to adjust your plan when new information is obtained.

I made a solid and actionable initial plan for Next Door Farms, but as Sun Tzu once said, “No plan will survive contact with the enemy.” Given the specific design of the greenhouse frame I have purchased, the environmental situation that I am dealing with here in Texas, and also the time that I have available to build this structure, I now believe that my best option will be to split this frame into two structures and work on assembling one right now so I can remain on the path to a minimally viable harvest product by October/November of this year.

Over the next seven days, I will be putting some more pen to paper to figure out exactly what I need to do to build all this, because putting up the frame is only part of the equation. I need shade cloth and plastic film to cover the greenhouse, I need to clear the site and dig holes for the posts (I think I will rent an auger because my land is VERY ROCKY!), and I will need to buy some concrete for the sidewall posts (I am currently planning to do a dry-pour method; more on that next week). I will also need to adjust the system design plans and modify my material list for the lumber and such that I will need for the first DWC trough.

Lots to do for sure… I will also need to see if I can find some clean fill dirt from someone local to help level my greenhouse site. Cross your fingers and wish me luck – with a little positive visioning, I should break ground by this time next week!