Cleaning out the Greenhouses

 

Weekends at the dachas are hectic as people prepare for the first frosts - cleaning, sowing, saving seed. Some choose to do their plantings now, some are waiting until late fall, some have sown their seeds before the first leaves have even started to fall from the trees. Everybody has their own way.

The greenhouse above is covered in plastic during the summer; a few weeks ago the plastic was removed from the greenhouse, exposing it to the outdoors. The frame was then moved backwards a few feet from its original location to make room for a garlic bed, which is why the planting (radish cover crop) looks a bit off. This type of greenhouse is convenient because it can be easily moved from one place to another, and requires little maintenance because the plastic can be replaced if needed (generally, it will be saved until next spring). However, this portability also implies manual irrigation and a shorter growing season. The plastic will be replaced and the greenhouse back in action early next year, ready to nurse tomato and pepper seedlings. My grandmother combats the cold ground and gets an early start on her tomatoes and cucumbers by adding another layer of protection to her seedlings: when she plants them in the ground, she covers them individually with a plastic container (can be re-used from cottage cheese, nuts, etc).

Weeded Cucumber Greenhouse

The greenhouses I am dealing with today, however, are glass, and I have my work cut out for the next few hours. The first of the two greenhouses is smaller - it is the cucumber greenhouse. After a half hour of weeding and removing invading raspberry runners, the soil is ready to be tilled and fed, the seeds sown and watered, and the greenhouse closed to rest for the darker days.

Incorporating Chicken Manure

We amend the soil with an organic fertilizer - chicken manure purchased from a local farmer. Chicken manure increases the nitrogen and phosphorous content of soil and is believed to positively effect the fertility of soil. Chicken manure can raise soil pH if used regularly, but this is not worrisome since the soil in this greenhouse is slightly too acidic anyway (evidence by the prevalence of Psyllium growth). I rake the manure into the soil and work it in using a rolling, hand-held tiller. After leveling the soil, it is time to sow the winter rye.

Winter rye is a cold-hardy cover crop that serves both as a green fertilizer and a living mulch. It suppresses weed growth both by producing large amounts of biomass (which can later be cut in order to add organic matter to the soil) and through the allelopathic effects of the roots. which prevent the germination of weed seeds. Winter rye roots also alleviate compaction and improve the aeration of the soil, thus improving planting conditions for the next crop; in addition, they can help combat pathogenic bacteria and fungi that could impact less hardy crops. The rich biomass of the roots also helps hold soil in place, preventing erosion in the spring as snow melts.

Winter Rye

Traditionally, it is sowed in the fall and allowed to overwinter until spring. As soon as the snow melts and the ground dries, it is time to till the rye into the soil - it is important not to wait, because it can have a drying effect on the soil which could be detrimental to further crops.

Tomato and Pepper Greenhouse

The next greenhouse was a bit more of a battle: this larger greenhouse contained some cucumbers, a canteloupe (!) but mostly tomatoes and peppers. The peppers were still producing healthy, abundant yields and were probably not ready to be pulled out of their resting bed, but it had to be done. After collecting the ripe (and soon-to-be ripe tomatoes), peppers, and cucumbers, I set to work on this greenhouse. It took a few hours, but soon it was cleared and the plants safely hauled away to join the others in the community compost pile around the block. In this greenhouse, we sow radish; radish is said to be a poor companion to cucumbers (hence the winter rye), but prepares the soil well for tomatoes and peppers. Once sowed, the small seeds are watered and the greenhouse closed. It is time to take a break, drink some tea, eat some potatoes.