# Long bed "Hydroponic" strawberries.



## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

This isn't technically hydroponic. Because the plants roots are in media not water only. This system produced 600 pints of strawberries in a 12x40 foot green house.

I grew them like this.
Slope grow bed so it can drain slowly. Mine slopes about 3" in 10ft.
boards are placed on the ground to form rows.
Black plastic is put down over the boards.
Promix is put into the rows 2-3" deep.
Cover rows with plastic. I used red because the studies show it is better than black.
Make small holes and Plant into the promix.
They are drip irrigated from a large tank of nutrient. I allowed the system to "drain to waste" But in reality their was near zero runoff.
i irrigated in the following manner. Calculate so each plant gets 1 quart of nutrient per day. So for every 4 plants it gets 1 gallon. For me the bed contained 480 plants. So 120 gallons of nutrient was required each day. I had 120 1 gpm drippers (30 per row). So I had to run the timer for a half hour a day. I did it. 2 times a day for 15 min. each. once at 7am and once at 2pm.

For nutrient I used Chem-gro strawberry per instructions.
For plants we used Seascape from Norse.

From panting to first harvest was 6 weeks and they produced into October with an average of 15 pints a week. But with larger harvests in June and early September.


May 3rd









May 28th









June 16th


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

That is very long growing season! What variety/s did you use?


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Terri said:


> That is very long growing season! What variety/s did you use?



Seascape, They are "everbearing" 

https://www.noursefarms.com/product/seascape/


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Awesome. I will try them with weed barrier


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Wanted to add. Make sure you follow the directions on the bag of fertilizer. You need to add more powder per gallon as the plants set fruit. AKA follow the directions.. Some don't 
As the first leaves come on if the temps are cool. Foliar feed calcium nitrate and Magnesium Sulfate 7 grams of each to one gallon of water. Spray lightly in the early morning or late afternoon. Not in the heat of the day. This is needed because the plants are growing at a break neck pace. Much to fast for the slow uptake nutrients. 

Also unless your water is very acidic. You should add iron as a foliar spray weekly when the sun hours are more than 14 hours per day. The plants are working so hard they actually raise the PH of Peat moss.

Yes, the proper cultural practices are complex. But these take 12 weeks to fruit in the soil.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

This was one of the last harvests.. Oct. 3


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

The Nourse website you mentioned sure does have a lot of strawberry growing information on it! It is a regular textbook!


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

Nice job. Bet you have a little rat bait here and there. I did open field organic strawberries for a few years. Tough job. Excellent income the one time it all worked. I made nearly .37 an hour, yup, clear.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

krackin said:


> Nice job. Bet you have a little rat bait here and there. I did open field organic strawberries for a few years. Tough job. Excellent income the one time it all worked. I made nearly .37 an hour, yup, clear.


No rats or mice, or other critters in the greenhouses. Just not an issue here. We do have several "barn" cats tho. But the cats are excluded from the greenhouses. The profit on this crop was small, just a few hundred. But the crop is producing again this year with the only cost being the nutrient. So This year will be much better... profit wise.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

You have inspired me to plant 10 berries this year.

So far the spring has been ridiculously wet, and there has been some flooding in the county. The berries seem to like it, though: all of them have broken dormancy.


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

I think you will do fine. Most of my covered space is tomato production now. I'm thinking everbearers more now, that and late highbush blueberries. What I did in the past for berries came on mid June through July which was too difficult where I need to do sweet corn work then. I can sell more sweet corn per piece than berries, easier pickin'. I really liked doing berries all the same. Best to ya.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

krackin said:


> I think you will do fine. Most of my covered space is tomato production now. I'm thinking everbearers more now, that and late highbush blueberries. What I did in the past for berries came on mid June through July which was too difficult where I need to do sweet corn work then. I can sell more sweet corn per piece than berries, easier pickin'. I really liked doing berries all the same. Best to ya.


Wish I had soil for corn.... But I just don't have tillable soil. Do try the everbearing. They are well worth it. Mine are growing well and in full bloom. 6 weeks till berries.


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## LincTex (Oct 11, 2010)

stanb999 said:


> Wish I had soil for corn.... But I just don't have tillable soil. Do try the everbearing. They are well worth it. Mine are growing well and in full bloom. 6 weeks till berries.


Outstanding, Stan! Very inspirational!

Is excess heat in the summer a problem?


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

LincTex said:


> Outstanding, Stan! Very inspirational!
> 
> Is excess heat in the summer a problem?


 Our summers are generally too cool. For instance the hottest temp ever recorded here was.... 91. Most days are mid 70's with low 50's in the morning. So no not at all.


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## LincTex (Oct 11, 2010)

stanb999 said:


> For instance the hottest temp ever recorded here was.... 91.


I was wondering if I could make this work in Texas.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

LincTex said:


> I was wondering if I could make this work in Texas.


They like it cool. But i'm sure there are university studies.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

The plants are coming in great this year. All we did was fully prune them down in the fall. Then as they started to regrow we started the nutrient flow. Slowly at first, then back up to regular.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

stanb999 said:


> They like it cool. But i'm sure there are university studies.



Here is a guide.  

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...bjifaqAgQengVsJ5Q&sig2=DkU0FJXW1ZcxW52IWq00pQ


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

They are starting to ripen.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Picked 9 pints for market.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Eleven pints today. So we are at 20 pints. I will try to update as we harvest.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

stanb999 said:


> Picked 9 pints for market.


What do you sell them for?


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> What do you sell them for?


2.50 each


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Dozen last night... 32 pints, selling out in the first hour. Wish we had more.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Curious to what your low temps. are in winter inside the greenhouse.

Do you heat any greenhouses and do you grow any cold crops through winter (mostly) for yourself or to market?


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

light rain said:


> Curious to what your low temps. are in winter inside the greenhouse.
> 
> Do you heat any greenhouses and do you grow any cold crops through winter (mostly) for yourself or to market?


This greenhouse was fully left to the weather. This past year I expect the temps were slightly below zero on several occasions. I only heat in spring and only the tomato house. We grow into early fall. But pick greens into late winter. We do use row covers to protect the crops from the coldest temps. In winter the low light levels just about stop growth.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

7 pints today. 39 total


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

I guess I'm not seeing the economics of this venture. As of now you've sold about $100 worth of strawberries. You don't seem to be getting a premium for your input and effort. The outdoor season is just starting here and quarts are going for $4.50-$5.50 at markets. You only seem to be slightly ahead of the season. 

Not trying to pry but how do you figure profit on this venture?


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> I guess I'm not seeing the economics of this venture. As of now you've sold about $100 worth of strawberries. You don't seem to be getting a premium for your input and effort. The outdoor season is just starting here and quarts are going for $4.50-$5.50 at markets. You only seem to be slightly ahead of the season.
> 
> Not trying to pry but how do you figure profit on this venture?


I will pick till the end of October. How many days till your local berries are gone? I'm hoping for around 15 a week. So 20 weeks is 300 pints.. The guides say we should get 1.5 pounds per plant in a hydro setup. I estimate we have 450 plants left. So that would be 675 pounds or about 675 quarts which would be about 1300 pints.. But I prefer to be on the conservative side and give low estimates so people don't get overly excited.
The hoop house isn't heated it just keeps the weather off the berries so nearly 100% is harvest able. It isn't about being ahead or behind the outdoor season. In fact the outdoor season has no affect on my sales it's so short. Plus mine are prettier and bigger.

I figure the time and math this way..
The cost plants, fert, building, etc. is 50%.
The rest is labor.
We spend an hour a week picking them.
They bring 37.00 at market.
Half that is 18.50 an hr.

I challenge you to find that high of pay rate in a rural location in most of the country.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

stanb999 said:


> I will pick till the end of October. How many days till your local berries are gone? I'm hoping for around 15 a week. So 20 weeks is 300 pints.. The guides say we should get 1.5 pounds per plant in a hydro setup. I estimate we have 450 plants left. So that would be 675 pounds or about 675 quarts which would be about 1300 pints.. But I prefer to be on the conservative side and give low estimates so people don't get overly excited.
> The hoop house isn't heated it just keeps the weather off the berries so nearly 100% is harvest able. It isn't about being ahead or behind the outdoor season. In fact the outdoor season has no affect on my sales it's so short. Plus mine are prettier and bigger.
> 
> I figure the time and math this way..
> ...


How many hours a week do you spend at market and how do you account for those when figuring labor rate?


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

stanb999 said:


> I will pick till the end of October. How many days till your local berries are gone? I'm hoping for around 15 a week. So 20 weeks is 300 pints.. The guides say we should get 1.5 pounds per plant in a hydro setup. I estimate we have 450 plants left. So that would be 675 pounds or about 675 quarts which would be about 1300 pints.. But I prefer to be on the conservative side and give low estimates so people don't get overly excited.
> The hoop house isn't heated it just keeps the weather off the berries so nearly 100% is harvest able. It isn't about being ahead or behind the outdoor season. In fact the outdoor season has no affect on my sales it's so short. Plus mine are prettier and bigger.
> 
> I figure the time and math this way..
> ...


Depends on the market or year. The average yield for a well managed stawberry field is said to be about 10,000 lbs per acre. Around here u-pick operations get around $2/lb. You do the math.

I live in one of the poorest counties and least populated counties in the state. I can find a job within 5 miles that pays $16+ /hr for production labor. With a full benefits package.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> How many hours a week do you spend at market and how do you account for those when figuring labor rate?


The strawberries are just one of the crops we take to market. They account for a small portion of our weekly sales. In fact it is one of the smallest grossing. Our big crop is hydroponic lettuce. With the warm house crops a distant second.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> Depends on the market or year. The average yield for a well managed stawberry field is said to be about 10,000 lbs per acre. Around here u-pick operations get around $2/lb. You do the math.
> 
> I live in one of the poorest counties and least populated counties in the state. I can find a job within 5 miles that pays $16+ /hr for production labor. With a full benefits package.


That acre also costs 5000 to Prep, plant, and fertilize. With you pick half is wasted. The math on that is terrible. your making at best 50 cents on the dollar and that's if it's a great season. An average season is 25 cent on the dollar. Seems you know enough to lose money fast. FYI the strawberry house is 12x40... on an acre basis it would produce nearly 60,000 pounds. lol

Now your being foolish. What job and what skills are required, where should we send people to apply?


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

stanb999 said:


> The strawberries are just one of the crops we take to market. They account for a small portion of our weekly sales. In fact it is one of the smallest grossing. Our big crop is hydroponic lettuce. With the warm house crops a distant second.


The time must still be accounted for. In none of your calculations on how much you make have I seen done. You can't claim $18/hr return without accounting for all the hours.

I suppose I'll have to tell the folks up the road a bit they're doing it all wrong. I mean they've only run a string of farm stands in every town around here for 20+ years while also marketing at the largest farmers markets around. And five years ago they added u-pick strawberries and expanded each year. I'm sure they'll run out of money soon.

Or maybe I should tell the folks who parked an old semi in next to a field off the interstate a couple years ago and started a u-pick. Drove by late last week and the fields are bigger and better looking than ever. I'm sure they'll go belly up any time now. 

As for the jobs. As long as you don't mind handling chicken parts all day the jobs are there. The specialized maintainence jobs pay even better. I can also point you to a trailer manufacturer an hour away who is hiring for comparable wages, a processor of milk powder based supplements 20 minutes away who is paying close to $13/hr and a whole host of other positions within an hours drive. Its a county with 20,000 residents and one stop light.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> The time must still be accounted for. In none of your calculations on how much you make have I seen done. You can't claim $18/hr return without accounting for all the hours.
> 
> I suppose I'll have to tell the folks up the road a bit they're doing it all wrong. I mean they've only run a string of farm stands in every town around here for 20+ years while also marketing at the largest farmers markets around. And five years ago they added u-pick strawberries and expanded each year. I'm sure they'll run out of money soon.
> 
> ...




LOL you said 16... The greenhouse work here is pleasant. No dust or dirt. No repetitive tasks. No hot sun or dark dirty factory. 

I Told you the number of hours spent on the strawberries. They are a tiny portion of my market sales. They require no effort except picking and adding nutrient. Both take less than an hour a week. Market time... LOL, your silly. I don't need to account for anything to you. I know what we make and what we are producing and how much it costs. I will not be sharing the type of information you seek. If you want that level of education I suggest you take some courses. I will tell you that this farm is more cash rich than most from the numbers I've seen from actual farmers and their books. Not just the guy up the road... If your just trying to ruin this thread with your comments I wish you luck. This thread is about the practical application of hydroponic technique and how one can apply it to their small farm/ homesteading operation and what the expected costs, time requirements, and returns can be. It is not and was not intended to be an all encompassing study course on strawberry production. 

P.S. Within 50 miles of my farm is close to 1 million, within 100 miles is 7 million. Go 120? 15 million and arguably the largest market in the world. My town doesn't have a stop light too.  Some of us pick better rural locations for market farming.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

stanb999 said:


> LOL you said 16... The greenhouse work here is pleasant. No dust or dirt. No repetitive tasks. No hot sun or dark dirty factory.
> 
> I Told you the number of hours spent on the strawberries. They are a tiny portion of my market sales. They require no effort except picking and adding nutrient. Both take less than an hour a week. Market time... LOL, your silly. I don't need to account for anything to you. I know what we make and what we are producing and how much it costs. I will not be sharing the type of information you seek. If you want that level of education I suggest you take some courses. I will tell you that this farm is more cash rich than most from the numbers I've seen from actual farmers and their books. Not just the guy up the road... If your just trying to ruin this thread with your comments I wish you luck. This thread is about the practical application of hydroponic technique and how one can apply it to their small farm/ homesteading operation and what the expected costs, time requirements, and returns can be. It is not and was not intended to be an all encompassing study course on strawberry production.
> 
> P.S. Within 50 miles of my farm is close to 1 million, within 100 miles is 7 million. Go 120? 15 million and arguably the largest market in the world. My town doesn't have a stop light too.  Some of us pick better rural locations for market farming.


The $18 was in reference to your return.

You'll note my earlier statement about not wishing to pry but I
am interested in the economics of such ventures. But those economics need to account for all costs. And location is important. We purchased here in part because we are within an hours drive of 3 of the major markets in our state. I asked a simple question and you're the one who told me I didn't know what I was talking about or that such jobs might not be available. I do and they are.

I wish you continued success in your ventures.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> The $18 was in reference to your return.
> 
> You'll note my earlier statement about not wishing to pry but I
> am interested in the economics of such ventures. But those economics need to account for all costs. And location is important. We purchased here in part because we are within an hours drive of 3 of the major markets in our state. I asked a simple question and you're the one who told me I didn't know what I was talking about or that such jobs might not be available. I do and they are.
> ...


Now I see what your asking...
To help you to understand the economics you have to forget everything a row cropper or market farmer of the past did. You don't invest and pray. You don't wait for nature to provide your plants with what they need. Have you gardened much? If so you know how the plants seem to hang out forever then suddenly burst out of the ground? Then hang back. Then burst. Roots, top, roots, top. Right? Well with hydro it's just burst no pause the plant is getting all it needs all the time. Hydroponics isn't farming in the conventional sense it's much more steady production. You produce for a weekly pay check. Not a yearly crop cycle of boom and bust. No different than a job in town. To return to your statement about the Strawberry farmer up the road. Here are a few of the reasons a hydro setup is better than field production.
#1 He has nearly the same expenses and gets the lowest price. When he has them everyone does. Supply and demand.
#2 If he could produce those berries over 6 months do you think his cash flow would improve? Would he need as many employees? Would he need to take on so much debt if the expenses were spread out and he had cash coming in most of the season?
#3 What about overall crop security? Would a six month crop be entirely wiped out by a freak rain storm, late frost, or hail? Is a longer cycle "safer"?
#4 Fruit quality is much better inside a greenhouse. It is regardless of growing method.


As to the rest of the crops grown with hydroponics. I will use a different analogy.
We will compare it to sweet corn. Say you wish to sell sweet corn. It has a 80 day crop cycle. You wish to always have 100 dozen ripening 3 times a week. So you can sell 300 dozen at your markets. Would it be practical or probable that you could plant 1200 plants every other day all summer? So you never have way too many or way too few? This is the big benefit to indoor hydroponic growing. I can time to the day how many plants I want for a market. For instance last week we upped our greens production 25% for the up coming holiday... July 4th. This week we will plant the usual. I can adjust the crop number to every other day if needed or wanted. Want a week at the lake? Don't plant for that week. I can just try something.. I can switch out something not working well. Sure it's a 5 week process but we are both old enough to plan that far ahead.

If you can take anything from this... Think weekly pay check. Not a big check.

I hope this helps you understand a bit better why it's so different and why adding an extra 50 bucks "profit" to the till is nice. If I can do that all year it's an extra grand. More than that would be epic but unlikely.


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## mmoetc (Oct 9, 2012)

stanb999 said:


> Now I see what your asking...
> To help you to understand the economics you have to forget everything a row cropper or market farmer of the past did. You don't invest and pray. You don't wait for nature to provide your plants with what they need. Have you gardened much? If so you know how the plants seem to hang out forever then suddenly burst out of the ground? Then hang back. Then burst. Roots, top, roots, top. Right? Well with hydro it's just burst no pause the plant is getting all it needs all the time. Hydroponics isn't farming in the conventional sense it's much more steady production. You produce for a weekly pay check. Not a yearly crop cycle of boom and bust. No different than a job in town. To return to your statement about the Strawberry farmer up the road. Here are a few of the reasons a hydro setup is better than field production.
> #1 He has nearly the same expenses and gets the lowest price. When he has them everyone does. Supply and demand.
> #2 If he could produce those berries over 6 months do you think his cash flow would improve? Would he need as many employees? Would he need to take on so much debt if the expenses were spread out and he had cash coming in most of the season?
> ...


I've "gardened" a bit. I've also marketed a bit. I know a bit about P&L, ROI and what needs to be included to determine one's profitability and projected hourly wage. I know that what one makes at market isn't always what one keeps. I've seen people make $5000 on a quarter acre and have nothing in their pocket at seasons end. I've seen those traditional growers spend the winter in Mexico. 

What I know most of all is that in most endeavors in life there isn't a single path to success but there are many and that those who claim to know all the answers often don't even know the right questions to ask. 

Good luck in your future endeavors.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

mmoetc said:


> I've "gardened" a bit. I've also marketed a bit. I know a bit about P&L, ROI and what needs to be included to determine one's profitability and projected hourly wage. I know that what one makes at market isn't always what one keeps. I've seen people make $5000 on a quarter acre and have nothing in their pocket at seasons end. I've seen those traditional growers spend the winter in Mexico.
> 
> What I know most of all is that in most endeavors in life there isn't a single path to success but there are many and that those who claim to know all the answers often don't even know the right questions to ask.
> 
> Good luck in your future endeavors.


I get what your saying. But as I said I have no interest in sharing that kind of info. I will say this tho. In 2 more weeks the farm will be "break even" on cash for the season. Not labor of course but we don't have employees. We are 1 month in and 6 months to go. I'm a penny pincher too. 

Thank you for the well wishes.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Twelve pints last night. The plants are getting really big. Look to be about 16" tall. I hope this means big berries. 

51 pints so far


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Here is a current picture. The cup is a normal solo type red cup for size comparison.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

6 pints on Saturday and 8 last night. 65 total.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

11 today! 76.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

7 last last night. 83 pints


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

6 today... 89 pints


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Only got 15 pints since posting. The first flush is over. The plants are putting on flower clusters and should be producing again in about 2 week.

104 pints so far.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

Hope your greenhouse operation is growing/grown well! 

Any change in crops for next season?

This summer for us has not been productive due to unforeseen circumstances but hoping/planning for a total reversal in 2018. I have found someone to either help or by himself put up a small greenhouse next spring. I will be looking into one of those where the earth is scooped out for insulation purposes...


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