Bob Larsell & Laura Coblentz
Proprietors
Articles published about our Farm
WHAT IS A GREENHOUSE?
By Bob Larsell and Laura Coblentz
A greenhouse is a place to create and maintain a controlled environment for growing plants year round. We’ve had several people come by our store and comment that they were not aware that anyone could grow warm weather vegetables all year. But with a lot of care, heat and controlled water application it is entirely possible. Here at Seed To Table Farm, located on Juniper Flat between Maupin and Tygh Valley, we have turned this possibility into reality. Our produce is truly fresh, harvested daily and retains all of Nature’s goodness and nutritional value.
Our seeds have been saved over past harvests and are also purchased from well known organic and heirloom seed suppliers, meaning that there have been no genetic modifications or hybridization and that the seeds are still as they were when found by man in their natural surroundings. That is to say, Mother Nature is still in charge.
To achieve such goodness we use a custom blended soil, created from peat, sphagnum moss and vermiculite, to which we add granular sea kelp and organic worm castings. This mix gives our seeds a boost when planted and continues to feed the roots as the plants develop. In a few days we have the starts for our vegetables. A couple of weeks after that the young plants are transplanted into pots, trays or the separate, sun warmed hoop house gardens to mature.
Our hoop house gardens allow us to grow many cool season vegetables such as lettuce, carrots and root vegetables throughout the winter months. These houses are only warmed by the sun. Using a ‘blanket’ of row cover provides additional cold weather protection that helps keep the plants from frost damage while enabling the sun’s rays to penetrate and nurture our plants. Most lettuces and root crops can thrive in lower temperatures. The biggest hazard to them is frostbite on the leaves; this can cause damage and even death to the plant. Using a commercial row cover our plants can withstand outside air temperatures to below freezing and still thrive and produce quality vegetables.
Our goal is to provide you, our customer, with highly nutritious and healthy vegetables the year round. Please feel free to stop in during business hours, 10-6 Thursday through Saturday to see and taste the difference in the fruits of our labor.
