| ISECCo Home | Sponsors | Meeting Notice | Site Map |
|
Date |
Planted in Squares* |
Meters squared planted |
What planted |
Comments |
Final results |
|
11/8/99 |
D-4 |
1 |
3 potatoes |
Checked on 11/20: not germinated. (Probably still in senescence.) Finally germinated in January |
Killed by aphids |
|
11/15/99 |
C-5 |
1 |
Wheat |
Damaged by frost |
Very low productivity due to freezing |
|
11/24/99 |
C-9,13 |
2 |
Wheat |
Damaged by frost |
Very low productivity due to freezing |
|
11/24/99 |
B-12,16 |
2 |
4 potatoes |
Germinated in late January |
Killed by aphids |
|
11/29/99 |
D-3 |
1 |
3 potatoes |
Germinated in late January |
Seriously damaged by aphids; still growing 5/1/00 |
|
12/5/99 |
B-8 |
1 |
3 potatoes |
Germinated in late January |
Killed by aphids |
|
12/5/99 |
D-2 |
1 |
3 potatoes |
Germinated in late January |
Killed by aphids |
|
12/5/99 |
Preplants |
- |
3 trays |
|
Killed by freezing |
|
12/5/99 |
Preplants |
- |
Lettuce |
Germination failure (bad seed?) |
Nothing |
|
12/5/99 |
Preplants |
0.25 |
Radish |
Germinated 12/10/99. Ate 1/4 |
3/4 killed by aphids |
|
12/5/99 |
Preplants |
0.2 |
Carrots |
Ate 2 |
Most killed by aphids |
|
12/7/99 |
C-14 |
1 |
Wheat |
Very low productivity |
Very low productivity due to freezing |
|
1/26/00 |
D-14, D-15, D-16 |
3 |
Wheat |
Very low productivity |
Killed by drought while out of town in March |
|
1/27/00 |
D-9S1/2 |
0.5 |
Potatoes |
Plants still alive 5/1 |
But severely infested with aphids |
|
1/29/00 |
D-13 |
1 |
Wheat |
Very low productivity |
Killed by drought while out of town in March |
|
2/4/00 |
Preplants |
|
Herbs |
2 pots did not germinate (bad seeds?) |
Killed by aphids |
|
2/14/00 |
D-9N1/2 |
0.5 |
Potatoes |
Plants still alive 5/1 |
But severely infested with aphids |
|
2/28/00 |
Preplants |
|
Spinach, turnip, celery, pepper, onion, beets, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes |
On heat mat at 75° F. Mostly germinated within 10 days. |
Killed by aphids. All were dead by the end of March. |
|
2/28/00 |
D-05, D - 6, D - 7, D-8 |
4 |
Potatoes |
These were pre-sprouted, with 12 inch long shoots. This worked very well. Still alive 5/1. |
But severely infested with aphids. |
*Comments about labeling of 'squares':
· The squares in Mars Base Zero are planting areas. Our squares are labeled A, B, C, D and E. The A square is 12 feet by 24 feet, and is against the west wall of the greenhouse. B, C, D, and E are each 12 feet by 12 feet (a bit shy of 4 meters by 4 meters). They are labeled such that B is the NW corner of the 4, and adjacent to square A, C is in the NE corner adjacent to the arctic entry wall, D is in the SW corner of the 4 adjacent to A and E is in the SE corner adjacent to the kitchen area. These 4 areas are 24 feet by 24 feet (just shy of 8 meters by 8 meters).
· Squares B, C, D and E are subdivided into roughly one square yard (square meter) sections. These are labeled 1,2,3,4 on the north side; 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, 10, 11, 12 in the middle 2 rows and 13, 14, 15, 16 on the south side of the square. This was to facilitate co-ordination of what was planted where.
· Each section may be further broken down into 1/2 or 1/4. This is prefixed by N, E, S, W representing north, east, south or west (respectively). 1/4 NE would the north-east corner, for example.
· This winter we had 3 active beds in which we planted things: B, C and D. Square E was also used as an area to plant pre-plants. Eventually square E will be filled with dirt, and square A will be filled with large (1 square yard/meter) growing trays, with an area against the north wall for pre-plants.
As can be seen, we had a number of severe problems which prevented very much of a harvest from our crops. During the 6 months covered by this period, we had several hard freezes inside the greenhouse, a severe aphid infestation and problems with lighting. These combined to reduce our harvest potential to nearly zero.
To boost productivity the following recommendations should be implemented:
· Install a Sensaphone or similar device to alert the operator to dangerous conditions inside the greenhouse (especially low temperatures)
· Correct the problems with the furnace.
o This was partially accomplished by switching to #1 heating oil (which gels at a much lower temperature).
o Bury the fuel lines to protect them from the cold
o Bury the fuel tank to help keep it warmer
o Attach a return line to the oil tank to improve fuel flow
· Sterilize the entire greenhouse
o During a warm spell in the summer
§ Heat the greenhouse as warm as the furnace will get it overnight (probably into the low 100°'s F)
§ Uncover the 'glass' and allow full sun in (it will be covered during the summer to prevent overheating of the structure)
§ Raise the temperature to 175°F and keep it there throughout the day
§ Seal the structure, turn off the furnace, recover the 'glass'
o Leave the structure sealed until fall
o When operation is to resume
§ Cover beds over with insulation
§ Turn on heating under beds
§ Heat to 150°F for 24 hours
§ Until the snow falls, severely restrict entry to prevent contamination.
The
current copyright laws protect this page, even though not specifically
copyrighted.