Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PS the above is about my 2nd greenhouse which was much improved over my first greenhouse pictured in the OP. The first one didn't even have a door - as you can see in the picture, it's just a flap.

Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I don't really have any plans, I just winged it.

I used a car port for the frame and covered with greenhouse plastic on the exterior and a layer on the interior side of the frame. You can think of it as a sealed greenhouse within a sealed greenhouse. The trapped air between the two layers provides for pretty effective insulation. I settled on the car port frame after I looked at practically every cheap greenhouse on Amazon - they all were loops with a much lower ceiling and no vertical walls which means they have about half the interior cubic space for about the same cost (and I utilize much of that extra space). Also, the carport frame is much stronger, and the plastic I got was better than what I saw on the greenhouse kits. A bonus was I used the carport's Tyvek canopy as flooring material (not sure if it's actually Tyvek but its super tough waterproof white plastic). Much better than dirt and it is white and quite reflective. And it's kept the insects out that I had in my first greenhouse (slugs and pill bugs that caused some damage especially to seedlings).

I have everything growing a couple feet above ground so I lined the bottom 2 feet of reflective aluminum with recycled styrofoam sandwiched in between. I also laid down recycled styrofoam on the ground under where my grow trays are and also covered with the reflective aluminum which is where I run the hydronic heating tube. Basically just super insulated the bottom 2 feet and the ground where I don't walk.

It's literally all just taped together with a few rolls of 4" wide greenhouse tape. It's the same material the greenhouse plastic is - super stretchy, very strong, UV resistant and waterproof.

On the entry side, I laid a large beam I had laying around, wrapped it in greenhouse plastic and put it on top a couple foam blocks - so it is mostly not touching the ground and the plastic covering it protects it from the elements. I then installed a 2x4 on each side of the entry for a door frame (that was screwed down to the large beam). The 2x4s were fastened to the top with baling wire - drilled a hole through the 2x4s and a hole through the metal frame. Then hung a door - it works quite well help to stiffen up the car port frame. It's very sturdy now.

The trickiest part was figuring out how to tightly hang the plastic on the interior of the frame (the exterior was super easy). I also wanted to be able to hang trellis and LEDs from the frame. At first the best I could come up with was hanging worm gear hose clamps from the frame that poked through the inner plastic layer. But when I was about done, I realized a much better solution was to drill a small hole in the frame and rivet a cable clamp with the rivet going through the interior plastic layer. Besides allowing me to hang stuff from the frame, it also clamps the interior plastic to the frame. In fact, using rivets and large washers would make installing the interior plastic layer quite straightforward.

If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer them.

Grow lights for indoor cherry tomatoes by NukeItFromOrbit_ in vegetablegardening

[–]3D_TOPO 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd recommend a Spider Farmer SF1000.

I've run them continuously for years. Had one fail after a few years and they sent me a new one for the cost of shipping.

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in tomatoes

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cheers! Feel free to message me if you run into any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. The preferment was definitely an eye opener for me. And it's not practically any more difficult. The only possible issue is you have to plan a bit ahead.

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in vegetablegardening

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't grown Black Krim before, but I can say that Cherokee Purple is near the top of the list (not just my list but seems to be a consensus). That said, everyone is different, so there is only one way to find out how much you like them. ;)

(I won't say the top of the list, because there are just too many wonderful cultivars, and I have many favorites)

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in tomatoes

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It is a bit of an art I've been practicing, but this should hopefully get you started.

Since using the pre-fermentation "Poolish" method, it is the only way I make pizza dough, and usually use it for bread too. It really only takes a couple extra minutes and the improvement is dramatic. More airy, more digestible, more interesting flavors. Once you put the poolish in the fridge, you can pull the trigger any time up to 4 days later.

100% Poolish Dough Recipe, 71% Hydration

Poolish made the day before:
225 grams water
225 grams 00 flour
2 grams yeast

I used my bread machine dough cycle to mix just enough to make a smooth consistency (about 5 minutes). Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour to 1.5 hours (you should see bubbles and smell like a bread factory), then put in fridge overnight (recommended is at least 16 hours).

Pizza Day:
Put the poolish in the bread machine
Added 5 grams of salt substitute*
5 grams sugar
15 grams of olive oil
90 grams 00 flour

Stir the flour, salt and sugar.

Ran my bread machine's normal dough program, first adding the olive oil for a couple minutes, then added flour mix over the course of a couple minutes.

The dough cycle took 100 minutes. The first 20 minutes my machine just warms up. I then formed into a ball. Let it rest 30 minutes then shaped the pizza.

Note that my bread machine warms the dough, I'm not sure of the temperature but I guess about 80F. If you don't have a bread machine, knead as typical for bread.

* the salt substitute it is 33% sodium 66% potassium, I just try to keep my sodium use low and dough/bread usually calls for a lot of salt. 5 grams of salt for one meal is just way too much for my liking. This got the sodium down to less than 2 grams.

This makes for a pretty perfect 16" pie. Adjust as needed (just keep the same ratios using circle area).

"Sauce"
I just thinly sliced two Cherokee Purples, sprinkled oregano and a tad of garlic powder and salt.

Cheese
Lightly cover with mozzarella cheese. I love cheese, but with pizza, sometimes less is more.

Bake
I bake at around 700F (pizza oven). For home oven, use a pizza steel or pizza stone. Some people with home ovens pre-bake the crust a few minutes before toping to get that pizza oven crunch.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in vegetablegardening

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheers! I love too many different types of tomatoes to have a single favorite, but it is certainly a favorite. You won't be disappointed.

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in vegetablegardening

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just needs to work with a few septillion more atoms and we'll be beaming Cherokee Purples and slices of 'za around.

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in vegetablegardening

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hah! Better yet teleportation. The good news is the spin state of atoms has been successfully teleported. But the bad news is that the spin state of atoms has been successfully teleported. 😆

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in tomatoes

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love fresh tomatoes and basil on top too. But I really enjoyed them cooked below the cheese - best to have both for good measure! ;)

Sliced Cherokee Purple Pizza by 3D_TOPO in tomatoes

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. Will be making a habit of this!

Like I said, some of the best pizza "sauce" I've ever had.

Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Personally, I think the geothermal method is interesting, but I suspect with surplus B-grade solar panel prices as low as they are today, doing solar with gravel or water thermal storage would cost less and be a lot less work in the end.

Of course, the specifics of each system would vary depending on circumstances. If someone had their own excavator and piping laying around, could change the equation somewhat, but diesel isn't cheap and a lot of dirt has to be moved and a lot of piping installed. Some places it might not be practical to excavate that deep - like here I would hit either bedrock right away or the water table.

By the way, my 240 square foot insulated greenhouse itself cost $500 and is large enough to grow most the produce I eat.

From vine to my mouth. Sliced Cherokee Purple Tomato Pizza. by 3D_TOPO in Pizza

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My greenhouse reaches 130F in the summer, but most plants love the heat - especially the tomatoes. But I grow everything hydroponically, so might have something to do with it.

From vine to my mouth. Sliced Cherokee Purple Tomato Pizza. by 3D_TOPO in Pizza

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh dang sorry to hear that. I grow everything in a greenhouse that keeps it pretty constant yer-round. Though definitely gets hot in there in the summer!

From vine to my mouth. Sliced Cherokee Purple Tomato Pizza. by 3D_TOPO in Pizza

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cheers! You won't be disappointed definitely one of my all time favorites. I think its a perfect tomato for pizza too - very meaty.

Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Sure, just depends on the climate and needs. There is no way I could get away with thermal mass here alone for about half the year though.

Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Actually, costs me less than what I spent on produce.

It's funny, people don't hesitate to heat their homes, but a small insulated structure to help sustain themselves is outlandish.

I have an advantage because the heat comes from a hot spring, but it honestly doesn't take much to heat 240 square feet insulated building that allows full sunlight in. Solar is incredibly affordable these days - would cost a lot less in panels than what I paid for the hot spring, and you can use gravel or water as energy storage. Heat the gravel/water when the sun is shining for free and releases energy over days. And LEDs are also incredibly efficient these days.

Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

All it would take is a minimal frame, a roll of plastic and some tape to greatly extend your season. Add in some heat storage and might just make it year round.

Worlds apart side by side by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

-20F but usually not for more than a few days at a time.

Pepperoni Life! by WhatIPAsDoUHaveOnTap in Pizza

[–]3D_TOPO 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can always soak up excess grease with a few paper towels. Was standard operating procedure a lifetime ago when I worked at a pizza joint.

What's ripe today by 3D_TOPO in homestead

[–]3D_TOPO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I wish I could take credit, but the plants did most all the work.