Greenhouse Expert's Goal: Year-Round Gardening

Greenhouse Expert s Goal: Year-Round Gardening BUILDINGS Miscellaneous Earl Senchuk is a man on a mission He wants to make it easy for everyone – even folks in northern states – to garden all year long Senchuk has been in the greenhouse business for decades Long-time FARM SHOW readers might remember the popular mini greenhouses he developed in the late 1990’s Vol 23 No 6 He says his latest combination of a state-of-the-art greenhouse and heated planting beds makes year-round gardening possible for the average person no matter where they live Senchuk developed his heated planting beds 4 years ago and has been growing crops in them outside from March to December in northern Michigan The stand-alone waist-high planting beds which he calls “Boomer Bloomers” have removable canopies that cover 32 sq ft of growing space “Loose pin” hinges allow the canopy to be raised from either side so you never have to reach more than 24 in from either side The canopy is sealed around the perimeter to trap heat and comes with adjustable vents   He says Boomer Bloomers work great when used on their own outdoors “They let you regulate the climate so plants remain at 75 degrees even when it’s 25 degrees outside ” says Senchuk “Tilling weeding seeding and harvesting can all be done while standing up The system is so self sufficient that after you plant the seeds it practically takes care of itself ” The planting beds come with soil heating cables that automatically maintain soil temperature by means of a sensor and thermostat controller They also come with an automatic watering system that uses capilliary action to moisten the soil from the bottom up  Watering is accomplished simply by pouring water into a side-mounted stainless steel trough A moisture meter measures the soil wetness at any level All operations are controlled automatically with sensors to keep the soil temperature and moisture content at the desired level By combining the raised planting beds with his new “Yoopertopia” greenhouse Senchuk hopes to expand the growing season to a full year The standard greenhouse measures 16 by 20 ft with room for 6 Boomer Bloomer raised planting beds inside The greenhouse comes with a 10-ft wide 4-ft high triangular vent at the top on both ends; large 88-in tall 44-in wide doors at both ends; and across-the-front vents that are 2 ft tall and 20 ft long  He notes that his greenhouse has more ventilation capability than any other structure of its type on the market All vents are screened to keep out insects The system is currently being tested by Shelter Bay Tomato Co a local vegetable grower “The normal growing season for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is barely more than 3 months But for the past 4 years I’ve been successfully growing a garden outdoors for 9 1/2 months out of the year It costs just 2 to 3 cents per hour to operate a Boomer Bloomer planting bed outdoors in below freezing temperatures ” When used inside the greenhouse a digital thermometer registers the time of day outside and inside temperatures as well as the highest and lowest temperature range both inside the canopy and outside The temperature values can be cleared periodically “Tracking such temperatures is useful to determine proper ventilation requirements in a given zone ” says Senchuk  He says he hopes his gardening system will help people create more income for themselves by growing and selling produce locally Stand-alone outdoor-style Boomer Bloomers sell for $1 800 apiece A complete Yoopertopia greenhouse sells for right at $25 000 Check out a video of Senchuk’s greenhouse system at www farmshow com Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Earl Senchuk 207 W Arch St Marquette Mich 49855 ph 906 361-1391; info@earlsenchuk com; www earlsenchuk com

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