Grasshoppers...

...invading the greenhouse.

Grasshoppers lay their eggs in "pods" that contain between 20 and 120 eggs. A mature female hopper lays between 8 and 25 of these pods. Cold winters have no effect on the eggs which will hatch when warm dry weather arrives. The nymphs are substantially similar to the adults when born, though much smaller in size and lacking wings.They mature in 40 to 60 days, so it is critical to address them now.

Grasshoppers are susceptible to a protozoa, Nosema locustae which is available commercially under the brand name Semaspore. They also do not like cold, humid conditions. I have been moderately successful controling them by leaving areas of the greenhouse (a block of bolted spinach) unwatered. The grasshoppers congregate on the leaves of the spinach and can be removed with the vacuum.

The greenhouse is pretty well completely planted save for places I have seedlings sitting out in pots. There are four tomato plants, two bunches of cilantro, two of basil, two four foot rows of carrots, all planted around april 1. A short row of Romaine planted from nursery starts around March 14

Next year, plant starts for lettuce and Spinach in January.

Tired. More tomorrow.

Movable Greenhouse

I have been reading Elliot Coleman's new book The Winter Harvest Handbook and am very intersted in trying his technique of using a movable greenhouse so that the soil in the greenhouse has an opportunity to weather and be exposed to the elements over the winter.

I'm trying to figure out how to extend the foundation of my greenhouse so that I can move it back and forth between two locations. The greenhouse is currently set up on a rectangular frame of 4x4 redwood sleepers laid on top of trench filled with gravel. I'm going to add a second frame adjacent to the existing foundation, directly to the east.