7. Automated Greenhouse
Farming requires a lot more than just plant knowledge! We also need to be engineers, mechanics, accountants, businesspeople, and more. This greenhouse is an example of how Eric’s engineering background gets used. The greenhouse helps heat the air and soil, which is great in the winter and spring, but too much heat in the summer can quickly kill the plants. The motor you see here near the ground at the corner of the building will automatically raise and lower the whole long side-wall of the greenhouse based on the temperature inside. There are also vents higher up on the end-walls that work together to keep the greenhouse at the ideal temperature, no matter the weather, all automatically.
Feel free to go around the corner and peek inside the greenhouse. What is growing inside depends on the season, but can include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, arugula, salad mix, beets, and more!
What’s Next
If you turn around, you are looking at the future of the farm. This field may not look like much yet, but in 2019, we cleared it of brush and a few trees, had it “graded” so that water drains away from the field without pooling, and soon it will become more growing space with a plastic “caterpillar tunnel” for season extension. Next time you visit the farm, this space may look entirely different!