April 17, 2006 at 11:28 PM
The weather in this part of Armenia is much like Logan or Heber City, Utah, with hard frosts still happening in mid-April, and frost possible most any time until June. We have a large seedling greenhouse and smaller in-the-ground hot-bed built, and both have plants growing in them. However, the heat we expected in the […]
April 12, 2006 at 11:31 PM
As planting time arrives people often hear that it’s necessary to amend their soil before they can plant, if they expect to have a successful crop. Even in Armenia people with heavy clay soil think they can’t grow a garden (they’re too poor to pay for soil amendments). We promise that you can have a […]
April 8, 2006 at 11:32 PM
The Shirak Region of Armenia is much like parts of the Northern United States, in that frost-free growing days come late in the spring and end fairly early in the fall. And since many people depend on their gardens for their primary food supply it becomes very important for them to maximize their yields. Purchased […]
April 7, 2006 at 11:34 PM
Most family gardeners in Armenia (and other places as well) just plant seeds and hope for the best, thinning the excess plants when they come in too thickly, and replanting when they die from the harsh conditions most places experience during early spring. A few people are able to buy seedlings, but most seedlings for […]
April 5, 2006 at 11:35 PM
I have been able to download some digital pictures of the 20′ X 40′ greenhouse we have built and put into production in the village of Getk, in the Shirak Region of Armenia. When we arrived in the country the property was under more than a foot of snow, but luckily we had most of […]
April 3, 2006 at 11:37 PM
I was so pleased to visit in his greenhouse last night with the man who has assisted me for the past two years, and discover he is becoming a competent greenhouse grower. His name is Gnel, and he has a greenhouse with about 1,000 beautiful tomato plants, which he will grow to maturity and sell […]
April 1, 2006 at 11:38 PM
This past week has been non-stop work for practically every moment we’ve had daylight. The greenhouse is completed, we’ve transplanted our first batch of seedlings into 30 flats, and planted another 8 flats of new seeds. We have also almost completed clearing and preparing the ground for the first 24 10-13 meter-long soil-beds or Grow-Beds. […]
March 24, 2006 at 11:40 PM
Today we celebrated one month since arriving in Armenia! With snow finally almost gone the garden is drying out, and we’ll be preparing beds in the next few days. The big news is that the greenhouse will be finished tomorrow – just in time for us to transplant about 40 flats of tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, […]
March 18, 2006 at 11:41 PM
It’s rare in our experience to have metal the preferred material for building a greenhouse! In the Shirak region of Armenia wood is so scarce, and the winters so cold, that any available wood gets taken and cut up for firewood to keep the people alive. Even their manure is saved and burned in the […]
March 17, 2006 at 11:42 PM
The Gardening Training Course students have had an intense week! One older fellow couldn’t handle the physical requirements and didn’t return after his first day, but the others seem to be enjoying the learning and the work. In the two hours of classroom instruction, we include videos, book “larnin”, demonstrations, and discussions – sometimes heated, […]
