You’ve signed a two-year lease on what? Have you taken full-moon-French-leave of your senses…again?
I can tell…She, Who Must Be Obeyed, is intrigued with the idea of my going into business for myself.
“Well…technically I’m extending my Melissa Bee Farms business into new areas, opening new markets, joining the green revolution,” I counter. “Besides, last year we both agreed I needed a bigger beeyard. I’m outgrowing the backyard. I’ve got plans! ambitions! projects! I need ROOM.”
“And MONEY, lots of money. Besides, WHAT bee business? You mean that expensive soup kitchen for bugs-in-a-box, that bee business? Businesses make money; you’ve got another expensive hobby, not a business.”
“Reminds me, I need to pick up another 20 pounds of sugar for syrup,” making a note in my iPad.
“Again? Already…?”
“er….want to see some pictures of the new project, she’s a beaut?”
green house from rick kennerly on Vimeo.
my new green house rehab project
And so it begins. Secretly, I know She, Who Must Be Obeyed, is right: I’m in over my head…way over my head. The tape in my head is looping: Oh, My God – What Have I Done? I feel a bit sick and a little panicky. It’s put-up or shut-up.
So, what should I do with this green house? (Yeah, I got some space for a beeyard in the bargain.) The owner’s still clearing it out, but it’s mine for two years. That’s two years of lease payments, two years of electricity payments, two years of water payments, two years of buying supplies and materials. I have to make this pay…and I don’t have a clue.
Sure, I’ve been through the Master Gardener classes and I can talk a good game. I grow a pretty good vegetable garden, but what do I know about Growing for Market? Running a green house? Hydroponics? Aquaponics? Marketing?
I need your help. I need reading resources, web sites, advice, suppliers, ideas. If you’ve got experience growing for market, chime in.
First order of business, making it weatherproof. First freeze is predicted for tonight.
Annie In The Ozarks
Ooooh, a green house ! Congratulations. Well, the question I have is for the time and labor which yields a higher profit, seedlings or food? For a greenhouse, my guess would be seedlings.
You two have a place in NY? Any opportunity to be a seedling street vendor? I saw your roof top garden. I thought you made such a good point about how wonderful it is to have things growing in the city.
Herbs and tomatoes? Things that are nice to grow on windows sills?
I wish you loads of good growing, money and bee’autiful honey.
SWAK !
Annie.
Rick the Mouseherder
Thanks. We’re in Virginia Beach. We’ll see. I’m thinking aquaponics and hydroponics and counter cyclical growing, tomatoes in March that kind of thing.
We’ll see. It was an old wholesale flower operation. We’ll see. I’m much more into growing food than flowers, but it’s got to at least pay for itself.
Eric J
I would recommend doing aquaponics. It will lead you to a twofold profit, one from veggies, and another from fish. Tilapia are the most hardy of the bunch.
feel free to email me, ezjensen@gmail.com
you can also grow duckweed to feed the fish.
nelson marasco
HI I work in a garden center and a good tip i got was one the library two get a small green house.The reasone for that is do it for one season,re seed pots etc,so when you make a mistake its small and you dont lose much.The extra is keep note s when you start something to fall back on .TTFN nelson
Rick the Mouseherder
EricJ, if you’ve got experience, I’d love to have you share it here. I’dbeen thinking tilapia myself, but the east’s largest inland tilapia farm is about a hour away.
Rick the Mouseherder
Nelson: god advice, but I’ve got a lease on one big green house- 100 x 30. Notes! I’ll make a note of that ;->