tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post1478813244710288303..comments2023-11-07T06:51:41.301-06:00Comments on The Beginning Farmer: Greenhouse :: HoghouseEthan Bookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01333115493519268802noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post-66116818697088143192012-12-15T19:14:11.855-06:002012-12-15T19:14:11.855-06:00I have used hoophouses to house pigs during the wi...I have used hoophouses to house pigs during the winter. Here's some pictures of 200 feeders in a hoophouse. <br /><br />http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/01/so-you-want-to-be-farmer.html<br /><br />Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post-36361826719433330732012-12-15T19:11:48.350-06:002012-12-15T19:11:48.350-06:00I built a hoop house for winter farrowing and hous...I built a hoop house for winter farrowing and housing of my hogs, a tensioned fabric building from farmtek. <br />Concrete floor and ecology block sides so that it can be cleaned with a front loader without any risk of damage to the structure, it takes about 200 yards of wood chips to fill. <br /> Three months into it, I'm pleased. The bedding is composting and that keeps it well above freezing. I've split it into two sections; one for sows farrowing, and the other for the main herd, and so far so good. <br /><br />pictures of the completed barn<br />http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/10/barn-complete_7.html<br /><br />filling the barn with litter<br />http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/10/filling-barn.html<br /><br />condition of litter and general comments a month later<br />http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/11/deep-litter-pig-bedding.html<br /><br />condition of the litter two months after filling<br />http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2012/12/meanwhile-back-at-farm.html<br />Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post-38337396112621500272012-12-15T00:11:21.170-06:002012-12-15T00:11:21.170-06:00This is really in response to your post a couple o...This is really in response to your post a couple of days ago about marketing to restaurants. We would love to share our experinces. Good and bad. We sold direct to them for 3 years, then decided to put most of our effort into selling out of our own on site farm store. If you'd ever like to pick our brains feel free to email me . opies99@gmail.com. No need to recreate the wheel!Donna OShaughnessyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08266654110280149719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post-58567456066734775692012-12-14T23:01:38.291-06:002012-12-14T23:01:38.291-06:00I would consider a crop that the hogs could eat th...I would consider a crop that the hogs could eat throughout the winter. Ive read about potatoes that the hogs could root for during winter months. I believe Salatin's pigaerator is similiar except he uses a deep bedding for his cattle, while burying corn all winter, then the pigs come through and aerate it all. When their done he has a very usable compost ready for the fields.<br /><br />I would research some permaculture approaches. Grow something that will benefits the pigs winter foray in the hoop. Then a deep bedding over the winter will provide a superb planting ground come spring.<br /><br />Another last thought: make it portable(towable by tractor?) and use it to raise meat birds...I think growing a crop for human consumption may be difficult due to summertime heat buildup, but it could be worth a try.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post-47569097812867979412012-12-14T12:24:50.963-06:002012-12-14T12:24:50.963-06:00I don't have pigs, but for some reason the ide...I don't have pigs, but for some reason the ideas behind the Swedish deep bedded hoop house system has always kind of interested me.<br /><br />From what I've read, the key to the idea is the "deep bedding" part, which I didn't really see in any of your links. <br /><br />You might have already seen it (or I might have originally seen it on your blog), but there is a description of a couple different deep bedding barns (including a greenhouse) at:<br /> http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0103/wilson_hogs/ <br /><br />It sounds like they start out with a thick layer of bedding and continue to add more each week. It starts to compost in a couple of weeks and starts to heat the building (although they heat the greenhouse at night). <br /><br />I would guess that using a greenhouse might give you a slightly healthier pig because of the sunlight exposure (which might increase Vitamin A or D levels?).<br /><br />But, I would also wonder about snow loads with a greenhouse if you are in a high snow fall area.<br /><br />I'm not sure what I would grow in a greenhouse except for growing typical garden vegetables for home use. I might try my hand at growing some giant watermelons since they like high heat, high fertility, and are kind of interesting (there might even be a market for a 200 lb. watermelon).Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11412944120622315804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35188043.post-15709690700898156152012-12-14T12:13:49.356-06:002012-12-14T12:13:49.356-06:00Living in the Deep South hoop houses are used to g...Living in the Deep South hoop houses are used to grow/start early crops of tender veg like tomatoes, cucumbers etc. Also used to extend the growing season. I find that the hoop houses are more work than help. For your situation though you could grow long season veg like okra and indeterminate tomatoes for sale as long as you had a good watering system in place.Vikihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10515989542444278204noreply@blogger.com