Space in the hoop house is precious. So I designed the floor plan with only a few narrow aisles. The aisles look wider than what would be needed now, but wait a few weeks when the vegetation is spilling over from the raised beds.
The beds were created when the soil was removed to create the aisles. Of course I wasn't going to use any treated wood, but I also wanted to be conscious of using any material that would need to be replaced over time. I want the MicroFarm to be as earth friendly and sustainable as possible.
Another project completed today was the creation of four heat sinks. The greatest concern of an unheated hoop house is the cooler temperatures after the sun sets. These heat sinks consist of barrels filled with water which will heat up with the daytime sun and slowly release their stored up heat throughout the night. The water-filled barrels have the extra benefit as an emergency water source if the outside storage totes freeze.
I also placed some cement paver stones in the areas that will see the most foot traffic and around the washing stations which could become muddy. These should act as additional solar heat collection units.
It's beginning to look like a professional MicroFarm.
When can we start planting !
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