Autumn is a busy time for gardeners in cold weather regions - it's a race to get all the tropical plants stored indoors and safe in their greenhouses.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I currently have three hoop houses designated specifically for warm weather specimens. The hoop houses are constructed from steel frames and Polyethylene panels. While they are extremely durable and long lasting, it was time to replace the existing cover and curtains on the structure located next to my stable barn and across from my vegetable garden. My crew took on the tedious task this week.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And don't forget, starting today you can watch my newest show, "Martha Gardens", now streaming free on The Roku Channel. My first show is about my living maze and how to grow trees from seedlings. You can stream a new episode every month, and get lots of my favorite tips, ideas, and solutions for tending your garden year round.
This is one of two large hoop houses where I keep many of my tropical and citrus plants during the cold season. The plants that are displayed at Skylands, my home in Maine, are brought back to Bedford every fall for proper storage and care. Looking here, one can see it was time to replace the Polyethylene skin.
The old skin is removed from the hoop house and neatly rolled. What is salvageable is stored and what is not is discarded.
Here is the hoop house without its skin. The entire structure is built using heavy gauge American made, triple-galvanized steel tubing. I chose this gothic style because of its high peak to accommodate my taller plants.
The fabric comes in two rolls – one is a heavy-duty, woven polyethylene that features an anti-condensate additive to reduce moisture buildup and dripping. The other side contains UV additives that allow the fabric to maintain its strength through the seasons.
Doug and Pete hoist one roll on top of the frame and start to unroll it. The cover arrives on thick, hard cardboard tubes, so this part is quick and easy to do.
The other roll is then brought up and placed on top of the first roll. The greenhouse is 60-feet by 40-feet so there is a lot of space to cover.
The two sheets are well labeled, so there is no confusion as to what side faces up and what side faces down.
Next, the crew unfolds the fabric over the sides – they do this slowly, so the fabric pieces remain together and straight. Both fabric pieces must be perfectly in line to cover the structure properly and fully.
It fits just right. This Polyethylene fabric is designed to stand up to just about any climate. It also resists rips and tears, so it could last up to 10-years depending on the weather. Fernando walks around the perimeter to ensure the fabric is completely flat.
Next, Fernando and Doug work together to pull the fabric taut at the ends of the framework and secure it with double spline extrusions and special latches.
The latches are then pushed into the lock channels and tightened.
All the metal used to secure the skin is high grade aluminum for added durability.
Meanwhile, Fernando moves onto the straps of the curtains.
These curtain clips hold the straps in place. Teeth on the clips ensure that the straps stay taut.
Pete and Fernando secure the straps onto the clips one by one on both sides. It’s coming together very quickly. Soon, we will be moving many plants into this temperature and humidity controlled space.
Using black PVC pipe, Pete cuts three inch half round sections to secure the curtain to the rod.
These manual roll-up curtains raise and lower the bottom section of the Polyethylene fabric for ventilation when needed.
Here is one side all completed.
And here is a view of the inside. The space between the two layers of plastic is also filled with air to keep the hoop house taut, smooth and insulated. The air layer prevents heat loss at half
the rate of single-paned glass.
The finished hoop house is now ready for storing my tropical plants. This greenhouse works by heating and circulating air to create an artificial tropical environment. It includes three fans and a propane fueled heater. It is an excellent way to ensure my warm weather specimens survive the cold winters of the Northeast. Wait until you see how many plants we can fit in here – you’ll be amazed. Stay tuned.
Recently, a herd of goats from Fat & Sassy Goats, owned and operated by Jenn Balch and Donald Arrant, visited my Bedford, New York farm to forage through a small patch of woodland - naturally clearing the area of invasive plants and unruly weeds. From their trailer, the young Kiko goats trotted straight into the temporarily fenced in space and went to work - eradicating lots of the unwanted underbrush and fertilizing the soil with manure. Goats can forage on flat land, hillsides, steep slopes, and hard-to-access terrain. It was amazing to see what they could do in such a short time.
Enjoy these photos. You can also learn more about Fat & Sassy Goats on my new show, "Martha Gardens," on Roku. In this series, I'll share what it takes to keep up with more than 150 acres of gardens, pastures, and woodlands. "Martha Gardens" premieres tomorrow, Friday, October 14th, and in the first episode, I'll show you my new living maze and how I selected and planted the first specimens for this giant and fun project.
This area is just off the carriage road leading through the hayfields and back toward my woodlands. We selected this patch because of the vegetation and its accessibility to the road. Everyone was so excited to meet the goats.
Fat and Sassy Goats covers the Westchester, New York area. Owners Jenn and Don are professional goat graziers who actively manage a herd of more than 75-goats to reduce undesirable vegetation. Before the goats were released, Jenn and Don put up a temporary fence to keep the goats enclosed and safe.
Once I opened the trailer door, they all came out running – 23 Kiko goats from New Zealand, known for their aggressive foraging skills. (Photo by Marty Toub)
The goats went to work right away – eating brambles, weeds, and other unwanted plants.
10 goats can clear an acre of unwanted vegetation in 30 days. The process takes awhile, but it is done without the use of any chemicals. Plus, the animals fertilize the area, leaving good, natural manure behind.
Goats are able to reach the weeds up on this tree. They actually enjoy the plants that are up high. They also like poison ivy, but beware, a human can still be affected by touching the fur of an animal that has touched poison ivy.
Jenn and Don also explained that the goats will choose what plants to eat when, sometimes saving their favorites for last.
Here are some goats working on the ground plants. And do you know what a group of goats is called? It’s known as a herd, a tribe, or a trip of goats.
Most of these goats are just over a year old. When working, they travel together in their same herd and are always protected from predators with a temporary fence.
We all admired the markings on the goats. This goat is named “Justin.”
Most of the goats in this herd are males. A male goat is referred to as either a “buck” or a “billy” goat. Female goats are called “does” or “nanny” goats.
The goats are very intelligent, curious, and alert – exploring all corners of the enclosed space looking for their vegetation of choice.
They are also very friendly. This goat came right up to the fence line to say hello.
More goats are at the tree looking for what’s left to eat.
Justin was very interested in our crew – he came right up to us for some pats.
The practice of using goats and sheep for weed and vegetation control has been around for several centuries. During World War I, the White House implemented sheep grazing to maintain the expansive lawn because the nation was reserving the necessary manpower for the war efforts. However, once the war ended, faster gas-powered lawn mowers and weed whackers were used instead.
It’s important to note – goats also require alfalfa hay or other high nutrient foods to supplement their forage. Jenn and Don provide other necessary foods to keep their herds as healthy as can be. Goats can live up to about 12 to 15 years.
Goats are social animals and prefer the company of other goats. They also form bonds with their offspring as well as their human caretakers.
When out foraging, a goat can eat up to one to three percent of their body weight in a day – that’s a lot of plants. These goats are about the size of a large dog.
And here they are just watching all the activity around them – the sights and sounds of Cantitoe Corners. What a wonderful herd of friendly and hardworking, “hard eating” goats. Thanks for the visit, Fat & Sassy Goats. And please look out for more Fat & Sassy Goats on “Martha Gardens” on Roku. Remember, the first show premieres tomorrow!
Specialized festivals are an excellent way to gather experts, vendors, influencers, and enthusiasts so they could meet, exchange ideas, and learn from some of the best in the industry.
Over the weekend, I made an appearance at EEEEEATSCON NY 2022, a food experience featuring local and national restaurants offering all kinds of interesting and flavorful foods mixed with live music performances and inspiring panel discussions and interviews. Thousands of visitors attended the two-day food celebration held at the historic Forest Hills Stadium in New York City and hosted by The Infatuation, a restaurant discovery and platform messaging service whose mission is to gather and provide honest and reputable opinions on where to eat around the world.
Here are some of the photos from the event, enjoy.
After a three-year pandemic influenced hiatus, EEEEEATSCON NY is back. This year’s event was held at the Forest Hills Stadium music venue. The 13,000 capacity stadium is the only outdoor venue of its kind and size in New York city.
Infatuation‘s two-day EEEEEATSCON NY festival was well-organized with maps and directories positioned around the venue.
A big “score-like” board announced the event. Forest Hills Stadium was once home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. It began hosting concerts in the 1960s and went on to welcome some of the most culturally significant performances of the time including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. The stadium was updated in 2013 and has remained one of the most popular venues in the area.
Thousands of visitors arrived both Saturday and Sunday. And the early fall weather in New York City was perfect. (Photo by Emily Schindler for EEEEEATSCON)
The Infatuation’s EEEEEATSCON food experience is designed for those seeking more than just food tasting, but also cooking demonstrations and panel discussions along with live entertainment. The event offers a carefully curated selection of eateries and their specialties in one space.
Here I am with musician, record producer, disc jockey, and actor, Questlove. He was there eating and supporting his friend and bandmate Black Thought, who spoke on one of the panels.
For EEEEEATSCON, one definitely had to bring a big appetite – there was so much to taste and enjoy. (Photo by Sam Morrison for EEEEEATSCON)
Food blogger Dan Pelosi, also known as “Grossy” Pelosi and I enjoyed some of the bites – I had to try the hot dogs from The Weiner’s Circle in Chicago, Illinois. And look what we’re drinking – Liquid Death, “murder your thirst.” Dan also interviewed me later in the day.
We also tried Sally’s Apizza – known for its coal-fired, thin-crust pies.
Dan brought along his biggest fan, his mom, who also inspires many of the dishes Dan cooks up.
Here I am sitting with Andrew Steinthal, co-founder of The Infatuation. He started the company with Chris Stang in 2009. The two are most known for publishing restaurant reviews and guides, and creating the popular hashtag #EEEEEATS.
And here I am with Anthony Demby, the founder of HumbleRIOT an audible idea shop, and the talent booker for the EEEEEATSCON festival.
The burger and fries are from 7th Street Burger, right here in New York City. (Photo by Kate Previte for EEEEEATSCON)
Food tasting lines were full the entire day.
Here’s Dan with our own food content creator, Sarah Carey.
We also tried New York’s Apollo Bagels – this one with lox and all the fixings on an everything bagel made with fennel seeds and flaky salt. (Photo by Kate Previte for EEEEEATSCON)
I stopped for this photo with rapper and entrepreneur Bun B. He is also the mastermind behind the Houston pop-up concept, Trill Burgers.
There were live performances throughout the festival. (Photo by Sam Morrison for EEEEEATSCON)
The audience was packed for many of the performances and interviews. It was nice to see and meet so many people – all interested in trying different foods, and learning from industry leaders.
“Grossy” Pelosi did a great job interviewing me at EEEEEATSCON. We had such a fun time. I’m already looking forward to the next EEEEEATSCON! See you there.
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