Hoophouse and "He-hen"

This winter is our first time using a greenhouse to grow veggies. Our greenhouse is a PVC and film hoophouse. It's design allows it to handle snow and heavy winds without falling apart, caving in or blowing away. So far, it's holding up beautifully...and we've had some pretty blustery winds here on the Croft.  The first bad wind we had here this fall (gusts to 40mph) caused our party tent to disappear one night.  Tom found it resting on top of our neighbor's corn. We had to disassemble the tent in situ which was an adventure we'd rather not repeat. We drug the remains back home and it is lying, folded up in some corner, a reminder of what can happen to anything that is not securely anchored.

We've been enjoying the fruits of our labors:  fresh salad greens, ruby red beets, spicy cilantro, pea pods, and soon...broccoli, turnips and carrots.  And of course, kale and chard.  I'm a big fan of kale.  Did you know that kale is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet?  Seriously...you need to eat your leafy greens, especially kale.

Here's some pics of the greenhouse:

Beautiful broccoli

Cilantro.  The black stones absorb heat during the day and keep the cilantro cozy and night.

Pea pods

Baby spinich plants and romaine lettuce

so pretty!

This 55 gallon metal drum was sprayed black and filled with water.  It absorbs the heat during the day and releases it at night. It's an inexpensive way to keep the veggies from freezing when the temperatures drop at night. We currently have two of these drums, but I can foresee the need for at least two more. 

This strawberry plant thinks it's spring!

This is Manly.  Manly is a rooster. When we bought him, we were told he was a 'she'. We noticed that he was bigger than the other pullets, but we thought he was just a little older. We realized she was a 'he' when we heard a strange chicken sound coming from the chicken yard the other day.  Tom and I looked at each other. Was that the sound of a rooster?  In with our chickens??? Manly's first attempts at crowing were a little pathetic. We weren't sure if we were going to keep him, but now that he has a name, I guess he's staying.

Manly and a couple of his girlfriends.