We put up a reflector on the north wall of the 70' unheated hoophouse to increase the light and, hopefully, add some heat and also a bit of insulation. We used Panda Film which is 5.5 mil, white on one side and black on the other. A 100' by 10' roll costs about $90 with shipping. The Film was inserted between the hoops and the plastic and seems to be staying in place pretty well.
We had some old white tarps in the barn and are laying them out on the ground to reflect more light into the house. We still have to seal up the doors at the ends before we can tell the overall impact on the heat. Currently a nighttime temperature around zero has left a layer of ice in the water tank and the ice has not completely melted during the last couple of weeks.We are dealing with some energetic mice and voles which have been nibbling on the roots of some crops growing. They seem to enjoy onion roots and nibble on the lettuce. We are catching a few with mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Bucky The Farm Dog, just visible in the picture above, has turned into a good mouser. There is no "catch and release" with him, it's "catch and eat"! It's a bit odd to see him strolling around the farm with a mouse tail dangling from his mouth and this picture always comes to mind when he comes over to lick your face!
1 comment:
How'd the temp do with that Panda film? Any new compost modifications or updates? It’s great to read your ongoing project status and lessons learned.
While reading your post I started wondering how a big roll of bubble wrap might work if you could lay it over the top of either a hoophouse or caterpillar cover? I've heard they do a descent job of insulation and they're clear too.
Thanks,
Dave
I have problems with voles too but at least I have a cat that seems to take out 6-12 a yr.
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