I am sooo excited! My husband & I completed assembling the new addition to our garden. We bought it online at Costco and it is called a Grow Camp. Basically it is a bottomless box with an attached frame that has plastic film on each end and mesh screen fabric attached at the top that is attached with velcro along the sides and across the bottom of the sides. It also came with plastic film that is also attached at the top and fits over the screen and is also attached with velcro along the sides and bottom. I am posting some pictures. It assembled easily enough. We just had to make sure we were attaching things facing the correct way. It is easy to assemble things backwards. Once it was up, I decided to get some dirt and use it as a covred raised bed. It took a LOT of soil, 30 bags plus a whole garden cart full of compost. And it could really use more! I planted some cucumbers, parsely, red cabbage so far. I may remove the red cabbage since the book says it takes up a lot of room. I think the cucumbers will like it! I'll probably plant some peppers, since they like nice warm conditions. I stuck my transplanted seedlings out there too, just placing them in trays on top of the soil for now. They sell planting trays for the Grow Camp. I will probably order some of those, since you can hang them from the cross braces to form a shelf above the plants in the soil. I love it! I am hoping to extend my growing season and have peppers and root veggies long into the fall.
I just put up my Camp yesterday and LOVE it but am concerned about heat. I checked it this morning and it's 30 degrees inside! Any tips on keeping plants warm?
ReplyDeleteJules, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. How is your Grow Camp doing?
ReplyDeleteThe only way I tried to warm it up in the early spring, was to fill gallon milk jugs with hot water and put them inside in the evening. I also bought a large round thermometer to put inside, so I could quickly glance at the temp before I left for work in the morning. I would refil the jugs with hot water and hope they stayed warm during the day.
That's ok. My Grow Camp is doing wonderful! Thanks for the tip on the hot water jugs. I just might have to try that this Fall and early next Spring.
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog...doing research since I got a catalog that showed this neat gizmo. I'm worried about using it here in Az due to the extreme heat. Looking into single unit since don't have all that much space. I also have a 3x3 ft raised bed & 5 Earthboxes.
ReplyDeleteAirangel,
ReplyDeleteThe Grow Camp gets extremely warm if in direct sun and all sides closed. You could use it in AZ in the summer with cover off and in the winter probably with sides open. I love mine because when it's 45 degrees outside, it's high 70's inside with sides down.
Jules
ReplyDeleteThx. I did order one (Hayneedle)as it was the best price (with free shipping & a coupon code). Ships today. I figured for the most part the cover would be rolled up most of the time. From some of the blogs I've run across, most of the plants outgrow the area that is covered anyhow.
Did you get any of the trays or just planting in the base directly?
I didn't get any of the trays. I planted directly in the base. HUGE success with tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers. But true that they outgrow the available space :)
ReplyDeleteJules...I was thinking perhaps trays for the top, but figured to get the bottom filled with planting mix, afraid to add up how many bags it will take though, lol.
ReplyDeleteYes guessing will have to get bushy type plants that won't outgrow the unit.
I'm afraid of putting it together, read horror stories. Should arrive via FedEx on Thursday.
Did you use seed or starter plants?