The hoophouse for the ginger should have gone up in mid June. The ginger has been barely surviving under lights and on a heat mat for most of the last year.
My backup helper was to be here on Wednesday, so I was bound and determined to get the hoophouse up. I got out there by 6:45AM as it was to be a scorching hot day and the humidity had already started to skyrocket.
I found and brought around all the materials for the build.
I moved the mulch hay off the bed and got the stakes pounded in. Then I tried to get the PVC pipe onto the stakes. It wasn’t as hard as I remembered. Next I found hose and drip hose and got that laid out. I used stakes to hold the hose in place.
Next I got the ginger out of the pots and separated the rhizomes and got them planted. I put the mulch back down, leaving room for new sprouts to come up. Several of the rhizomes had sprouts started.
My helper arrived just after 8AM and we worked on getting the plastic on. We made sure there was enough to cover the ends and to be under the wood that would keep it in place. The plastic was only on for 20 minutes and when I lifted the front onto the top, a wall of heat came out at me.
I turned on the driphose and left it on for several hours to soak the area well. The ginger was floppy before they were moved and would need all the encouragement they could get. It’s going to be so hot for the next week or so, I won’t be closing the hoophouse at night for a while.
We finished about 9AM and I was done. The humidity was really high and the temperature rising fast. I had hoped to do some mulching elsewhere in the garden, but not this day.
So while my helper put stuff away, I got a shower and we headed out in the air conditioned car to do grocery shopping. One of my stops was at the local lumber yard for 20d galvanized nails.
My husband used these a lot in the first 2 builds so they were always around. I use them often in fence repair and for a lot of other things. But he didn’t use them for this last addition, as his shoulders wouldn’t take the hammering. We’d gotten him a nail gun and other power tools.
I was told they didn’t carry them anymore because the contractors were using the nail guns and architectural screws instead. Hmmm, now what will I use?
We got back from shopping just after 11AM and we took down the plant light and heat mat and got them put away. Now the pineapple will have all the room it wants.
In the afternoon my son started putting the insulation on the cold water pipes to keep them from dripping condensation. He got to here and there was a piece of Romex wire laying on this pipe. When he went to put the insulation on he got a bad shock.
So I called the electrician and he came right out. Yup, it was a live wire alright. The electricians who had done the bathroom had left it. It wasn’t his work. He traced it back to the panel and then cut and capped it. The breaker is off so it’s still a usable wire.
So my son went back to putting up as much of the insulation as we had. I have to measure up and get more so he can finish.
I had gotten the air conditioner running at noon and spent the afternoon in the office. It’s not cool, around 80F but there’s no humidity. The rest of the house was really hot though. It will be late before it will be cool enough to sleep Wednesday night.
On Thursday it’s to be even worse, 85F by 9AM. I think I’ll get out early, pick peas and broccoli and sit and process them in the morning. Then retreat to the office in the afternoon and work on my mom’s birthday present.