AdAgrA Conference 2024: Growing Better

Home Gardening

Paul Dysinger

AdAgrA: Adventist Agriculture Association

The Perpetual Harvest Hack: How to Grow a Continual Harvest All Year Round

We are going to be talking about the perpetual harvest hack, how to grow a continual harvest all year round.

So very quick little introduction to myself.

My name is Paul Disinger I worked for many years on the commercial family farm in Middle Tennessee My dad Edwin and Uncle John partnered for many years and then I branched off started teaching people how to grow their own Food more to home scale homestead scale that has grown into we now develop garden and farm planning software.

You'll see a little bit of that as we go along.

But the question for you this morning is how many of you like the idea of being able to have a continual harvest out of your garden every single week of the year where you're harvesting something fresh, you put it on your table.

So let's talk about how that can actually become a reality.

So quick little reminder, if everything that I just said, you don't like the sound of it and you want to go find another class, now's the time to do it.

But if you like this idea of having a perpetual harvest, you're welcome to stay through the class.

Also, quick reminder to hold your questions until the end.

I will definitely try and save time for questions at the end.

So write those down, and then I will try and repeat them for the audio as people are listening later.

Let's have a quick word of prayer and jump right in.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this time to come together and talk about growing food and not just growing at once, but growing a continual supply of food and how we can arrange that in our gardens, on our homesteads.

I don't know, but I just pray that you would send your spirit to be with us.

Give us wisdom and give me clarity of thought in mind to be able to share these concepts and ideas as well.

Yeah, and this isn't just concepts and ideas, actually, you know, this is taking from our experience.

You know, when you farm commercially, you've got to grow a perpetual harvest, at least if you're wanting to sell all year round.

And so when we were growing on Bountiful Blessings Farm, we actually specialized early on in a winter CSA, because everyone else is growing in the summer, so we'll do the opposite season.

So we were growing in the winter and then eventually the farm has got where it grows year-round now.

And so this, what we'll be sharing with you are strategies and things that we have used.

And we're going to cover, let's go over an overview.

We're going to talk about what is succession planting or I kind of coined the little term leapfrog planting.

I like to call it leapfrog planting as well.

We'll talk about our what we call our perpetual harvest hack and Then we'll talk about carrying crops over.

We're going to talk about different aspects of having a continual harvest because it's not just about succession planting.

There are crops that you can carry over the winter or even over longer seasons that you can keep harvesting off of.

And then we'll talk about some storage tips and tricks, which may not typically fall into like a continual harvest scenario, But in essence, what are some crops that you can harvest and then store and be eating off of those on a continual basis?

So that's how it ties into the continual consumption of food from your garden.

All right, so what is succession planting?

For those of you who may not, I'm guessing a good number of you kind of have the concept of succession planting already, but if anyone doesn't, each time you harvest something from your garden, a succession planting would be another crop that's ready to plant in its place.

So oftentimes for many home gardeners, gardening is a seasonal thing.

You plant something in the spring, you harvest it in the summer, and then the garden's done, right?

And it just kind of lays there without doing anything for the rest of the year and then you got spring fever the next spring, you plant a bunch of stuff, and it's kind of this, you know, planting season and harvesting season and then off-season, right?

Succession planting is taking that and flipping it around to where you're always planting something, you're always harvesting something.

And every time a crop is coming out, you have a new crop that's going in.

And so there's this whole flow of crops that are going in your garden.

And that's how you create a perpetual harvest going into your season.

So an example with lettuce here is, while you see this picture, these are lettuce heads growing.

But once they are, if you have another four-week-old transplant that's ready to go in its place when that lettuce head is harvested, you've just maximized the space in your garden.

And you harvest that head, you put in your new lettuce, and you know several weeks later that new head is going to be ready to harvest.

And you can have another 1 that's ready to go in its place when it comes out.

And so that would be an example of succession planting with lettuce.

It does not have to be just 1 crop on 1 crop.

Like it doesn't have to be lettuce followed on lettuce.

Succession planting can be an example here is with peas and green beans and we can look at this visually in a calendar in just a little bit.

But peas are typically a spring crop so you're gonna seed those early in the spring, You'll have a nice harvest of those peas.

And then for a lot of locations, you're gonna have a good bit of summer ahead of you after your peas are done.

And you could follow them on with green beans.

So once you harvest your peas out, you can be planting green beans in.

You'll get a harvest off of those green beans later.

So you can do succession plantings from 1 crop followed with a totally different crop as well.

And those are kind of the 2 ways that succession plantings are set up.

The thing is, here's the problem with crop planting, or it has been the problem with crop planting.

And we found that it has been challenging for a lot of other people as well.

And that is, number 1, you've got to figure out when to plant your first crop.

And so back in the day, and even for our crops that we don't know off the bat, you know, what do you end up doing?

And you go try and find out, and different locations will tell you different things, but they'll say, you know, seed it X number of weeks before your average last frost.

OK, well, then you've got to go find your average last frost.

And then you've got to get your calendar out and calculate back how many days or weeks before then.

So the first thing is to figure out when to plant your first crop.

Then how long before it will be harvested?

And you need to know that if you're going to follow it on with another crop, right?

How long of a harvest window can you expect from it?

Are you going to be harvesting off of this crop for 2 weeks?

Or is it like an indeterminate tomato where it'll just keep producing tomatoes for the rest of the season until it gets killed by a frost?

So how long of a harvest window can you have?

And then when to plant the second succession crop so that it's ready to go in when the first crop is harvested.

And this is especially key, you know, if you're just direct seeding in your garden, your first crop is done, you pull it out and you direct seed your next crop in, right?

But if you're transplanting, which can really maximize the space in your garden even more, because you can actually get more harvests, you need to know about when this first crop is going to be done harvesting and then calculate back 4 weeks to start the starts inside so they'll be 4 weeks old and ready to go in the place when the first crop is pulled out.

Advanced Track

Adner Abreu

Optimizing Your Greenhouse Production Part 2

This is part 2 of optimizing your greenhouse, your greenhouses.

So we're gonna be talking about now watering for fertilization.

And what I use is when it comes to irrigate my greenhouses is drip tape and that what I've used and it works just amazing I mean the benefits of drip tape that I've seen it's it's something in incredible I I shared yesterday that I had a greenhouse without drip tape and when I When I after I put drip tape I saw soil improvements Better crops better yields and it's all I did was simply Change the watering method we were watering by hand prior to that and when I added drip system Was was just great there in the in the in the mr.

Paul greenhouse there and so Yeah But so it has once you when you water with your drip tape, you have deep water penetration.

That's what I use to fertilize my greenhouses right through the drip system.

And of course, if you're selling things like lettuce, cilantro, spinach, other things, it keeps it real nice and clean.

So sometimes, for example, with spinach, what we do is that We cut it.

We throw it into a, they sell like a pillow bag that has a bunch of holes in it.

I forgot what they use it for as well, but basically it's just a bag that has a bunch of holes in it.

And you throw your spinach in there, you throw it in water, and then we have a washer machine that just spins.

And you throw that bag in there, and then you spin the lettuce, I mean the spinach or any of the greens and it takes the water off your greens and so it's nice and washed and there's no dirt in it at least.

But it helps that the spinach aren't loaded with dirt.

So having the drip system really helps with that.

Now, what do I use to fertilize my greenhouse?

And if you've been in this class or you've heard from me long enough, I like simplicity.

And I like stuff that don't require a lot of money either.

Just something big enough, not a 5-gallon bucket, but at least 30 gallons and up.

And what I do is I basically, I put a 1 and a half inch sump pump down there and hook it up to to a hose to a flexible hose just to get it out of there and then hook it up to my water system and then that's how I apply all my fertilizers and And I have 2 pumps 1 to circulate the water down there and another 1 to pump it out.

Now there are other methods that I have and I have used to mix your fertilizer and things like that.

But then you have to be dealing with ratios and water rates and water pressure and all these things.

Unlike this system that you say that you read in the package or they tell you okay it's you know 20 ounce of this fertilized per acre or whatever so you just say okay for this greenhouse I need 10 pounds of this or I need half a quart of this.

And basically, I just throw it in there, mix it real good, make sure my drip lines are actually full of water before I send my fertilizer.

That way, 1 corner of the greenhouse doesn't get more fertilizer than the other.

And then once it runs with water, I switch to my pump.

And 1 of the things that this thing allows using this sump pump is that it has quite a bit of pressure.

So with a good amount of pressure, especially when you're dealing with fertilizers that are organic that have a lot of, that are not quite as soluble, because even fertilizers that are organic and they say they're soluble, they still have sediments, very fine sediments.

So, basically with a good pressure, it will actually go through without problem.

And 1 of the key steps that I do as well, if I have to fertilize, let's say, today, or let's say Thursday I guess today's Thursday so let's not have to fertilize Thursday that means that the last watering that I do on my greenhouses it's Monday okay when I fertilize I actually make sure that my ground is dry.

And as well, I fertilize as fast as possible, send that fertilizer through, and then I fill that water, that drum, with just clean water and let it then flush out because any fertilizer that you use, you wanna flush your lines.

You don't wanna just apply the fertilizer and then turn it off because that fertilizer then will create sediments and then it will plug your drip tape.

1 thing is when using this method and when applying this is that you want to watch for when you're using drip tape, 1 of, I guess, downside is that you want to have a moisture meter and I know you can check your soil with your hands and I have done that for many years and I'm you know I've used it I've done it but I still have my moisture meter and I just go and check in different areas of the greenhouse.

And if you're having like 1 area of your greenhouse that is doing really good and another 1 not as good and your tomato plants are doing really good in the middle and not in the corners, then you go with your moisture meter and you check there.

And there's a high likelihood that you will see that, oh, this is wet here and this is dry.

And what has happened is that your drip tape has gotten plugged up.

And you see a little bit of moisture there, but not so much water, so they dry faster.

So 1 area of your greenhouse is thirsty, and the other 1 is super wet.

So you have to always, to monitor your greenhouses.

It's not, you know, sometimes we think, okay, if we do things right, if we say, if we do this, do this, everything will go perfect.

We always have, it's not a plug and play thing.

You have to always be optimizing, looking, adapting, paying attention to the details.

OK, why is that plant wilted in the middle while, in the meantime, while these in the middle here are not?

So you go and check those things and that's then how you start learning what's happening.

1 of the things that I do is that every single day, at the end of the day, it takes about 30 minutes for me to leave the farm.

And so I go to all my greenhouses, check, check, check, check, check, drive through the fields, everything looks good.

And as well, 1 of the things actually, like we have a lot of produce and The farm is a little big.

So sometimes I could have a corner where the broccoli is really good and we don't even notice that the broccoli is ready.

And then sometimes it happened that it goes to flower because we didn't get to it.

But that happens very little because what I do is that I just I just check my fields.

That's kind of like my distressing moment.

It's like, okay, I'm done for the day, but I'm still on the farm.

And I just go around, check, and then with my phone, texting then the main person that is helping me with harvesting.

And okay, hey, broccoli's ready in the south corner of the garden.

By the way, eggplant looks like that'll be ready next week.

Oh, wow, these peppers are doing amazing.

In 2 weeks, we're going to have lots of peppers.

Call the market manager and say, hey, tell everybody on markets that we're going to have peppers soon.

And all this happens as I'm leaving the farm.

1 thing that I found, another aspect to have your eyes open, because sometimes I drive by the greenhouse and the fans are off, right?

But then, and this happened to me a couple of times now, a few minutes later, I drive by the greenhouse and they're still off.

And then I walked around, they're still off.

Oh, something happens and I go in there and it's 110 degrees.

But if you're not paying attention, if you're not alert of these little details, you might lose a crop.

I remember 1 time, and in the winter, this is critical.

I remember 1 time it was the first night that was gonna be cold, so I turned on my heat and it was working, I left it working, everything was good.

But then we were on a gathering, eating at someone's house, and I'm like, I gotta go to the greenhouse.

And everybody was like, where are you going?

So, and when I went there, the greenhouse was 40 degrees, the heating wasn't coming on, and then I had to call maintenance and I was there until midnight, fixing the, you know, fixing, getting the heat going.

And it was a brand new heater, by the way, you know?

So, because you, Sometimes there is air in the line, there could be a million things why a heater doesn't work.

But I avoided losing that crop just by simply paying a 2 minute, 3 minute visit to the greenhouses.

You know, carelessness in farming, it's very obvious.

And other parts of life are like, you'll get away with it.

But 1 of the things about gardening and farming is that it doesn't let you get away with things.

You're late, you will notice that it's late.

You see, you didn't plant things right, you will notice that.

You know, you can't, and that's 1 of the things, for example, when I used to work at academy, like teenagers, they have a hard time with it because they're used to cheating all the time, right?

So, so they're like, you know, oh, I'm done with planting.

And the plants are, you know, this way, sideways, you know, the roots are upside down and you know, it's like, no, you didn't do this right.

Christian Martin

Living Hope SDA Church

From Spark to Flame: Nurturing Your Spiritual Growth

My message today is entitled, From Spark to Flame, Nurturing Your Spiritual Growth.

Oh, Father in Heaven, we are so joyful to be able to see our children sing about Jesus, talk about Jesus, become more and more like Jesus, making Jesus their very best friend.

And today we want to be able to take a look at your word and discover that you are a God whose will is for us to grow, not just physically and mentally, even socially, but to grow spiritually.

So Father, I pray that you would speak to our hearts as we meditate on your word and we thank you in Jesus name, amen.

You know Adventurers and church, I loved, I loved to hear you sing.

It was wonderful to hear you sing this little light of mine.

Oh Adventurers, you sounded good and mom and dad sounded good.

That means that we're in a place right now where we get excited to shine for Jesus.

We have little lights shining in this place right now.

You know and and the truth is that I can let my little light shine everywhere I go.

Where else could I have my little light shine?

We could have it outside, inside, anywhere.

How many of you like playing in the playground?

Can we let our little light shine in the playground?

And so anywhere and everywhere we go, we can let our little light shine.

But the next question though I want to ask you is how?

We know we want to, we know we can, but how do you have your little light shine?

Let's go to our Bibles to the book of Matthew.

Matthew 5 verse 16 tells us how we can let our little lights shine.

And our adventurers are really good Bible students.

And so I'm gonna ask a volunteer among our adventurers to come up here and read for me.

Why don't you come up here and and you can read for us what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 16.

In fact, Teddy, in your Bible the letters are in what color?

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

He continues, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

In other words, we shine for Jesus when people notice Jesus in us.

You know, you've heard the expression, haven't you?

And the reality is is that the way we live our life is seen by those around us.

And we can be encouraged, Jesus wants to be us to be encouraged to live in such a way that our conduct reflects the love of God and ultimately draws others to Him.

In fact, Jesus said, you know, a disciple of Jesus knows many things.

But did you know that Jesus specifically said that there's really 1 true way that people can know that you are disciples of Christ.

And that love for 1 another is a part of a beautiful picture that springs out of our hearts because we have love for God.

And so our love for God fills us with this love and then overflows into those around us.

And so the Bible says that we give glory to God by the way we live our lives, by what people see and hear, and that is shining for Jesus.

Now, having said all that, there is something that we have to be careful about, Adventurers, and everyone else.

Jesus talked about the enemy using many different words.

And and there are times, there are times when we let Satan blow it out.

We we shine for Jesus but but there are times when the enemy the enemy's looking around he's hiding he's looking He's looking for opportunities to be able to blow out our candle.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

The Perpetual Harvest Hack: How to Grow a Continual Harvest All Year Round

1h

Optimizing Your Greenhouse Production Part 2

59m

From Spark to Flame: Nurturing Your Spiritual Growth

49m

A Pillar and a Prophet

52m

Seed Starting Tricks: How to Start Seedlings That Thrive

58m

Winter Harvest Secrets: How to Extend Your Growing Season

50m

Optimizing Your Greenhouse Production Part 1

1h

Daniel 7 Part 1

50m

Remember Ye Not

26m

10 Lessons of the Past

25m

10 The Struggle Against Slavery

28m

Sabbath School AdAgrA Impact

1h 8m

Sound Doctrine