We are currently making plans to construct a Plant Science Laboratory at our school, a community college in Seattle. The plans are to have a two greenhouses, gutter connected and providing about 1,800 square feet of space. It will be constructed on a 10,000 square feet of property near the school.
I am wondering if there are any publications that discuss the management of an educational greenhouse at the CUH library. Also, are there any newsletters, websites or other materials you are able to recommend?
The bulk of our books on greenhouses focus on either commercial growing or home hobbyist. We have some back issues of the journal GM Pro, also known as Greenhouse Management and Production, which has a commercial focus.
I searched the Garden Literature Index (of journals) and didn’t find anything too promising on actual management. I recommend you try talking with some of your colleagues at the local colleges that have horticulture programs:
Edmonds Community College
South Seattle College
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
And here is a link to a college in Ontario, Canada – Niagara College – that is doing something similar to what you describe.
We are installing a greenhouse (8×8 ft.) soon and there is some disagreement as to whether it is o.k. to smoke cigars inside. Is there definitive research on the effects of tobacco smoke and incidence of tobacco mosaic virus or other ill effects, other than the health ones, that is?
The effects of tobacco smoke on growing plants is the stuff of many science fair projects (like this example), most of which determine that the smoke stunts plant growth.
As for tobacco mosaic virus,University of Connecticut Integrated Pest Management has information on how to prevent this disease:
TMV is spread readily by touch. The virus can survive on clothing in bits of plant debris for about two years, and can easily enter a new plant from a brief contact with a worker’s contaminated hands or clothing. Tobacco products can carry the virus, and it can survive on the hands for hours after touching the tobacco product. Ensure that workers do not carry or use tobacco products near the plants, and wash well (with soap to kill the virus) after using tobacco products. Ensure that workers wear clothing not contaminated with tomato, tobacco or other host-plant material. Exclude non-essential people from greenhouses and growing areas.
University of California, Davis and Washington State University Extension concur with this information.
For general information on the toxins and irritants and added hazards of cigars in particular, see this information from the National Cancer Institute. It takes longer to smoke a cigar than a cigarette, so the duration of plant (and human) exposure to pollution is potentially longer as well.
Unless there is a compelling reason to smoke cigars in the greenhouse, I would avoid it, as it is not beneficial to the plants (or the smoker, of course) and more than likely will be detrimental.
“The Hobby Greenhouse Association is a nation-wide non-profit organization of people who enjoy growing ornamental and edible plants year-round through the use of various structures designed to provide the necessary or optimal environmental conditions for successful plant growth.”
Owning a greenhouse can keep a gardener busy straight through winter. If you’re thinking of adding a greenhouse or already have one you may want to join the Hobby Greenhouse Association. For $28.00 a year members receive a quarterly magazine, a quarterly newsletter, and the opportunity to ask questions of the experts. To join send a check to HGA MEMBERSHIP, P. O. Box 404, Andover, MA, 01810, or join online at www.hobbygreenhouse.org/