A story contribution to 2011: The Year of Idaho Food
Photo courtesy of the Jenkins
Right behind the Karcher Mall in Nampa, Idaho you would never guess that there is a family growing up to 1,000 tomato plants—many of them will have ripe tomato by the 4th of July. Jim and Elaine Jenkins, found an acre of land with a small house on it and decided to call it home and raise their 10 children there. They wanted to teach those children about work and responsibility. Although, the sixteen year old says he wants to be a nuclear scientist and never grow tomatoes again, Jim thinks he will one day.
Jim’s parents had a market garden, so he’d been around growing things his whole life. Elaine grew up with parents who canned everything, but their garden wasn’t very productive, so they bought most of the produce they canned. When the two met, there pasts seemed to combine into a perfect future.
Jim said to always start with the end in mind. “Think about what you plan to do in three months” he says, “when the zucchini seed you put in the ground is ripe and ready.” The Jenkins have the end in mind. They eat and put away enough food for the year to feed themselves and their ten children. Beyond that, they offer a CSA to families and give them produce each week. Anything that is left is sold at the Nampa Farmer’s Market. And, if they do end up with a giant zucchini that they happen to miss and not pick in time, Jim says he doesn’t feel bad because he can throw it over the back fence and feed it to his two steers or goats.
So, how do the Jenkins get tomatoes in July? They discovered hoop houses a few years ago and have been experimenting with them ever since. They start all their tomatoes early in a ½ hoop greenhouse that comes off the house. Then, in April, they planted them into the large hoop house, right into the ground. The plants are on an 18” center and each plant is next to a 7 foot tall, wooden stake. The stakes, keep the plants from touching the ground and serve to trellis them for easy picking. Bottom leaves are removed so that no leaves touch the ground and each tomato has its own fan drip emitter set to give it 4 gallons an hour.
Photo courtesy of the Jenkins
They fertilize the tomatoes, but much of the fertility comes from the soil those plants are planted in. Before the hoop houses are built, the ground where the hoop houses will sit is planted with an annual rye grass The grass is mowed to keep it from going to seed and chickens are placed to pasture on it. After a few months, the chickens are moved and the rye grass and chicken manure are tilled into the soil. Then, it is time to build the hoop house over the prepared, fertile soil. Currently, the family moves the hoop houses over the soil each season, but eventually they hope to have 3 hoop houses built to leave in place and then they can rotate the crops and the cover crops through them.
The Jenkins also plant marigolds to deter pests in the greenhouses and although they are not sure how effective they were, they figured it couldn’t hurt. They planted a special nematode deterring marigold and practically had to stake them as well because they got so tall. Other problems, outside the hoop houses such as squash bugs, are dealt with by using a shop vac.
The biggest problem with the hoop houses is not cold, but heat. The houses heat up quickly during the day and need to be monitored and sides lifted to cool things off. In their small green house, shelves hold the 2,500-3,000 starts that include tomatoes, peppers, and many other veggies. They plant the earliest varieties in the hoop houses, with the shortest days to ripen to have them ready in July. Early Girl, Early Wonder, Oregon Spring are a few of these. These aren’t the only tomatoes they plant. About 800 other tomatoes go outside a month later. They use much the same process of 7 foot high wooden stakes and drip irrigation. Their beds are 42” wide total. 30 of those inches are for the plants and 12” are for the paths. These tomatoes include favorites such as Celebrity, Big Beef, Caspian Pink and Cleona Pink. They try to grow what people want, which tends to be big red juicy tomatoes and some heirlooms. Heirlooms take a lot longer though, so they vary what they grow to have tomatoes available throughout the season.
Photo courtesy of the Jenkins
How are the tomatoes pollinated inside the hoop houses since tomatoes are normally pollinated by wind and movement? Well, the kids are always on the move in the hoop houses and when hoeing needs to be done, pruning, trellising, the tomatoes get moved. Wind does blow through the hoop houses too, when the sides are opened up for ventilation. The tomatoes are also thinned to 4 stems, so the family can get through them to harvest them.
The Jenkins also grow peppers. They start them in the cool garage. Elaine figured out that by using an electric blanket and covering it with thin plastic she could place the pepper on it to heat up the pots. Then, she places lights over the top and the lights and blanket are on all day. At night, she turns the lights off and folds the blanket up over the lights keeping the peppers inside a warm, electric blanket. The peppers thrive.
They also grow cool season vegetables in the hoop houses when the tomatoes are not in there or now in their extra hoop house. Spinach will go all winter if planted in September and covered with row cover for extra warmth. Peas, greens, and other cool season vegetables do well in there too. The hoop house extend the season here, adding a few months to each end.
The Jenkins are not only creative about the way they plant their crops, but they are also creative in the way they pick and harvest. Picking beans can be a tedious task, but when Elaine reads to the kids, the kids listen and pick for hours. The kids get to plant, build, weed and to eat all the wonderful food out of the garden. Everything, not eaten or sold, is canned or dried. Even things like potatoes and dry beans, which I had never seen canned. They dry pears, apples, plums and even make raisins. Grape juice is made too. And, don’t forget the amazing pies they make and sell. We were lucky enough to sample the peach, apple, blackberry, huckleberry, pumpkin and I am probably forgetting some. I heard the intern from their farm ask Elaine if she could teach her how to make pies. I could only imagine all you’d learn as an intern there.
Ariel Agenbroad, a University of Idaho small farms educator in Canyon County, said that she’d always wondered, since they already have ten kids, if the Jenkins would notice if she quietly moved in. Ariel would love to join the family. Me too.
The books they recommend are Eliot Coleman’s books on extending the season and How to Grow More Veggies by John Jeavons.
The Jenkins have a website: http://www.producebythejenkinsclan.com
Check out the photographs of their garden!!!
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Melissa Frazier received her Horticulture degree ten years ago and since then has been passionate about growing food and learning new ways to do so. Â She has worked in greenhouses, on a farm, a school, community gardens and continues to seek innovative ways to grow food and share her passion with others. |
