We finally settled on a six-light fi xture, 4
feet long and 18 inches wide. Th e fl uorescent
tubes are T5 daylight (6,400K), which is very
close to natural sunlight (5,000 lumens per
lamp equals 30,000 lumens). This still doesn’t
mean much to me, but if you copy the descrip
tion and take it to a greenhouse supplier, the
people there will nod wisely and sell you the
exact same unit.
If the garden were just for our private use,
it would be easy to look forward to cleaning
out the beds, testing the soil, adding nutrients
and compost, doing other chores, and then having a well-deserved rest. However,
if one has committed 50 percent of the crop to neighbors and food banks, those
folk don’t stop eating when the season begins to slow down. It was because of this
special use (very dear to my heart from the get-go) that I did some detailed home
work on how to use my small greenhouse to the max—not just to get a head start
on the short growing season but also to learn how to extend the season through
the fall and into the winter.46 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE