By: Bill Rowe
Tuesday, 10:25 am
We all enjoy fresh vegetables year round but most of us have to go to the produce department of the local supermarket to obtain them. Then, unless they are marketed as organic produce, we have no idea what the produce has been exposed to such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers. One of the best ways to assure the safety of the produce you consume is to grow it yourself.
Think Ahead When Considering Greenhouses Plants
Before you start your greenhouse plants you need to make a growing plan. Are you going to be simply starting the greenhouses plants for future outdoor placement or are you going to be growing the produce entirely within the confines of your greenhouse? Your growth plan and the size of your greenhouse have a direct effect on the produce you will be able to grow.
Once you have your greenhouse assembled and everything ready to go, you need to decide what you want to grow in your greenhouse. If you are using your greenhouse to start plants for later transplant, the sky is the limit as to what types of produce, flowers and herbs you can plants. In areas with short growing seasons greenhouse plants normally include those sorts of produce that take a longer time to mature than the growing seasons allows. In other words, in an area that allows for an 80 day growing season, it is recommended to start corn and other veggies that have over 80 day maturity periods. Corn, pumpkin and winter squash are all slow to mature so are great choices for starting in a greenhouse.
If you intend to use your greenhouse to produce a year-round food supply you will need to carefully plan for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter in order to maintain the greenhouses plants at proper growing temperatures. For year round fruit and veggie production some of the easiest and best plants are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, spinach and beans. You can realistically expect to have salad and greens as well as many vegetables available year round when growing greenhouse plants.
Root crop plants such as turnips, beets, carrots, onions and garlic are perfect for deep dirt boxes placed under growing benches. For pole beans, peas, cucumbers and tomatoes, use tub containers. Leafy low growing vegetables like lettuce and radishes should be planted along side tall vegetables in the tub containers. For the best crop of corn you have ever grown, plant your corn seed in a prepared bed on the floor of the greenhouse. A good way to save space is to plant pumpkin and squash among the corn.
Be sure to include plenty of herbs in the ranks of your greenhouses plants; they are natural insecticides. One suggestion for making your own organic insecticide spray is to add garlic and onions to a jar filled with water and let stand for 7 days. Spraying your plants with onion/garlic water protects them from insects.
Your greenhouse will not only be a food source for your family but it will be a great source of enjoyment for all who enter its walls.
