Scheduling Your Greenhouse Planting
Scheduling growing cycles for a greenhouse will obviously vary depending on your climate. No matter where you live, you will have two main growing seasons, a cool season and a warm season.
Scheduling your planting is necessary for the most abundant harvests. It can be difficult to plan for months in the future when all you want to do it get started. To enjoy the most abundant crops however, you must think ahead.
On your calendar, work backwards. If you can plant a specific type of plant outdoors in May count how many days will it take from seed to a transplantable size. There will be a window of time wherein if you stagger the sowing of your seeds, you will be able to transplant days or even a couple of weeks apart in order to lengthen your harvest. Transplanting fruits and vegetables can be difficult if the plant is too mature. Be sure your timing is geared to your climate. The shock of transplanting can damage the plant beyond repair, or at the very least stunt its ability to produce. Your hard work can go to waste if you don’t preplan.
If you absolutely must begin early, if your spring fever is too strong, you can begin your seeds in a large pot or bin. When the time comes to move outside, take the entire pot and harden in a cold frame. If you don’t have a cold frame, use the container the plant is in. Simply tent it with clear plastic, being careful to not let the the plastic come in contact with the delicate leaves of the seedlings. Once your plant has gotten used to the temperature simply expose your plant to the great outdoors. You don’t want to harm your plant after all the care you have given it to this point. The less you move it, the better.
Choose vegetables, fruits and ornamentals that will do well in pots from seed to harvest. Small plants, or plants that adapt well to containers are the best ones to choose if you begin planting early. For those, like me, who lack patience planting in large bins is an option as long as you choose carefully. You will probably choose to transplant most of your seedlings directly into the ground. In that case, your timing is very important. Begin sowing in your garden green house after you have detemined how many days til your transplate date.
You should transition your plants gradually from the safety and warmth of their greenhouse to the outside air. If you have a cold frame, now is the time to use it. If you don’t have a cold frame you can easily construct a makeshift one out of cement block or boards, and cover with a sheet of clear plastic.
If you want to keep your greenhouse going during the coldest winter months, it is important to consider temperature cycles and needs of your plants.
Take Tomatoes as an example. If you opt for summer fruiting plants in your winter greenhouse you will need to keep the temperature high enough to set the flowers. You will have to add a source of heat which, depending on your climate and time of year, can be expensive. Tomatoes also need strong light so depending on how your greenhouse is situated, you will need the addition of artificial light.
It can be less expensive to operate patio greenhouses than stand-alone home greenhouses because only three sides will be exposed to the outside air.
You might think twice about growing summer plants during the winter months. You may decide to opt for crops that are more suited to the cold. Plant any of a variety of lettuces, root vegetables such as carrots and radishes or onions. Depending on your climate, you may not have to warm your greenhouse at all. In the very coldest climates, your winter greenhouse can be kept warm with a heater to as low at 30 degrees F as long as you choose cool weather crops.
Planned with care, your greenhouse can be used all year.