Greenhouse tomatoes have gotten a well deserved reputation for mealiness and lack of taste. The greenhouse tomatoes in Bulgaria don’t taste that way. They are grown in the ground rather than in pots. This inspired me to try the same thing in my greenhouse. A raised bed has been built inside the greenhouse. The plants have been started and are almost ready to go into the ground. Fluorescent lights have been installed on chains so they can be moved up as the tomatoes grow.
The lights are also on a timer. The ideal time of daylight needed is 18 hours per day. There will also be cucumbers and basil in the raised bed. A special variety of cucumber is being used that were bred specifically to be grown in greenhouses. They are long skinny things with bumps instead of spines. The arugula and mesclun are doing well in the garden. They do not normally freeze. The weather people are calling for a very cold winter this year. A tunnel might be needed for the worst nights. Since the plants are in raised beds, that should be fairly easy to install.
Year round salads from the garden are a major goal in our house. Grocery store stuff is ok; but not as satisfying as the things from the yard. We did not get a single tomato from the hanging vine; because the deer ate them. The vine has recovered pretty well so it will be moved to the greenhouse.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label greenhouse; winter salad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greenhouse; winter salad. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Greenhouse
Greenhouse
I got my greenhouse ready to use last week. It is not finished, just ready to use. I still had one wall to complete. That was the wall with the door. I bought a storm door; but I could not figure out how to install it. My son is coming home with the grandchildren this week so maybe he can figure it out. I did finish the rest of the wall; but I have not painted it. I used some expandable foam from a spray can to seal all of the cracks. This is the first time I have ever used that stuff. For those of you with experience you may think I have a little bit of “overfill”. I do.
The 24th and 25th, Christmas eve and Christmas day, the signs were right to plant seed beds and root crops according to Blums http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ . I looked at the seed packets and determined when to plant the different items. I planted cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chives. I might should not admit this… I did plant 5 tomato plants. I intend to put them into larger containers and have early tomatoes. It might work.
In the garden I planted potatoes, onion sets and radishes. In our climate, especially with global warming, radishes and onions grow year round and with some arugula, spinach, and lettuce, which also grow year round we can have some winter salads from the garden for a special treat.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
I got my greenhouse ready to use last week. It is not finished, just ready to use. I still had one wall to complete. That was the wall with the door. I bought a storm door; but I could not figure out how to install it. My son is coming home with the grandchildren this week so maybe he can figure it out. I did finish the rest of the wall; but I have not painted it. I used some expandable foam from a spray can to seal all of the cracks. This is the first time I have ever used that stuff. For those of you with experience you may think I have a little bit of “overfill”. I do.
The 24th and 25th, Christmas eve and Christmas day, the signs were right to plant seed beds and root crops according to Blums http://www.blumsalmanac.com/ . I looked at the seed packets and determined when to plant the different items. I planted cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chives. I might should not admit this… I did plant 5 tomato plants. I intend to put them into larger containers and have early tomatoes. It might work.
In the garden I planted potatoes, onion sets and radishes. In our climate, especially with global warming, radishes and onions grow year round and with some arugula, spinach, and lettuce, which also grow year round we can have some winter salads from the garden for a special treat.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/.
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