Scheduling Your Greenhouse Planting

Scheduling growing cycles for a greenhouse will obviously vary depending on your climate. Although there are four seasons there are basically 2 growing seasons, warm and cold.

For the healthiest harvest, the trick is to think ahead. Sitting down with a calendar and planning each of your crops in advance can be frustrating. You can be sure that taking the time to plan will pay great dividends.

On your calendar, work backwards. If your climate allows you to plant a seedling outdoors in early June count the days from sowing to your transplant date. This is when you will want to begin sowing your seeds. Transplanting fruits and vegetables can be difficult if the plant is too mature. Be sure your timing is geared to your climate. Plants can go into shock when they are transplanted. You could keep your plant in a greenhouse for it’s entire life but during the hot summer months, unless you plan to cool your greenhouse, it can become too hot.

Are you itching to begin no matter what the weather? You can always plant directly into a permanent container. When the time comes to move outside, take the entire pot and harden in a cold frame. You can also turn the pot itself into a cold frame by constructing a temporary frame over it and covering with plastic. Your plant should remain in its container even after you expose it to the outside air. 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. If you absolutely can’t wait, choose anything with a smaller root structure and plant early in pots or other containers. If you choose to plant directly into the ground, begin your seeds in your garden greenhouse timing them so you can transplant at just the right time.

Plants will be healthier if you harden them between the greenhouse and the outdoors. A cold frame is the ideal way to do this. For your most delicate plants, hardening is a necessity.

You can garden year round in a greenhouse but it’s important to consider the types of plants you’ll grow during various seasons.

Tomato plants are a good example. If you want to grow tomatoes during the cold winter months, you will need to keep the temperature above 50 degrees F (10C) or the flowers will not set. It can be cost prohibitive to heat your greenhouse to this temperature if you live in an extremely cold climate. You also cannot skimp on light. Tomatoes need a great deal of bright light and a winter greenhouse can not generate sufficient brightness on it’s own.

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 have to decide if growing tomatoes during the “off season” is worth the added expense. 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. In some climates, you may be able to use your greenhouse all year with only the addition of a bit of heat at night. 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.

Hot season or cold, you can use your greenhouse all year ’round.