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.

For the healthiest harvest, the trick is to think ahead. It can be difficult to think about May when there is snow falling all around you or think about December when you are working under the blazing summer sun. 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. Use this as your guide to 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. If transplanted incorrectly or at the wrong time plants can go into shock from which they may not recover. 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.

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. Your container can become a cold frame just by covering it with any transparent material. After it’s acclimated to the cooler temperature, remove the cover or take it out of the cold frame but keep it in the pot. If you attempt to transplant a large plant, it may not be able to withstand the shock.

You can opt for some plants that will happily thrive in a bin or pot. 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.

It’s always a good idea to harden your plants first. Use a coldframe for the transition. 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. Fruits and vegetables need warm temperatures to set their fruit. It’s possible to grow warm weather plants during cool weather but the temperature must be considered. Depending on how cold your winters, the economics of this may not make sense to your wallet nor for the amount of energy used. Strong light is also a requirement for tomatoes. You will need to add lights and keep them blazing for a minimum of 6 hours each day.

Heating and cooling an attached greenhouse is more efficient than a separate hobby green house. Often you can vent the heat or air directly from the main structure to which it’s attached.

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.

Preplan your crops to the seasons and you will get the most use of your greenhouse and the most abundant harvest.