Tip 8: Planting Guide

Planting Guide – Greenhouse Growing

Some of our customers when starting out can feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to deciding what to grow and how to grow it. So we’ve come up with a guide to the planting requirements of the most popular fruit and vegetables within your greenhouse.

If you’re growing carrots, beets, turnips and other root crops, they thrive well in deep boxes which can be put under benches. Those that require tub-type containers are tomatoes, peas, cucumbers and pole beans, while lettuce or other low leafy vegetables may be planted in the tub with the taller vegetables.

You can plant corn directly on the floor of the greenhouse, in a special bed prepared for it. To save space, you can plant pumpkin between the rows of corn.

Use room temperature water to water your indoor plants. Let tap water stand for a day to get rid of the chlorine substance. This way you avoid your plants getting brown tips.

Distribute crushed egg shells in your garden to stimulate growth. Sprinkling coffee grounds will add acid to the greenhouse ground.

Before bringing vegetables and fruits from the greenhouse to your house, rinse them well outside; this way dirt and bugs stay outside and will not make your kitchen dirty.

To make more room in your greenhouse, use lower benches for starting seeds and transplants; upper benches for growing flowers and specimen plants. Some vegetables, like tomatoes, should be planted in a warm section of the greenhouse.

Regarding planting of seeds be sure to water lightly for the first few times. Over watering may cause the seeds to come to the surface too soon, preventing them from rooting properly.

Preparation and production must be done in separate areas. Don’t do general preparation on the growing floor. This makes for a tidier greenhouse.

Here is a list of the largest vegetables that will need the most spacing in your greenhouse:

• Bush type beans: minimum of five feet between rows
• Cabbage: a foot between rows
• Peppers: about a foot between rows
• Cantaloupes: two to three feet between rows
• Squash: two to three feet between rows
• Tomatoes and Watermelons: minimum of two feet between rows