How To Schedule Your Greenhouse
No matter what your climate, even with the benefits of a greenhouse you will need to observe the growing cycles. No matter where you live, you will have two main growing seasons, a cool season and a warm season.
Planning ahead is important if you expect a bountiful harvest. Sitting down with a calendar and planning each of your crops in advance can be frustrating. 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. When does the soil in your area warm sufficiently that you can plant outdoors? Be sure that your seedlings aren’t too large when the the ground thaws. The shock of transplanting can damage the plant beyond repair, or at the very least stunt its ability to produce. Keeping the plant inside your greenhouse is probably not a good option as the structure will become too warm.
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 they are ready 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. When your plant is ready for the outside temperatures it should remain in it’s container. 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.
You can opt for some plants that will happily thrive in a bin or pot. You can plant most anything in a container, but if the rooting structure is too large your pot will have to be very large. If anyone understands impatience, I do. 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.
You should transition your plants gradually from the safety and warmth of their greenhouse to the outside air. Use a coldframe for the transition. For your most delicate plants, hardening is a necessity.
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. 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. An additional cost will be lights. Tomatoes will not do well without a great deal of bright, direct light.
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.
Growing some fruits and vegetables during the cold weather can be quit expensive. You can choose vegetables that do well in cool climates. This can be lettuce, leeks, carrots, radishes among others. If you live in a temperate zone, you may not have to heat your greenhouse, even during the coldest months. If you have long, very cold below freezing temperatures however, you will have to provide some heat.
Planned with care, your greenhouse can be used all year.



