Growing plants in a greenhouse is an excellent option for the small organic grower. Because the growing area is enclosed, it's possible to manage soil, water and potential pests much more closely than in the outside garden.
Because they are protected from excessive rain and wind, and therefore nutrient leaching and plant damage, greenhouse plants are likely to be healthy and productive.
I currently have carrots, beets, and bunching onions in raised beds in my greenhouse. These crops will stay there until harvest in June. I have also started broccoli and cabbage seeds; these seedlings will be transplanted to the outdoor garden in mid-April. The hardy broccoli and cabbage seedlings will be able to survive with just row cover protecting them at that time.
One of the secrets to successfully growing plants in a greenhouse is to prepare your beds properly. Here's how I do it to ensure a good crop and reduce future work.
Once the early crops are harvested or transplanted, you can add some compost to the beds and plant later crops. For example, when my broccoli and cabbage seedlings are transplanted to the outdoor garden in April, I can replant those beds with tomato, pepper and cucumber transplants that I grew in my (smaller) heated greenhouse.
Depending on the crop, the 'workflow' of plants might be from heated greenhouse to unheated high tunnel, or heated greenhouse to the outdoor garden, or unheated high tunnel to the outdoor garden. The secret to efficient growing is to figure out the sequence that works best in your circumstances, for each crop.
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