Veggies for the winter greenhouse

Hi, I'm new to Dave's Garden and have learned so much from reading posts. We are just finishing an 8x12 attached greenhouse and I want to order seeds. I'm hoping to grow salad greens all winter in raised beds. I'd also like to try taking tomatoes and cukes through as much of the winter months as possible. A heat run from the house goes into the greenhouse and I'm hoping I'll be able to grow some of the cold/low light tolerant tomatoes in the warmer areas. I have the Stokes catalogue, which features some greenhouse varieties. Can anybody recommend a really good tasting greenhouse tomato? For greens, I like leaf lettuce -- especially the reds -- and spinach. Any favorites?

The other thing I hope to grow all winter is a trellis full of sweet peas -- the flower, not the veggie. Has anybody tried this? I'm thinking I'll get these from Stokes, too. I have tried Thompson and Morgan in the past because of all the varieties they have, but never had much luck with germination.

I'm so excited about getting my dream greenhouse at last. I used to be a very active gardener, but got too busy and gave it up for a number of years. Now I'm in mid mid-sixties and have a veggie garden again. I'll be starting my own seedlings this spring. I want to grow some unusual things you can't buy in the stores. Our son is coming tonight to help my husband put in the roof glass panels. I'll try to post some pictures if I can figure out how to do it. I'm excited to join this great group of greenhouse experts. I hope you won't mind all of my questions. Thanks for any advice you can give me!

MJ

Welcome to the forum MJ :) I am still in the ranks of "dreaming about a greenhouse) My favorite greens for salad are Black seeded simpson, Deers tongue. buttercrunch..I like some of the oak leaved lettuces and I must have arugula for it's peppery spicy flavor

Fascinating...
No more replies here that the other place.
See my other post. Also, check out Shane Smith's book, Greenhouse Gardeners Companion for lots of specific GH vegetable varieties.
SB

Thanks, Jazzpunkin. I just added some oak leaf lettuce and arugula to my seed order.

Hi, Stressbaby. I just answered your post over at the other board. I thought there would be a lot more people here, but maybe they're all out in the garden! I have Shane Smith's book and took a lot of his suggestions. I ended up ordering everything from Cook's Garden, though, because they seem more interested in the flavor of veggies than shelf life and other factors.

As far as the greenhouse progress goes, the glass is all on and the automatic vent openers are working fine. My husband put in a brick aisle down the center and is filling up the 2' tall raised bed, so it smells great in the greenhouse already.

MJ

Nice! I hope that you will post pictures soon so I can drool!

Re good tasting greenhouse tomatoes, -I haven't found any that I would call good tasting, --I use Miracle Sweet , and Goliath

Michaelp, they gotta be better than the ones we find at the grocery stores that have been picked green and shipped cross-country and bruised LOL.
Do the Miracle Sweet and Goliath do ok in the greenhouse without pollination ? I also am looking for tomatoes I can grow thru our winters. I did find a variety of cucumbers that grows without pollination. I got them from Johnny's Seeds, they were expensive, 10.95 for 8 seeds, plus shipping of 4.95. Guess I could have bought a lot of cucumbers for that at the grocery store, but you know how we gardeners are..........crazy to grow stuff. I planted 1 of the seeds and now have a fledgling cucumber plant. For what it cost me, I baby it like a mother hen.

Peggie.. It's easy to pollinate your tomatoes.. just go through and give them a shake once a day..then you can buy more reasonably priced tomatoes

MJ....WELCOME TO DG!

Congrats on getting your dreamgreen-house! You'll love it!

Good lettuces for you might be "Winter Marvel" (which is hardy to 18 degrees!) and you can grow it in the cooler section of your ghouse (on the floor?) and allow other plants to have the warmer sections. (Or you could grow it in a coldframe easily, too!) I also like Tom Thumb, a mini-head lettuce.

Tomatoes may need extra lighting in your wintertime g-house but that can be accomplished for a while with standard shop lights. Peppers are actually perennials so you may have some luck growing some of those also!

Perhaps a lot of your choices will have to be decided on according to how much heat you will have in there.

Hope you have lots of fun (I have an idea you will!).

PeggieK..."Little Leaf" cucumber doesn't require pollination (the term is parthenocarpic) and the seeds are most likely not as expensive as some of the other types. What kind did you buy? Just curious.

Thank you all for the much appreciated tips............I'm kinda green at this and need all the help I can get.

Horseshoe, I got " Tyria F1 , Hybrid, Long Greenhouse" cucumbers from Johnny's Seeds. they are 56 days.

Thanks, PegK....

Hope you check back in and let us know how they do!

Shoe

I think All tomatoes need to be shaken or pollinated with a hand pollinator in the greenhouse. Goliath and Miracle sweet do just as well for me in the greenhouse. I have stoped buying "greenhouse Tomato"seed. they die from disease early and have bland flavor.
Re expensive Cuc. seed, --when you prune your vines plant the shoots they will grow you more vines, and the price is right, --Michael

Thanks everybody for great suggestions. I have started lettuce and other greens and have them in flats outside under a tree until I can keep the greenhouse temps from spiking so high. Wish I had taken cutting from my best grape tomato earlier this summer. I have a couple of cuttings, but they don't look like they'll make it. Never thought of trying cuttings from cukes, but mine has been hit so bad by powdery mildew, it's probably better not to put it into the greenhouse.

I've planted some broccoli -- Indian Summer -- which is supposed to produce a lot of side shoots. Do any of you in northern climates (I'm zone 6) grow broccoli through the winter?

BTW, how do you get your zone to show up with your name and address?

MJ

Wow Michaelp, thanks for the tip on the expensive cucumber cuttings.
That's a great idea. I never knew you could root cukes from cuttings. I am learning so much from DG. There may be hope for me after all LOL.

So............... since tomatoes can be polinated inside the greenhouse by shaking them or blowing pollen w/ a fan, does that mean I could use just about any variety...........even tho it's not a parthenocarpic variety, so long as it's tolerant of cooler temps in greenhouse at night ?

Thanks for the email and extra information. Where can I order the Goliath and Miracle Sweet seeds ? I think I'd like to try them just for fun.

PeggieK

"Totally Tomatoes" has Goliath and Miracle Sweet seed, The other thing to consider is light and heat requirements when choosing a variety.I have Grown both of these farther north than you, so-- as long as you can keep the min night temp between 50 and 55 and have a 15 deg warmer day temp these will do well for you, and set fruit.

Thanks Michaelp, Does Totally Tomatoes have a website?

PeggieK

www.totallytomato.com

Welcome MJ, I haven't had time much lately for DG, And i still haven't gotten my plants moved inside. Yesterday my just over hot water heater developed a leak and had to have that replaced.

MJ and others how do you keep your tomato and cuke plants in the gh from being overrun with white flies. I tried to grow them in my gh at the other place and finally just gave because of the darn whiteflies. Think I will try again this year and thanks Michaelp for the idea of taking cucumber cuttings. Never thought to try that. I have a couple of small eggplants that for some reason just never did do well in my raised garden bed outside, so am going to try transplanting put in the gh.

Also a couple of volunteer tom. plants, I'm pretty sure they are Sungolds. And maybe if I get myself in gear a small pepper plant can be transplanted.

Must go outside and start moving plants inside. DonnaS

Also try the parent Co. -- www.hpsseed.com --tomatoes and peppers --etc. -- michael

I, too, would like help with whitefly control. I had trouble last year, and I can already see trouble this year with the whiteflies on toms.

SB

I don't know a real good way to get rid of White fly, --I spray the plants with water to knock them off, it helps a little, and bug spray helps but it is hard to get under the leaves where they are hideing--good luck.

I want to bring one tomato grown from a cutting and a couple of fairly big potted tomatoes into the greenhouse. What should I do to them to make sure I'm not bringing in bugs with the plants? There's a small banana pepper plant in the garden that I'd like pot up and bring in, too.

MJ

I've found Eliot Coleman's book, "Four Seasons Harvest" very helpful in understanding what is needed for growth and/or maintenance in winter GH growing. Another book is Anna Ebey's "Solviva"

Most of us get enough light for growth about 10 mo/ year. The temps can be quite low. I think Coleman keeps his in the 40's!! Keeping a plant alive and growing a plant are two different things.

Hopefully helpful,

Sandi K