How To Grow Vegetables – The Autumn Greenhouse



Posted: Monday, October 11, 2010

by Mark Bartley

Even the smallest of greenhouses offers the ideal opportunity to get started growing vegetables for spring planting and for enjoying your own vegetables during the winter. However, unless your greenhouse is heated, remember that delicate plants may still be at risk if you have a particularly cold snap in the winter months. Small greenhouse heaters only cost a few pounds and can make all the difference though, protecting your young plants against the effects of the cold.

Start your winter crops early. Autumn in the greenhouse is the perfect place to give your winter vegetable crops a head start. Rather than risking young plants getting nipped by the first frost, you can bring on your plants in the greenhouse to a good size before planting them out in the open. Once your plants are ready for transplanting, you can continue to give them an added layer of protection by using cloches or polytunnels to keep them protected. A few handfuls of straw around young seedlings will also stop the top layer of soil from freezing and potentially damaging your plants at the base.

Most gardeners are very keep to get on with the planting, but with greenhouses a careful cleaning is an important first step. Warm soapy water, with added disinfectant is all it takes but make sure you allow it to dry thoroughly. This will help keep the environment bug-free and give your vegetables a better start. Trial and error is one of the joys of home vegetable growing, so what you decide to grow in your greenhouse will depend on the space you have and what you want to achieve. The floor space can be utilised by using containers to grow kitchen vegetables , winter lettuce is one favourite. You can also use pots to experiment with winter root vegetables such as parsnips and carrots, but beware of overcrowding your pots with too many plants.

Starting crops from pre-sown modules gives you a head start. The most practical use for a greenhouse in autumn is to mature plants quickly in a frost-free space before transplanting outside. However, don't forget most of the common winter vegetables will fare perfectly well outdoors, so plan your autumn/winter growing schedule carefully to make the best use of the facilities you have.

Cold damp conditions can be the undoing of some greenhouse growing attempts, so ensure that your greenhouse is well ventilated and dry to prevent young vegetable plants from coming under attack from mildew and black mould.

Vegetable growing is a hobby that can be enjoyed all year round. If you have the advantage of a greenhouse, this will just extend the opportunities available to you to produce great tasting vegetables almost continuously. Make the most of your greenhouse and you can have winter vegetable ready for eating a whole 8 weeks earlier than your outdoor-growing neighbours. Also if the weather is a little cold and wet it makes a great spot to stay in some shelter and still stay on top of all your gardening jobs!

Mark has written several articles about the joys of growing vegetables at home. His expert option has convinced hundreds of people to try growing their own fruit and vegetables.
Mark Bartley is a well respected writer on consumer affairs and a customer champion. He has experience in several industries including travel, finance, retail and leisure. He seeks to provide useful information from an unbiased viewpoint and helps people understand complicated market areas and find the best deals or services available.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Jennifer Stewart
 1 year 220 days ago.
153 fans.
Summer is just beginning here. Where I rent is a patch of garden that I can do whatever I want with. You've inspired me!
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