greenhouse experiment this year

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al78

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greenhouse experiment this year
« on: January 10, 2021, 18:42 »
Since getting a greenhouse just over a year ago, I have been thinking throughout last year how to take most advantage of it. There must be a way of significantly extending the growing season living in south east England.

I have six small water barrels painted matt black which I will fill with water and place in the greenhouse. These will act as a thermal battery, absorbing solar energy during the day and releasing it at night to moderate the overnight temperature (assuming we stop getting well below average sunshine this winter). I have ordered a small replacement triangular pane to cover a broken one, and have ordered horticultural bubble wrap for insulation, which I will use to line the north side and the east/west sides of the greenhouse (not sure if the south side should be done as well yet). When the first early potatoes arrive I shall chit then plant some of them in one or two bags, placed between the water barrels next month. Around early February I shall top up one if the raised beds with compost and put some carrot seed tape down (Nantes). If we start getting near average sunshine and no more prolonged cold spells, I'm hoping I will get an early crop of carrots and potatoes in the spring.

Come the autumn, I will try sowing some brassicas in the greenhouse to overwinter and produce an early crop the following spring. The Real Seeds website says you can do this with one of their calabrese varieties. I may even try a second Christmas maturing crop of potatoes in bags as well.

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Aidy

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Re: greenhouse experiment this year
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2021, 19:21 »
Interesting.
I was once looking into similar ideas but then decided it was not worth the effort, plus it wont be long when I start to prepare the greenhouse for this coming season
Keep us in the loop how youbget on if you do decide to go ahead with your plans.
Punk isn't dead...it's underground where it belongs. If it comes to the surface it's no longer punk...it's Green Day!

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New shoot

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Re: greenhouse experiment this year
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2021, 19:48 »
I use my greenhouse over the summer for tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and chillies, but in spring and through autumn and winter I grow a lot of other stuff. Fast growing catch crops are ideal and are out of the way in time for the summer stuff and any seedlings I want to raise in there. 

At the moment I have lettuce (last few from an autumn sowing, then more winter mix salads at young plant stage to replace them), oriental greens, some overwintering spinach, parsley and chervil.

The photos are from my diary mid November 2020.  I have been picking at least 1 salad and a couple of servings of greens every week since autumn  :)

The pictures won’t enlarge when you click on them as I have copied them over, but the ones here will if you want to see more detail.

https://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=129333.msg1544343#msg1544343



« Last Edit: January 10, 2021, 19:50 by New shoot »



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