For most allotment gardeners, growing vegetables in a greenhouse for self-sufficiency has now become a matter of course. The yields no longer depend on the weather and are usually higher than in the open field. And: Growing it yourself is fun and saves a lot of money.
How do you grow vegetables in a greenhouse?
Growing vegetables in a greenhouse enables three harvests per year: spring crops such as lettuces and kohlrabi, summer crops such as peppers and tomatoes, and winter crops such as spinach and radishes. Observe alternating crop rotations and balanced intercropping to ensure a he althy harvest.
The simple and inexpensivesmall foil greenhouses are excellent for growing vegetables in a greenhouse, even though they are usually not even heated. Proper ventilation (€83.00 at Amazon) as well as air and soil thermometers are enough to successfully grow all types of vegetables common in our latitudes.
Benefits of vegetables in the greenhouse
The fact that home-grown vegetables taste better than those from the supermarket shelf is due to the fact that they are harvested when fully ripe and do not lose their characteristic flavors and vital vitamins through long transport routes and weeks of storage. With prices for many types of vegetables constantly rising, growing your own on the side actually brings a noticeable reduction in the burden on your household budget.
Three harvests a year with our own vegetable cultivation
At least, still needs to be added, both in heated and unheated greenhouses, if you know about and use the optimal crop rotations. We knowin principle three types that have proven themselves over many years in Central European latitudes:
- Spring crops: ice cream, cut and head lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi and radishes;
- Summer crops: peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, hot peppers, beans and eggplants;
- Winter crops: cress, spoonwort, spinach, endive, cabbage and radishes;
If there is a heating system, spring planting of vegetables in the greenhouse can begin from mid-February, and in the cold house from the beginning of March.
Changing crop rotation ensures variety
As in the field, both crop and crop rotation should also be taken into account. The different plant families do not put unnecessary strain on the greenhouse soil and protect the vegetable plants from pest invasions and diseases. If you don't want the main crops to be in the same place every year, it's best to divide the greenhouse into different plots in which the vegetable plants will move with each new growth. The targeted creation of mixed cultures has also proven successful.
Mixed cultivation of vegetables in the greenhouse
This refers to the planting of different types of vegetables on a bed, either in rows or groups. With good neighbors the available space can be used better and those who are particularly clever will even increase their harvest yields with suitable helper plants.
Tip
The owners of smaller greenhouses in particular often tend to plant very closely in order to actually use every spot. Understandable, but it must be taken into account that vegetables are isolated in the greenhouse, grow relatively quickly in short time intervals and the air circulation that occurs in nature is missing. It is therefore better to allow slightly larger planting distances in order to counteract harmful heat build-up in summer.
