Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Gardening to 'grow your own food' from square foot to half an acre !!
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Richard
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Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Post by Richard »

Does anyone do any ?

If so what do you do and what's best to grow?

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Spreckly
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Re: Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Post by Spreckly »

OH is trying to grow winter cucumbers in our greenhouse, which has a thermostatically controlled heater. This is an experiment. Otherwise, everything is snugly overwintered in there, fuscias, carnations, chrysanths, and all his many cuttings.
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billnorfolk
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Re: Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Post by billnorfolk »

I think trying to keep a growing temp in a greenhouse through the winter can work out expensive ,its not only heat but maintaining enough light can be another problem ,with the wintertime sun being so low in the sky and the days so short .Moulds on plants would be another problem .I have overwintered lettuce plants that stop growing in the coldest weather ,they have produced lettuce 3 to4 weeks earlier than spring sown seed (hardly worth the effort ).Maybe a milder part of the UK may see some better results.
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Spreckly
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Re: Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Post by Spreckly »

Our greenhouse cucumber plants are not looking too good, so OH is putting them on a heated propagator pad.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Post by lancashire lass »

Spreckly wrote:Our greenhouse cucumber plants are not looking too good, so OH is putting them on a heated propagator pad.


billnorfolk wrote:I think trying to keep a growing temp in a greenhouse through the winter can work out expensive ,its not only heat but maintaining enough light can be another problem ,with the wintertime sun being so low in the sky and the days so short


{hug} I think Bill has hit the nail on the head - light and daylight length are just as important as heat. Cucumbers in particular are fussy at the best of time - as a summer crop, sometimes the intensity of the sun can play a part in bringing on flower development ... I'm not so confident they will do so well here in the UK over winter (I'm sure cucumbers in supermarkets over winter months have come from countries further south where conditions are better suited even if grown in greenhouse/polytunnels.

Bill is also right about the expense of heating and lighting - and I'd also question type of heating ... a heater that gives off fumes (would you eat anything picked off a busy roadside verge?) ...

I did consider winter veg like greens (mustards and winter hardy lettuce) but in a unheated greenhouse. However, I still feel for the home grower that greenhouses are best for extending a season (able to start earlier than outdoor and just warm enough to keep things growing a little longer in autumn) than for winter growing.
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Richard
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Re: Heated Greenhouse Winter Gardening

Post by Richard »

Interesting.

Last year I must have dropped some Beetroot seeds in amongst the Tomatoes. I left them there and lifted them in December - all OK !

I agree, I wouldn't spend out for heating on the cost effectiveness. I think you need to be really into it or the type who likes competition stuff.

Maybe it's better for Flowers and other plants?

Richard
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