Author Topic: Early and Late crops under glass  (Read 4025 times)

davee65uk

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Early and Late crops under glass
« on: August 22, 2018, 16:44:59 »
For the last few weeks I have grown crops earlier in the year and then extended the growing season by using my greenhouses. Examples are growing early French Beans and also growing the same crop, sowing in September and getting a crop in October/November.
These are unheated greenhouses in the Midlands (of England) I also grow lettuce all the year round and have recently grown a very quick crop of radish, which if grown outside would have immediatly bolted.
Does anybody have any other suggestions of crops to grow ?

galina

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2018, 06:55:49 »
Turnips, especially if you like eating the tops as greens as it depends on the weather whether you get fully formed turnips or lush greenery in early spring.  Milan Purple Top is my favourite for late sowing, but there are other fast growing ones, which I haven't tried yet.  Black winter radish (eat like turnip or grated in salad)  and also rocket.  None of these actually need a greenhouse, I grow them under fleece and we are in a cold part of the country. 

In the greenhouse all the orientals,  carrots (sow October, ready April), coriander, lamb's lettuce.  Another salad crop is endive, especially broad leafed endive, like Cornet de Bordeaux, which isn't as bitter as others.

Good luck  :wave:

« Last Edit: August 23, 2018, 06:58:11 by galina »

saddad

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2018, 07:29:07 »
Florence Fennel... If you like it.. put a line in this time last year.. best I've ever managed.. cut it and it regrew had two crops of bulbs, unlimited leaf and only now is it bolting.

davee65uk

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2018, 15:10:37 »
Thanks for the suggestions. I may try carrots - also known as "Badger food" round our plots. This can't be grown outside as it gets eaten and also the card clay soil causes forking, but in a greenhouse you have more control.

Over this very hot Summer I have been able to grow things like lettuce and radish in the greenhouse but not outside. This was because I could shade the 'house so small lettuce did not get burnt up.

BockingWill

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2018, 07:23:40 »
Which carrots and lettuce do you recommend for growing in an unheated greenhouse over winter?

cambourne7

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2018, 11:08:15 »
I have carrots in the greenhouse no idea what type but there a rainbow mix and doing quite well, went in about 6 weeks ago.

My daughter and i have an experiament which has been moved into the greenhouse in that we have planted some sweet potatoes (yes i know its to late) and avacado stones. Were looking at the life cycle of crops and she wanted to see what happened to plants which had been finished (avacados) and which had gone over (sweet potatos) the slips of the sweet potatoes were far better than anything i had bought we have maybe 10 planted and another 10 rooting in kitchen from 5 plants there stil growing some shoots so she will not let me throw them out as yet.

Once the tomatoes are done however i am also looking at what crops to put in the space they are taking up. Did wonder if as its unheated would onions work? and what about early peas?

Jeannine

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2019, 05:23:13 »
I am still pulling carrots from last year in my greenhouse I only maybe have half a dozen left but they have made it. My climate here is much the same as on the East Coast of England, except I may have an extra couple of weeks  in the spring, except on the occasional years when we all start to wear shorts then wake up to snow..they say it happens 1 in 7 years. My favorite carrots are Mokum.
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

Vinlander

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Re: Early and Late crops under glass
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2019, 12:51:54 »
I use my tunnel mainly for peppers, aubergines & tomatoes but that means it is used less and less from October to now - when I will put in a self-fertile courgette - and there are a few other catch crops that will stay until I finish this years planting inside - that's usually early June.

My most useful catch crop was leftover brassica plants from the spring '18 transplanting - they went in in October '18 as bonsais and just went crazy - I was picking kale all winter with no bird problem and got an brilliant early crop of calabrese.

Cheers.
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

 

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