Preparing the Vegetable Greenhouse Beds for Planting
My vegetable greenhouse is ready for the next season of indoor growing.
Now that fall has officially arrived, attention is directed toward preparing my vegetable greenhouse for planting - doing this now ensures we will have fresh delicious vegetables through the colder months. I constructed this special greenhouse so I could grow organic vegetables in the ground all year long. The structure, which is essentially a cold house, was inspired by writer, Eliot Coleman, an expert in four-season farming. This week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew worked hard to prepare the soil and amend the beds.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- We spend a good amount of time preparing the soil before planting any seeds. This includes cleaning the beds and adding organic, nutrient-rich compost. Last year, we constructed 16 wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of my vegetable greenhouse. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
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- Brian starts by removing any last remaining crops and weeds out of each box. These raised beds are already filled with good topsoil and composted manure mix. No matter how great the topsoil is, always use compost in the gardens and be sure to add fresh amounts every year.
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- Next, using a garden fork, Brian tills the top six to eight inches of compacted soil.
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- Turning the soil takes some elbow grease, but it is an important process in preparing this cold house for a good growing season. In this greenhouse, I like to grow lettuce greens, root vegetables, bunching onions, and brassicas, plus other vegetables I use to make my delicious green juice.
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- Once the beds are turned, Brian levels the soil with a rake, so they are all tidy. Do you know the difference between raised beds and garden planters? Raised beds do not have bottoms; they are open to the ground, which allows plant roots to go further down for available nutrients. It is a great way to plant. Underneath the boxes, there is about two-feet more soil. When I designed this greenhouse, I made sure it was built deep enough for good planting.
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- One box still contained some fresh sorrel. Sorrel is a small edible green plant from the Polygonaceae family, which also includes buckwheat and rhubarb. The leaves have an intense lemony tang.
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- The fresh leaves were cut and brought up to my Winter House. Sorrel is great cooked into soups or stews. Baby sorrel greens can be tossed into mixed salads. And they can be used in place of lemons to make a salad dressing.
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- Sorrel can be grown as a cool-season perennial, so we decided to save the plants. Brian digs up each plant, keeping as much of the root ball and surrounding soil intact to minimize any transplanting stress. Here, one can see the plant’s roots.
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- These sorrel plants will be transferred to a cold frame outside my main greenhouse.
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- Next, I instructed the crew make sure there was about two inches of space to add a layer of fresh nutrient-rich compost-based potting mix. Phurba removes some of the soil from each box.
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- Here, one can see that the bed now has two-inches of space to add the new top layer of potting mix. Phurba levels each bed with a rake.
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- I am so happy with these raised beds. By raising the soil level, raised garden beds can also be easier to maintain – they help reduce back strain when bending over to tend the bed – just be certain the bed is narrow enough so all areas can be reached without stepping on the soil.
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- This year, I decided to use compost-based potting soil mix from the Vermont Compost Company in Montpelier, Vermont. This soil is specifically developed for organic gardening. It is a germination and growing mix often used for soil blocks – this is a two yard sling of Fort Vee potting mix.
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- Dawa scoops the potting mix into one of my Multi-Purpose Heavy-Duty Garden Tote Bags – available on Amazon. These bags can hold more than 900-pounds – the crew uses them every day around the farm.
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- And then the bag is hand carried into the greenhouse and emptied onto each bed. The compost mix is very dark and fine. It is a blend of composted manure and plant materials.
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- Phurba uses a hard lawn rake to spread the blocking soil evenly across the bed.
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- Each bed is filled almost to the top with this new potting mix. Brian does this very carefully, so none of it spills onto the gravel-topped footpaths.
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- Phurba uses a soft lawn and garden rake to tidy up the top layer and give it a finished look.
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- All the boxes are now filled with nutrient-rich compost-based potting mix. I can’t wait to see how it does for all our vegetables this season.
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- Next, they are moistened with an even, fine spray to settle the soil. This allows the soil to stabilize. More soil is added to “top it off”. Over time the soil will settle an inch or two more and should be amended.
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- And finally, Ryan sprinkles a 9-2-7 fertilizer specifically for raised beds.
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- Here is another look at the finished beds. I will select the seeds myself and decide what is planted where. I am looking forward to this next indoor growing season.
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