Harvesting from My Vegetable Greenhouse
There are still so many delicious, organic greens ready for picking in my vegetable greenhouse.
This time of year, my gardeners are busy planting our crops in the outdoor vegetable gardens, but it's nice to know there are many fresh, delicious vegetables thriving inside my special vegetable greenhouse located behind my Equipment Barn. We practice succession planting in order to keep the produce coming. This process involves following one crop with another in order to maximize a garden's yield. Yesterday, we picked some wonderful greens to enjoy over the long holiday weekend.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The construction of my vegetable greenhouse in 2008 was inspired by Eliot Coleman, an expert in four-season farming. It uses minimal artificial heat – in fact, most of its energy comes directly from the sun through the giant windows, and it successfully grows a variety of hardy crops.
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- The vegetables always grow so nicely inside this greenhouse. Just look at these beautiful lettuce heads.
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- I always grow lots of lettuce, so I can share them with my daughter and her children. I love fresh lettuce. It’s a real treat to have lettuce like this all year long.
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- Here’s our parsley. Parsley is a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning “rock celery.” Celery is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. We grow flat leaf and curly parsley.
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- Parsley is one of the most commonly used herbs with its mild flavor and pleasant aroma.
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- This is curly parsley. This comes from the same family, but curly parsley leaves are thicker and ruffled. Some also say its flavor is a bit stronger in curly parsley than in the flat-leaf varieties.
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- Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, is also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular micro-green garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes, and soups.
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- Look at this beet – ready to pick! Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
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- The gorgeous Swiss chard stalk colors can be seen from afar. They are so vibrant with stems of yellow, red, rose, gold, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets.
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- The most common method for picking is to cut off the outer leaves about two inches above the ground while they are young, tender, and about eight to 12 inches long.
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- Here is a yellow stemmed Swiss Chard. Look at its giant leaves – so perfect.
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- I also grow a lot of spinach. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. We use a lot of spinach at the farm for my green juice – a must-have every morning of the year.
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- New Zealand spinach is a trailing plant that forms a mat of triangular soft fleshy foliage. It is not the same as true spinach, in fact the two plants are not related but can be used fresh or cooked in the same way.
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- Last summer, my gardeners planted five of my fig trees in the vegetable greenhouse where they can live all year long in a controlled setting. If you enjoy growing an unusual fruit crop that’s delicious and nearly trouble free, consider figs. Figs will grow well unprotected in zones 8 to 10, and also in colder areas if given good care and proper winter protection.
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- Celery is part of the Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, and celeriac. Its crunchy stalks make the vegetable a popular low-calorie snack with a range of health benefits.
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- I also use a lot of celery in my green juice. Here is Enma picking several stalks along with their nutritious leaves.
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- There are even a few carrots to pick. This greenhouse has 16 wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of the space, so we are able to plant many crops. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
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- These are scallions. Scallions have a milder taste than most onions. Close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, chive, and Chinese onions. Growing scallions is actually easier than growing onions since they have a much shorter growth period. Varieties sown in spring can be harvested just 60 to 80 days after planting or when transplants reach about a foot tall.
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- On the wall are the beautiful blooms of passion flower, Passiflora incarnata – a climbing vine with flower bases supporting five or 10 petals in a flat or reflex circle. They can be woody or herbaceous. Flowers come in several different colors including lavender, blue, white, pink, and red.
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- Enma was able to harvest quite a bit. Thanks, Enma! There’s nothing quite like the taste of fresh organic vegetables from one’s own garden – inside or out.
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