Planting in My Vegetable Greenhouse
My glass vegetable greenhouse is now planted for the next season of indoor growing.
My large outdoor vegetable garden is still producing lots of great foods, but I always make sure my vegetable greenhouse is prepared and planted in time, so I am never without fresh delicious produce. Over the last few days, my gardeners planted new crops of celery, Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, cilantro, basil, arugula, dill, parsley, and others. Some of the seeds are from my favorite sources, including Johnny's Selected Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Most of the energy in this greenhouse comes from the sun through these giant windows, which can be programmed to open for ventilation or cooling when needed.
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- I spend a good amount of time preparing the soil before planting any seeds. I have 16 wooden garden boxes that fit the entire length and width of my vegetable greenhouse. Earlier this year, the beds were tilled, amended with good compost, and then raked.
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- More recently, all the beds were fed, so they’re ready to plant. I use a fertilizer specially formulated for growing vegetables – Miracle-Gro® Shake ‘n Feed® Tomato, Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food.
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- The ideal temperature inside the greenhouse is around 80 to 85-degrees Fahrenheit to keep all the vegetables growing their best. We have a large thermometer at the entrance to the structure, so the temperature can be checked easily several times a day.
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- Inside the head house, we keep a number of favorite seeds. I am always on the lookout for different seeds when I travel, but seeds are also widely available online and at garden centers. Ryan keeps track of what seeds do well at the farm – indoors and out.
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- To start, our gardening intern Matthew uses this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows. In general, seeds should be planted at a depth of two times the width, or diameter, of the seed. A seed that’s about 1/16-of-an-inch thick should be planted an eighth-of-an-inch deep.
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- Some vegetables, such as kale, need to be planted a little deeper. Matthew uses a hoe to go over a few of the planting rows to make them an inch or two deeper.
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- Matthew is careful to keep track of what furrows need to be deeper. All these beds are raised. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
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- Each packet to be used is placed next to its corresponding marker. I like to make sure we keep track of what varieties grow well, so I know what to use again next season. These are from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Started in 1998 as a hobby, it has since grown into North America’s largest heirloom seed establishment.
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- These carrot seeds are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer. Johnny’s offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds that are known to be strong, dependable growers.
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- These seeds are pelleted, or coated, carrot seeds. Pellets make seed handling easier for small-seeded crops.
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- Spinach seeds look like tiny pebbles – these are not coated.
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- Matthew drops two or three every few inches. Once the seeds germinate, the weaker, less robust seedlings will be removed in a process called thinning. Thinning allows the best and strongest plants to grow, and gives them more resources like sunlight, nutrients, and water.
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- Ryan drops seeds in another bed. These raised beds were designed for easy reach from all sides, so that work can be done quickly and efficiently.
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- These are cilantro seeds. The seeds look like tiny yellowish-brown to tan globes with longitudinal ridges. Cilantro is easy to direct sow, or plant right away as seeds in the soil.
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- These seeds are also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular microgreen garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes and soups.
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- These are Arugula seeds. Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable that provides many of the same benefits as other vegetables of the same family. Arugula leaves, also known as rocket or roquette, are tender and bite-sized with a tangy flavor.
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- Here, Ryan plants them by broadcasting. In agriculture, gardening, and forestry, broadcast seeding is a method of seeding by scattering over the area. This works well with those plants that don’t require specific spacing.
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- I always have a large variety of seeds to grow. I am always on the lookout for different seeds when I travel, but seeds are also widely available online and at garden centers. These seeds are for Swiss chard.
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- I like to use basil year round. Basil is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae. Basil is native to tropical regions from central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide.
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- Once all the seeds are dropped into their various beds, Ryan uses the back of a soft rake to backfill all the furrows.
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- And then everything is given a thorough drink of water. In several weeks when the outdoor garden is well past its peak, we’ll have nutritious and fresh vegetables to eat, share, and enjoy from this indoor greenhouse.
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