Planting in My Vegetable Greenhouse
Fresh, organic produce will soon be growing in my vegetable greenhouse.
After yesterday's post on preparing my vegetable greenhouse for planting, some of you asked how long it would be before we could start sowing our seeds. My gardeners, Ryan and Wilmer, actually planted seeds that same day - carrots, lettuce, beets, spinach and several different herbs. Some of the seeds we planted came from a few of our favorite sources, including Botanical Interests, Vilmorin, Johnny’s Selected Seeds and John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds.
Here are more photos from my vegetable greenhouse - enjoy.
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- Ryan places large wooden markers at the end of each bed, so they can be seen from the footpath. He also uses the bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
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- Ryan then positions seed packets and their corresponding variety labeled markers along the beds. I am very fortunate to have the room to plant many different vegetables indoors during winter.
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- Wilmer and Fernando secure hoses and sprinklers in different areas of he garden.
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- The hose tubing connected to the sprinkler is buried and held down with garden staples.
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- Wilmer sprinkles the seeds in the furrows and then gently covers the rows with soil.
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- This is Romaine lettuce “Freckles” from Botanical Interests. It is a very pretty Romaine with striking maroon markings and excellent flavor.
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- This is John Scheepers spinach “Regiment”. Spinach contains vitamins A, E, K, and C plus calcium, iron magnesium and potassium.
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- This is “Matador” spinach from Botanical Interests. It has dark green, smooth, oval-shaped leaves and great, sweet flavor. It can be enjoyed as a baby green in salad mixes, and has the perfect texture for cooked dishes, such as risotto.
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- The seeds are very small – it’s hard to believe these tiny seeds produce such beautiful vegetables within weeks. Wilmer pours a small quantity of seed into his palm and scatters pinches of seed as evenly as possible along each furrow.
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- We also planted John Scheepers carrots “Adelaide Baby”. These carrots will take about 65 to 70 days to develop. This outstanding, tender-crisp and flavorful mini-carrot is sure to be snapped up quickly,
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- Here is another good carrot variety from the french seed producer, Vilmorin. This variety is called “Eskimo”.
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- John Scheepers exclusive Swiss Chard “Kaleidoscope Blend” contains a mix of colorful stems and is perfect for planting in small space gardens.
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- Johnny’s Seeds is also a very good source for seeds. This is “Salanova Red Sweet Crisp”. This lettuce variety has double red leaves with a very defined, three-dimensional shape. It is sweet, almost romaine-like in flavor, with a crisp, almost iceberg-like, texture.
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- “Slavonia Green Sweet” lettuce has medium-dark green leaves with a very defined, three-dimensional shape. It is also sweet, and like its red cousin, has a taste that’s almost romaine-like in flavor.
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- We always plant beets. Closely related to spinach and chard, and once called “blood turnips” because of their bright red juice, beets can be golden, white or striped. Beets are also an excellent source of folate and a very good source of manganese, potassium and copper. This is John Scheepers beets “Unbeatable Mixture”.
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- These beets are called “Zeppo” – carefully selected for smooth skin, a round shape, minimal root hairs, and a very fine taproot.
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- “Astro Arugula” salad greens has a milder bite and wider leaves, fewer lobes and more diminutive mid-ribs than other varieties. Young “Astro” has little paddle-shaped leaves that are almost as succulent as spinach.
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- We also planted some herbs including Botanical Interests dill “Tetra”. This is a bushy, late flowering variety, meaning more leaf production for dill lovers. It is heat tolerant which makes it slow-to-bolt, so you will enjoy fresh picked, aromatic dill throughout the season.
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- And, of course cilantro. This is “Cruiser” from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It has large leaves and sturdy stems, which make it an ideal bunching variety.
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- When planting vegetable seeds, follow the packet instructions for the depth of the furrows and spacing between them.
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- If possible, lay out the rows in a north-south direction, so that both sides will receive an equal amount of sunlight during the day.
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- Once the seeds are all planted, using a gardening rake, Wilmer carefully smooths out the soil over each bed.
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- It doesn’t take long to sow several beds of seeds. The important thing is to have good, nutrient-rich soil.
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- Once Wilmer is done raking all the beds, he gives them a good, drink of water with a fine spray. The beds will be kept moist but not dripping wet until the seeds sprout.
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- Most of the energy in the greenhouse comes from the sun through these big windows, which can be programmed to open for ventilation or cooling when needed. Ryan and Wilmer will plant more as the weeks progress, and we’ll have lots of fresh vegetables to enjoy through the winter.
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