Preparing and Planting My Vegetable Greenhouse
Fresh, organic produce will soon be growing in my vegetable greenhouse.
As my outdoor grounds crew continues with fall chores around the farm, attention is directed toward preparing my vegetable greenhouse for planting - doing this now ensures we will have fresh delicious vegetables through the season. I love this greenhouse - its construction several years ago 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, and it successfully grows a variety of cold hardy crops. Last week, all the beds were made and the first seeds of the season were planted.
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. On the back wall, the vanilla orchid, Vanilla planifolia, and the jade vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys, are both growing nicely on my metal wall trees from my collection on QVC.
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- The soil in this greenhouse is about two-feet deep. Phurba uses a spade to shape the beds.
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- Phurba then uses a lawn rake to tidy up the top layer of soil and to give it a finished look. The footpaths do not need to be wide – just wide enough to walk through comfortably. I prefer to use the space for planting as much as possible.
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- Here, the beds are perfectly measured, edged and ready for planting.
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- Ryan uses this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows. When planting vegetable seeds, follow the packet instructions for the depth of the furrows and spacing between them. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
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- This rake is a cleverly designed tool for making multiple straight rows in one pass. The depth of the furrows depends on the amount of pressure placed on the rake as it moves through the soil. Ryan is able to make all the furrows for the seeds in just a few minutes.
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- Ryan labels wooden markers for the different crops. I am very fortunate to have the room to plant many different vegetables indoors during winter. I grow lots of vegetables to share with my daughter and her children, as well as friends and my crew, but I also use them for various magazine and television shoots.
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- Every year, I map out on a piece of paper, how I’d like the beds planted. Here is my map for this year’s beds – we have plenty of beds to fill. We also practice a lot of succession planting here at the farm, so there is always something to harvest.
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- The markers are placed at the ends of the assigned beds, so they can be seen from the footpaths.
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- Seeds are available online and at garden centers. Many of our seeds are from Johnny’s Seeds – seeds for spinach, carrots, lettuce, chard, turnips, beets and brassicas.
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- Ryan also labels smaller markers to indicate varieties.
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- Once all the beds are marked, Ryan sprinkles the seeds in the furrows.
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- The seeds are very small – it’s hard to believe these tiny seeds produce such beautiful vegetables within weeks.
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- By hand, the seeds are carefully dropped into each furrow about an inch and a half apart.
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- The seeds are difficult to see, but they are definitely there.
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- And look who is watching all the planting from the top of the vent unit outside – one of my two handsome peacocks.
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- His buddy is never far away. Here he is just below, walking among the potted citrus trees.
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- Next, Ryan uses the pole of a rake to gently press the seeds into the furrow.
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- Ryan does this for each furrow in the bed, so the small seeds are well set in the soil. 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, Ryan carefully smooths out the soil over each bed. This is a tine weeding rake, also from Johnny’s Seeds. It has multiple uses, which vary depending on the amount of downward pressure put on the handle. This model is for working in tight areas such as greenhouses or raised beds.
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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 Ryan 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 will plant more as the weeks progress, and we’ll have lots of fresh vegetables to enjoy through the winter.
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