Year round crops?

[Wifezilla]

Yeah...just extending the growing season a bit on either side of summer could really pay off. Having VERY limited space, there is only so much I can do, but covering my growing bed on the side of the house with a polytunnel is very feasible.

 

[karanleaf]

WE have been there done that. It is not a venture for the faint at heart if you do large numbers. In our Greenhouse this past winter we had 75 5 gal buckets growing tomato plants plus about 25 -35 in 2 1/2 gal containers along with 36 Chocolate Habanero Peppers, 12 Pasala, and Espelete, 43 Sweet banana and Hot Hungraian wax peppers. The Tomato plants only required a gentle shaking of the blooms for them to pollenate. We had some wonderfull ripe tomatoes from Granny Cantril and Grape tomato. Yumm But not without diffacultlties, keeping the tempature up was the biggest fight. We used electric heaters, gas heaters and wood stove all at the same time. Even used coalbuckets with the embers in the greenhouse area to keep warmth close to the plants. we had foam board along the bottom 4 foot high of the walls we had bubble wrap to insulate but also it allowed the sunlight through. Well after many many days and nights manning the fires every 2 hours, and paying up to $400 electric bill , then loosing the battle when the temps dropped inside to 25 degrees for 2 days.
Here is a photo of Mid January the snow was 6 inches deep then. And the temp outside was 21 Brrrr.

We carried alot of plants out including the geranuim, begonia, petunia, and other flower cuttings I had started. It was devastating There were things we figured out along the way and after the distaster that we could have done differently. Such as lower the ceiling area in the greenhouse, we are instulaling a forced air wood furnace and not to grow tomato in large scale again thru the winter. We may keep a couple of plants in the house if we wish to have fresh tomatoes, But not 75-100 plants again I hope this doesn't stop anyone from their own venture, just hope they can learn from our costly mistake.

Karan

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I bet that was really hard to go through, Karan. I'm sorry it was so much trouble and ended up not panning out for you. :/ As much as it was no doubt heartbreaking for you to go through, your costly mistake is a good reference for anyone considering doing this. You now know exactly what it takes to keep warm season crops alive in the middle of winter. I admire your determination, by the way!

 

[karanleaf]

Yes it was a costly experence but also a learning one.

Thank You
And yes there are many things we will do differently. Including not trying to heat the large Greenhouse during December, January and February. DH has plans he has madeup for a smaller structure that will be attached to the south side of our moble home. This will serve as my propagation and germation room. It will be much more insulated and easer to heat . No More feeding the wood stove every 2 hours And we will have a wood furnace with forced air for heating the Greenhouse come the end of February and March. We do have plans to extend the season for tomato plants that are in the 5 gal buckets by placing them in the greenhouse and growing through Novemeber at least. We plan to grow some cold weather crops as well so we will see we will see

Karan

 

[DrakeMaiden]

We are considering making a small sunroom/passive greenhouse off the side of our house too. It will be the mudroom and the plant propagation room too. I think it will be the best place to hang out in the winter!

 

[karanleaf]

Yes yes I will be spending a lot of time in my newly to be built one this winter. I agree Best place to hang out and keep from getting winter blaaaas

Karan

 

[Beekissed]

Kept a cherry tomato plant going winter before last on my enclosed back porch/office. Doesn't have a heat source in there and its the farthest from the wood stove. I had fruit off that vine well up into Feb. Then I did something stupid....sprayed some aphids with something or other that I had concocted and burnt the plant right up. I think it could have made it til spring, though, if I hadn't done that.

Just put it in a sunny window and suspended the vines from the ceiling and windows....it looked funny but it bloomed and bore fruit.

I plan to make a poly tunnel for my lettuce bed this year and try to grow romaines all winter, as well spinach and broccoli if I can.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Karan -- Anything to get rid of those winter blahs! I wish our project was on the front burner, but it is more of a longer-term plan.

I read about a guy that grew veggies in an unheated office space in the winter. I wonder if you started tomatoes around the end of summer (so they aren't too big) if you could keep them going all winter in a really bright window in your house. I don't know that it would work for me, because at my latitude you aren't supposed to get enough light in the windows that time of year.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Thank you so much for all the input! I can see how it could be so difficult and it's definately not for us!

Then again, I guess if there was a simple solution to winter crops, most people would be using it already. Can't get enough of those homegrown goodies.

-Kim

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, see, it is just the warm season crops that are hard to grow in the winter. Cool season crops are pretty easy to grow in a passive heated structure, and some crops might even be fine outside, depending upon your location.