Winter is the time when the body needs fresh greens most. Of course, you can buy it in the supermarket, but you can only guess what quality it is and what its price is. Therefore, it will be easier for owners of private houses to grow the desired types of plants in a greenhouse. The growing season is quite short, and the greens are quite resistant to temperature changes. Getting a good harvest is not difficult. It is enough to follow the basic rules of planting and care.
What can you grow in a greenhouse in winter?
Many people do not know what can be planted in a greenhouse before winter. In fact, both vegetables and herbs grow well in a heated greenhouse during the cold season. For growing, use wooden boxes or plastic containers with drainage holes.
Types of greens that can be planted in a greenhouse before winter:
- Bow-feather. For planting, it is best to use varieties with a minimum dormant period. Such plants immediately begin to form a new one after harvesting. These varieties include onion, multi-tiered, chives and slime. For growing, you can use regular soil mixture. It can be prepared from peat and deciduous soil. Before planting, the bed should be fertilized with nitrogen, and then begin preparing the planting material. To do this, the bulbs are trimmed and then placed in warm water. It will take about 15 minutes to keep in this environment. And only after this time has passed can you begin planting. Planted containers must be watered generously from above with settled water at room temperature.
- Salad. This is an unpretentious plant. To harvest every 3 weeks, it is enough to provide systematic watering, lighting and an air temperature of at least 15 degrees. Among the many varieties, watercress is best suited for growing in a greenhouse.
- Dill. The most popular greens at any time of the year. Dill grows well in minimal light and low air temperatures. For abundant fruiting, it is best to buy early ripening varieties. For rapid growth, the grains should first be soaked in water and kept at room temperature until the first sprouts appear. Seeds should be placed in the soil at a depth of no more than 2 cm. Dill grows well with abundant watering and air temperatures within 15 degrees. If the plantings are too dense, the rows should be thinned out a little.
- Parsley. Of all the spices, parsley is the most demanding. It will grow well only with moderate watering and air temperatures within 18 degrees. Too wet soil can cause leaves to turn yellow. For better germination, planting material should be prepared. The grains are germinated indoors and only then planted in the ground. They need to be sown to a depth of 2 cm, lightly sprinkled with soil on top. The first harvest can be cut when the shoots reach 15 cm in height.
Important! If parsley grains are not germinated first, germination may take up to 1.5 months.
Using an unheated greenhouse
An unheated or cold greenhouse is a structure insulated with polycarbonate, to which no additional heat sources are connected. In winter, the temperature in such greenhouses is about 15°C, depending on the region and the number of sunny days. These conditions are sufficient for growing some crops, as well as for preparing early seedlings.
Advantages of an unheated greenhouse
The advantages of growing vegetables in winter in a greenhouse without heating include, first of all, the cost of maintenance in relation to the excellent quality of the harvest of strong plants, hardened by weather conditions. Budget savings on heating and consumables are decisive when choosing this type of building.
Growing vegetables in winter in a greenhouse
Compared to greens, it is more difficult to grow fruit-bearing plants in a greenhouse in the cold season. This is due to the fact that they need bright light more. But despite this, there are varieties that, if the rules of care are followed, will give good results.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a heat-loving crop, but if certain conditions are created, they can also be planted in a greenhouse for the winter. When choosing a variety, choose self-pollinating, early-ripening and cold-resistant varieties. It is also better to choose varieties with small fruits, because... they will ripen faster. Cherry tomatoes are a good choice.
Mini tomatoes grow better in greenhouse conditions than regular varieties. But to harvest a good cherry harvest, you will need to use additional lighting. Daylight hours for tomatoes should be 16 hours, and the air temperature during the flowering period at night should be at least 18 degrees. During the day, the temperature in the greenhouse should be within 25 degrees.
The necessary conditions for growing tomatoes in winter do not differ from those they need to create in summer. Read the article about how to care for tomatoes after planting.
Chilli
Mini peppers grow well not only in a greenhouse, but also indoors on a windowsill. To get a good harvest, it is best to plant cayenne pepper. Caring for them is the same as for cherry tomatoes. The temperature required for good growth of chili peppers is +16-18°C.
In a moderately heated greenhouse, ripening proceeds faster than in an unheated or excessively hot one. Plants need plenty of light and do not tolerate drafts. Watering should be moderate.
cucumbers
In order to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse in winter, you need to choose the right variety. It must be a shade-tolerant, high-yielding, self-pollinating hybrid. Remember that cucumbers are a moisture-loving crop and require regular watering. The water temperature should be approximately the same temperature as the soil (+18 - +20 degrees). The air temperature should not be higher than +25 degrees and fall below +15 degrees, otherwise there is a high risk of infection of the root system with fungi. Read more about caring for cucumbers in a greenhouse in the article.
Microgreen
Microgreens are the same familiar greens, only in miniature form. Miniature greens contain a large concentration of vitamins and microelements, since the plant is only at the beginning of its development. It tastes the same as fully formed sprouts. The most popular microgreens are radishes, basil, arugula, onions, mustard, cilantro, and red cabbage.
To obtain high-quality and healthy sprouts, it is necessary to use nutritious soil. Before planting in the ground, the grains should be soaked. After they begin to germinate, the seeds should be spread evenly on the surface of the soil, and then lightly covered with a thin layer of soil or sand. To harvest the first harvest as quickly as possible, you need to monitor the condition of the soil. The soil should always be moist.
Ginger
You can also grow one of the most vitamin-rich spices in winter - ginger. It is recommended to use a terrarium for this. Its height should be at least 60 cm. Many drainage holes should be made in the container through which excess water will flow out. The optimal daylight hours for ginger are 16 hours a day.
Cultivation of cucumbers
Usually, for the sake of seedlings, cucumbers are planted in a greenhouse from the beginning of January. It is necessary to sow seeds in a container with pre-prepared nutrient soil. Afterwards, they need to be covered with film for 4–6 days until shoots appear, providing additional illumination for at least 10 hours a day.
Cucumber seedlings grow best at temperatures of 22–24 degrees during the day and 17–19 degrees at night. From the moment the seedlings appear, it needs to be lowered to 16-19 degrees for a week, then returned to the previous level.
Photo: Usually, for the sake of seedlings, cucumbers are planted in a greenhouse from the beginning of January.
It is better to feed cucumbers twice - with complex fertilizer (nitroammophos). The first time - as soon as two true leaves form (a teaspoon per bucket of water) and the second time - after 12 days (5 g of potassium sulfate, 15 g of nitrogen fertilizer and 25 g of superphosphate per bucket of water).
In February, plant the plants in a permanent place in the beds, making sure to retreat 45 cm from one plant to another. The seedlings need to be buried down to the cotyledon leaves.
Cucumbers need careful watering; the soil must be kept loose.
Lighting should be maintained for 11–13 hours per day. The temperature is approximately 23 degrees above zero during the day and 20 at night.
For cultivation, it is better to use F1 cucumber hybrids: Tamerlan, Makar, Emelya, Mastak.
Growing seedlings in a greenhouse in winter
During the cold season, you can grow not only herbs and vegetables for salad in a greenhouse, but also seedlings. But it should be remembered that the plants must be self-pollinating, and the air temperature in the middle is quite high.
Cucumber seedlings
It is necessary to sow grains in early January. First, the seeds should be germinated, and only then planted in pots. After germination, young plants need to be hardened off, and with the arrival of February they should be planted in a greenhouse. The distance between plants should be about 40 cm. As soon as the first tendrils appear, supports should be installed under which they will weave. Watering should be done moderately but regularly. In order to get a good harvest from the seedlings in the future, follow the rules for caring for cucumbers in the greenhouse.
Eggplant seedlings
Eggplant seedlings should be sown in February. Before the first shoots appear, watering should be regular, the air temperature should be about 23 degrees, and daylight hours should be 12 hours. If all the rules are followed, the first sprouts will appear within 14 days. Seedlings are transplanted into open ground in the first half of April.
Read the article on how to care for eggplants in a greenhouse.
Tomato seedlings
It is necessary to sow tomato seeds in a winter greenhouse in December. To quickly get the first shoots, you need to provide abundant watering with water at room temperature. It should be irrigated using a spray bottle. The air temperature for this type of plant should be 25 degrees, and the night temperature should not be lower than 15 degrees.
Bell pepper seedlings
Bell pepper seedlings are planted in the first part of February. To speed up germination, cover the top of the soil with spunbond. Thus, you can get the first sprouts in 3-5 days. Daylight hours for young plants should be kept within 12 hours, and the air temperature should be about 25 degrees. Picking should be done as soon as 2-3 leaves appear. For this purpose, the “transshipment” method is used. You need to fertilize after 5 full leaves appear. Also, familiarize yourself with the rules for caring for peppers in a greenhouse in order to get a good harvest in the future.
For those who decide to start growing plants in winter, it is best to use the Zavod Garant greenhouses for these purposes. They are created taking into account different climatic conditions. Such greenhouses are made from a durable frame, galvanized on both sides, and reliable polycarbonate. Thanks to this, they perfectly withstand even the most severe frosts and snowy winters.
Description of the structure
- A heated greenhouse is a permanent structure that must have a foundation. It must withstand both wind and significant snow loads.
- This can be a stand-alone structure or an extension to an existing structure, for example, to a utility block.
- When building, pay special attention to the foundation; it needs to be deepened by about a meter and be sure to be additionally insulated from the outside.
- Place the structure exclusively in an open area so that it receives as much sunlight as possible.
- The optimal shelter is polycarbonate. Film and glass are a thing of the past.
Photo: The greenhouse must have reliable heating.
- There should be the most reliable heating system possible. It can be watery, eclectic or airy. The structure must be equipped with a ventilation system and have an irrigation system - ideally, this is reliable and economical drip irrigation.
- You cannot do without placing additional lighting, which dramatically increases the length of daylight hours.
- The soil in a winter greenhouse should be as nutritious as possible. You can build both warm beds (especially if you live in a cold region and the greenhouse is not equipped with a soil heating system), and ordinary beds, but consisting of a mixture of humus, river sand and nutritious soil from the garden.
- The temperature at night should not fall below +15 degrees, and during the day it must be possible to increase it to +25.
Garden work in November
By November, there are no more vegetative plants left in the garden beds - only winter garlic, perennial herbs and seeds sown before winter, planted and mulched in October. If autumn in your region is late and warm, sowing seeds can be continued in November in pre-prepared furrows and slightly frozen ground. The seeds are sprinkled with dry soil or compost on top.
Mulching garden beds with winter garlic
Planting herbs after the first frost is mulched with dry leaves, sawdust or compost. This will help them to successfully overwinter, not freeze out if there is insufficient snow cover, and not rot if there is high humidity in the spring.
It is also necessary to pay attention to fresh compost - it is shoveled, if necessary, watered and covered with film. The longer the compost pit maintains a positive temperature, the higher the quality of the compost will be for the next season.
Digging a compost heap in the fall
Note! In November, even before the onset of severe frosts, components for seedling soil are prepared. They are stored in a basement or greenhouse until spring.
How to prepare beds for winter sowing of vegetables
The preparation of beds plays an important role in the process of winter sowing. After all, only high-quality, reliably protected beds with nutritious soil can become worthy protection for seeds that will have to endure the winter in the open air.
For sowing vegetables, it would be better to choose high beds, but if you are not a fan of their construction, ordinary ones, reliably protected along the perimeter with boards, slate, polycarbonate or other material, will do. Such a fence will prevent spring waters from washing away crops and will retain snow on the ridges.
It is worth placing your plantings in the sunniest and most elevated place, where the snow melts first in the spring. However, if your place is in an open space, take care of windproof structures, for example, install shields on the windward side. If there is not enough snow in your area, do not forget to prepare in advance a layer of spruce branches or other mulch that will replace the snow layer in your beds.
As with sowing flowers for the winter, the beds need to be prepared in advance while the temperature remains above zero. Weed the soil, add low-nitrogen fertilizers (AVA, Autumn, diammofoska, nitrophoska), draw furrows for seeds 3-5 cm deep with the angle of a flat cutter or rake, and then cover the ridge with film to avoid waterlogging. In separate bags, store the substrate for mulching the plantings (garden soil with peat and sand in the ratio 1:2:1), and wait for frost.
When a stable negative temperature has been established, sow seeds 1.5-2 times more than normal, cover them with prepared soil, and then mulch with spruce branches, spunbond or healthy leaf litter. The thickness of the shelter should be about 15 cm, but remember that light leaves can be blown around the area by the wind, so they need to be secured.
There is no need to water autumn crops - spring melting snow will be enough to provide the seeds with moisture.
Flower beds and flower beds
In November, all work on planting flowering plants is usually completed. All that remains is to cover the perennials for the winter.
Step 1. First of all, cover with a thin layer of mulch all the flowers that go under the snow with green leaves and stems (daisies, primroses, arabises, pansies). The mulch for them should be dry and loose, with good air permeability, otherwise these flowers will be squashed under the wet, heavy snow. Ideally, the flowerbed is first covered with spruce branches and then with mulch.
Mulching flower beds with dry leaves
Step 2. After the soil freezes by 2-3 cm, mulch with dry peat the plantings of lilies, varietal tulips, and daffodils. Mulch protects them from freezing when early frosts occur.
Mulching lilies with dry straw cutting
Peat prices
peat
Step 3. When the top layer of soil freezes, cold-resistant annuals can be sown in the flower beds. To do this, prepare the soil in advance and make furrows, and after the first frost, sow the seeds a little thicker than during spring planting. Cover the top with dry humus or soil; no need to water.
Cold-hardy annual flowers
Suitable for winter sowing:
- asters;
- alyssum;
- marigold;
- calendula simple and terry;
- godetia;
- lavatera;
- decorative poppies;
- cornflowers;
- matiolla;
- echinacea;
- delphinium.
Prices for cornflower seeds
cornflower seeds
The top of the flower beds is mulched with peat, covered with spruce branches, and covered with snow at the first snowfalls.
Step 4. Particularly carefully cover heat-loving flowers - roses, clematis, hydrangeas. Their stems, depending on the variety, are cut or removed from the supports and laid on a layer of boards or roofing felt to prevent them from getting wet.
Sheltering standard roses for the winter
The roots are covered with a thick layer of peat, and the branches are covered with spruce branches tied in the form of a hut, or cardboard boxes, covered with sawdust, leaves, and covered with burlap or covering material. Before the onset of stable sub-zero temperatures, the shelter should be well ventilated so that the shoots do not dry out. After the first snowfalls, snow is placed on top of the shelter.
Sheltering bush and climbing roses for the winter
Step 5. In the middle zone and northern regions, ornamental trees and shrubs are also covered for the winter. This will protect them not only from freezing, but also from sunburn in early spring. For shelter, after the first snowfalls, it is enough to stick spruce branches around the plants, which contribute to snow retention and also provide shade in the spring. A hedge of capricious conifers is covered with spunbond laid on wire arches.
Hedge covered with spunbond
Note! Do not use wet leaves, sawdust or straw as mulch. Mulch for winter shelter must be dry!
