Growing in Winter
The snowfall and frigid temperatures of winter don’t prevent us from growing heat-loving plants. The dream started with growing tomato plants after the first frosts of fall and throughout the coldest months of the year. However, as the dream expanded, it soon became apparent that the dream was just too big for a typical greenhouse setup. The solution was to maximize space by building out the greenhouse with raised beds, horizontal trellising, and hanging planters. Although the concept was only fully realized in the late fall, we’re excited to see the plants grow through the winter.
Greenhouse Plants
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a favorite among gardeners and they’re a favorite of ours too. Currently, we’re very focused on growing sauce-making vines. Paste tomatoes are prized for their firm, meaty texture, and low moisture content which allows them to be reduced into thick sauces and concentrates without becoming overly watery. In our quest to discover rare heirloom tomatoes, we are growing four Italian varieties of paste tomatoes: Schiavone, Napoli, Antique Roman, and Cesare’s Canestrino di Lucca.
We’ve also included slicing tomatoes in our greenhouse. We grew these varieties this past summer and enjoyed them very much. Our two Italian slicing tomato varieties are: Pantano Romanesco and Costoluto Genovese.
Lastly, our greenhouse sanctuary wouldn’t be complete without our favorite cherry tomato. These tomatoes seldom make their way inside as their primarily eaten as snacks while working in the garden. Our favorite is of German origin: Reisentraube.
Summer Squash
One of the seemingly easiest plants to grow, summer squash is another gardener’s favorite. Some summer squash varieties can take up as much space in a garden as you allow them and then some. Others have a vining structure. As space is limited in our greenhouse, we’ve selected this Italian vining summer squash we haven’t grown before: Cucuzzi.
Peas
Another legume, peas are a fun and easy crop to grow and in our opinion, the most elegant-looking plant in our edible garden. Varieties include shelling, snow, and snap peas. No matter your favorite variety, you’re bound to enjoy growing these fast growing plants. We’re growing snow peas.
Cucumbers
While we didn’t have a tremendous amount of success in the garden last year with our cucumber crop, we’re optimistic about greenhouse growing. Although a pickling variety, these cucumbers have amazing taste to eat fresh off the vine. Our French variety is: Parisian Pickling.
Beans
A true culinary staple, these legumes are not only easy to grow but also come in so many varieties. Beans may grow in a bush form or pole (vining) variety. As we have a large amount of other vining plants in the greenhouse, we decided to grow bush green beans. After stumbling upon a variety we hadn’t previously seen for sale at our local garden centers, we are trying out for the first time an Italian variety: Roma II.
We also love Navy beans. A staple of baked beans and a namesake of the US military for its use as a ration in the 19th century, this bean is not commonly grown by the home gardener. Seeds are more difficult to come by, so we bought some dry Navy beans from the grocery store, and to our surprise they have grown quite well so far. Navy beans can be bush or pole varieties, so we’ll be in for a surprise to see what type we have.
Herbs
We’re keeping a variety of herbs in the greenhouse for overwintering that we potted up from the garden before the first frost: Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Oregano, Sage, Pineapple Sage, Marjoram, Savory.
We’re also growing some new plants that ran their course in the garden before the first frost: Cilantro and Parsley.
How Are We Doing It
The nearly-foot tall U-shaped raised bed, which is open on the bottom to the native soil, provides the plant roots more room to spread and more soil to take in nutrients from than they would have if planted in individual pots. The U-shaped raised bed also allows us to plant more in the same space than pot would allow. We also have horizontal trellising across the entire length of the U-shaped raised bed that will allow the vines to grow and spread further (nearly three times further!) than they would otherwise be able to if growing vertically.
To keep temperatures warm enough for these plants to thrive, bubble wrap insulation covers the inside walls and roofing. On the outside for the coldest nights, the greenhouse is completely enclosed in moving blankets for additional insulation to prevent heat loss. The temperature is also regulated with the help of an a greenhouse heater. The greenhouse is south-facing to ensure maximum light transmission and heat trapping from the sun during the day, and the back side of the greenhouse is placed against a building to help provide some additional insulation than it would have if all sides were exposed to the elements. LED grow lights supplement natural daylight during the shorter days as well as provide lighting for the coldest of days which require the greenhouse to stay covered in the moving blankets.