While everyones outdoor gardens have now died from frost and cold weather the greenhouse still looks unchanged.
We have herbs still growing strong, and tomato plants, strawberry plants, bok choi, lettuce, a cauliflower, and bell peppers. There is also some winter zuchinni seeds that have sprouted.
Poor mans heating system on the punnets, rope light. Its waterproof and really warm
Herbs still a growing
Some of the tomatoes on the giant tree tomato plants
More giant tree tomato plant
The overview
Early bird and roma toms. The early bird to the right arent looking very happy.
Well as summer draws to a end slowly … and with the reminder that its going to end soon with the night time temps around 39 degrees last week!! Its time to look towards winter plants.
I found www.reimerseeds.com who like many others, had seeds for plants that tolerate cold temps.
We purchased for winter:
- Sub Arctic Tomato (fruits when in the 30 degrees temps!)
– Window box roma tomatoes
– Salad bush cucumbers ( another colder winter vegie that grows in small containers..apparently)
– Cold set tomato (another down to freezing temp type tomato)
– Tall Utah Celery (if it can grow in utah it can grow in a greenhouse here I think!)
– Artic king lettuce (the name says it all)
We have changed our planters for the winter, so we can put rope lights in the soil to keep it warm (yes rope lights are cheap and simple for heat!) We purchased some flat and long plastic storage containers from big lots for $8 each, painted the sides black and drilled holes in the bottom for the drainage.
The heater strung up and set to 60 degree for night time temps
This is where celery and arctic king lettuce has been planted for the winter
Some sub arctic tomato plants are planted here the new winter planter boxes.
This is the roma tom on the left and the early bird tom on the right, still fruiting.
Bok choi in the planter tubes along the walls, the soil was replaced after the lettuces finished in here.
Cucumbers in the planter bags for winter
Bib lettuce in the tubes starting from seed, these are great in salads
This is the poor eggplant after it was attacked by aphids, we seem to have rid the greenhouse of nearly all the bugs, and this plant is growing back slowly
Bell peppers are still growing and fruiting.
The herbs are loving it, in fact we have too many and have to freeze them weekly.
The head of the giant tree tomatoe which is now getting toms on it
The giant tree tomato plants and trying to break thru the roof.
The roma toms and early bird toms
These toms took the brunt of the aphid attack, although now aphid free I had to cut them back a bit to get them thru it all, but all it well now
The previous weeks heat has caused some of our lettuces on the sunniest side to go straight to seed which is a bummer, but they will be replanted and we will try again, and out tomotoes are producing now at the rate of 2-3 tomatoes per day.
The giant tree tomatoe plants as you can see are really giant, and growing, I think they will need their own greenhouse soon! We also have some bugs appearing on the tomatoe plants and eggplants, being non organic farmers… we plan on having them dead with good old fashioned insecticide shortly.
The greenhouse in its full and busy state
Herbs are growing like crazy, we have never grown herbs successfully before so we are impressed.
Peppers are everywhere now
Romaine lettuce and strawberry plants are great, the romaine is actually sweet tasting
Eggplants, some growing upside down and with some little bugs on them
We find in stores like Trader Joes and Wholefoods they sell frozen herbs, this is simple and east enough to do yourself with your home grown herbs.
All you need is a couple of things to do this yourself:
Herbs
Ice cube trays
Water
Sharp knife
Zip lock bags
Permanent marker pen
First harvest the herbs, here we have Cilantro, Basil and Oregano
Now you have the herbs, cut them finely
Now place them into the ice cube trays, about half a ice cube with the herb in question will do
Now add cold water (preferably bottled water, or water that has been boiled and cooled, unless you have a mountain stream like we do providing your own mineral water!)
Now freeze the trays, and tomorrow take them out and place in marked ziplocked bags. Presto you have fresh herbs for cooking for at least the next 6 mths!
To use them in cooking simply place into the dish and allow them to defrost and cook into the dish, or course you can defrost them and strain the water out, but thats too much hassle!
Well week 4 of the growth cycle has come and gone, and everything is on track and no deaths… Althought the Giant Tree Tomatoes are still faultering. Here is what is all looks like:
The greenhouse bathed in sun for a change
Onions go crazy in a greenhouse
Green peppers, with a couple little peppers growing already
Toms gorwing really quickly
The early riser tomatoes are growing fast
Beefsteak tomato plants
Beefsteaks bulging slowly
Ichibans / eggplants getting there slowly
The first early bird tomatoe seed is planted
Bok choi after separating and dividing, still too many though probably
Bonnie select tomato plant, slow to grow
Zucchini plants, we had to separate one from the pack this week
A store bought zucchini on the right and one of our seedlings on the left
Roma Tomatoes are really slow starters, only just getting flowers
Sedling area, 5 days and they appear when in the greenhouse
The herbs, Thyme Oregano and Basil ( although we now notice the basil is labelled wrong and its lemon basil)
Green and yellow peppers just getting flowers and fruit
Week 3 has come along, the greenhouse averages 50 degrees at night and 90 at its hottest during the day. Our plants are coming along slowly but surely, so far the winner is the strawberry plants bought from seedlings.
Outside onions survived the snow last week and are coming back to life
Bok choi in its 10th day of living
Green pepper has fruit
A little green pepper
Early toms
Early riser tom plant
Beefsteak toms doing really well
Beefsteaks growing really fast
Eggplants growing
Onions inside are growing fast
Giant tree tom seedlings on the right, Early bird tom single seedling on the left
Green pepper just getting fruit from its first flowers
Yellow peppers just getting flowers on it
Oregano is coming along
Basil
Lemon thyme
Oregano slowly coming along
Basil very slow, but when we bought them they were half dead
