Growing fruit in a greenhouse

[bikergirl]

Hi All

I've been lucky enough to move into a house with a HUGE greenhouse, but unfortunately don't have anywhere for an outside fruit / veg plot, so everything I grow needs to be inside or at least in pots to go just outside the greenhouse (south facing).

I've grown peppers / toms / mini cucumbers before - and am planning all of those again.

I also have bought a few raspberry canes and a kiwi bush - will these be OK inside the greenhouse?

I am also planning on sowing seeds for strawberries (tomorrow! but planning on starting them on the windowsill inside as still too cold outside). Will these be better in pots or growbags for in the greenhouse?

Has anyone any suggestions of what other fruits that I can grow? everything has to be in pots as the base of the greenhouse is all concreted so no beds.

I was also thinking of planting some conservatory plants who's only job would be to look nice They could come into the house in winter (greenhouse isn't heated) if necessary - does anyone have any suggestions for this?

Thanks very much in advance!

[veggiechicken]

Hello bikergirl and welcome. What about a grapevine or a peach tree/ I have a kiwi but it is huge - so be prepared for yours to take over your greenhouse

[yummersetter]

I wouldn't plant kiwis or raspberries. Strawberries from seed can be slow to get to fruiting size, could you buy plants to give you fruit whilst they're coming on? Which way does your greenhouse face?

I grow feijoa, lemons and grapes year round in a polytunnel without any winter heating and my sister has a huge crop of nectarines every year in hers.

[veggiechicken]

Melons would be nice too

[bikergirl]

Thanks for the replies

I hadn't realised kiwi's grew really big! I had thought of a grape vine but do they take ages to mature and fruit? The other concern is that I'm presuming the vine would need to be trained on wires or similar and I'm not sure how much weight the greenhouse will take - its wooden and not in brilliant repair.

I may get some strawberry plants too, but am trying to do everything on a pretty tight budget. Hadn't thought of peaches and I love them. How big a pot would they need to be in?

Melons - may have to look into that. Are they difficult to grow?

Oh and the greenhouse is south facing.

Thanks all

[veggiechicken]

Here's a link to a thread about my kiwi - it really is a thug! http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_66036.html

You would have to train it too so your reservations about a grapevine apply to the kiwi too.
Aldi have been selling cheap fruit trees - I bought a peach last week of £4. They often sell strawberry plants at very reasonable prices.
If you can grow cucumbers you'll be able to grow melons too

[dod]

Hi, I had some sucess with early strawberries in my greenhouse last year, although they did need to be polinated by hand, and I also had some early apples from a small family tree in a pot. The apple sucess could be partly down to the fact that the outdoor apples did so poorly last year. I didn't get that many, but I had eaten all of them before I would usually expect any to have been ready to eat outdoors.

I think that melons probably need it to be quite warm, I planted a couple and they never really did anything, although Yorkshire could be a little warmer than here I know it won't be that much warmer. That said, I'll be having another go this year.

[Thelma Sanders]

Here's a link to a thread about my kiwi - it really is a thug! http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_66036.html

Blimey that's put me off of getting one of them

[Bigmallly]

The best fruit you can grow in a greenhouse IMO has got to be tomatoes.

[ancee]

I've got some seeds from suttons (James Wong section) called musk melons and they are supposed to be a doddle to grow and they can be grown outside too

[sugar]

If you have the space, you could also plant a fig, a grapevine, a kaki tree (dyosporus), kiwiberry (less vigorous then kiwi)

[BUFFS]

i have a potted peach tree in a greenhouse,and am going to order adwarf aprigold (apricot) to put in a pot,both are small enough to be kept in the g/house,or outside in the summer if you have the room,it just means that you will need to handpollinate,using a kids paintbrush to stroke over the flower each day,and they taste lovely,and blackmoors are selling the aprigold for £20 at the moment...

[bikergirl]

Ha, just been reading the thread about the kiwi - I was NOT expecting it to be that big (I think I was thinking more gooseberry bush size!!). I may get a large pot to plant it in, which I'm presuming will restrict its growth. And maybe outside rather than in the gh. There is a strong fence that I could put some wires on to train it up......

Hopefully the photo of the greenhouse has worked - bit of work to do in the garden yet!

I've now sown mini cucumbers, gardeners delight toms, two different varieties of strawberry and two different sweet peppers. Must get the kiwi and rasps planted this weekend.

My problem is that I don't really like the veg that much and much prefer fruit!

[veggiechicken]

What a magnificent greenhouse! I'd live in that I'm envious
When you said there was no outside space for fruit/veg, what about the beds in the foreground? Are they yours?

[bikergirl]

yep, the whole lot is mine - but I've sown lawn seed on those (child and dogs need somewhere to run around and burn off energy!). Unfortunately its a rented house, so although I'm happy to do work in the garden and improve things I don't want to spend loads of money!

The greenhouse is fab - I've had to replace 10 panes of glass, but at least I can now use it. I have got some conservatory furniture up there, and plan on maybe growing some pretty 'tropicalish' plants to make it really nice. I'm thinking of summer evenings, bbq and friends

Due to moving house in not great circumstances last year I didn't really grow anything and I have missed it so much - great way of relaxing.