Wintergrowing

[egbert101]

I am debating getting a greenhouse, however while reading up on it have got lost in the amount of info on types of greenhouse and polytunnels.

So, I decided it may be easier to think about what I want it for and then decide which best suits my needs. I want to try growing some warmer climate fruit - melons and maybe bananas - and I would like to grow some veg all year round if possible, salad crops at least. So, presuming I need something that I can keep warmer in the winter without huge costs, so can fit up a solar powered heater / heat sink, and an irrigation system . . . what would be better - greenhouse or polytunnel?

BTW, I am in the Midlands so not too cold or windy compared to Scotland I guess, but not as temperate as the south.

[Two_Sheds]

Green houses last longer, but are dearer.
You won't be able to grow crops all year round: it is simply too dark in the depths of winter. Light is as important as heat.

To light & heat your greenhouse to such an extent that you could grow bananas: well, it would be ridiculously expensive. They grow bananas at the Eden Project, have you ever been? The trees are massive, certainly taller than your house, and the biodomes are kept very hot & humid.

People have costed their heating systems on here before, have a look around the Undercover forum, or here.

Instead of trying to crop all year round, a greenhouse can extend your growing season by about a month each end of the outdoor season: eg, you can start tomatoes and chillies in Jan instead of Mar. You can crop salad leaves for probably 9 months of the year (they need less light than fruiting plants)

[Patchninja]

I agree with all the above. The cost of your bananas would make you....well..... bananas!

That said, a greenhouse will allow you to grow more tender plants. You don't need to heat it to grow melons etc. In mine I have melons, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes ( to get some earlier ones than the ones in the garden). etc. I start my veggies in there that after go out into the SFG plot. I've got a nice quick start on late-sown mini caulies that I want to try in the SFG. I had a lovely crop of new potatoes in a huge pot that I planted in the GH in Feb. There are masses of things you cn do without ruining your pocket or the climate!!!

[egbert101]

Oh, I may have misunderstood something I was reading online then - someone was growing bananas in a GH on a hydroponics system - but maybe it was a different country. I am quite interested in the concept of hydroponics, but it doesnt seem to be very organic adding lots of chemical nutrients. . . and aquaponics, well I am just not that keen on fish!

Whats the SFG? Cant quite work that shorthand out

[susieq100]

Square Foot Garden - do a search for it, lots of interesting posts!

[Alison]

This is my first year with a polytunnel and I didn't get it up as early as I'd have liked however have already been impressed with how quickly things grow. I'm currently harvesting mange tout by the bucket load (must stagger the sowing more next year!) and early peas. In addition to this, my early pots are almost ready and the carrots in there are way ahead of the ones sown only a week later outside (same variety). Don't know how the summer stuff with fare yet as it's too early but intend to experiment over the winter with a host of different veg to see what I can get going late / early. However don't intend to use heat as it's at the lottie and I've no power / ability to check every day and the cost of heating it would outweigh any benefits of the produce in financial terms so hardly seems worth while as well as being enviromentally unsound.