Does anyone grow toms and cucumbers directly in greenhouse border

[chengjing]

This is my 2nd year growing toms and cucumbers directly in the greenhouse boarder. I read somewhere you must change soil otherwise you will have problem. Does anyone have experience about that? I am determined not to grow toms and cucumbers in grow bags, is anything I should do to prevent pests and diseases?

[Tam]

I have grown tomatoes for over thirty years directly into the borders of my greenhouse and never had any problems. I dig out the topsoil each winter and put it in the garden to improve the soil, which is a very heavy clay. I then put rotted garden compost in the bottom half of the trenches and top up with bought compost. The greenhouse is thoroughly washed before plants are introduced and any spiders that come into the house are carefully transported in to the greenhouse. I also grow one cucumber plant next to the toms as I find cukes incredibly prolific.

[chengjing]

Thanks Tam. That is excellent. Maybe the next year I will try to remove some top soil as well. House spiders? that is very interesting, never tried that.

[Alison]

I grow mine in the borders of the polytunnel but do rotate things to some extent ie the toms aren't grown in the same space two years running, nor will they follow on from the early potatoes. Not had the tunnel yet so not enough time to have a problem but moving things around and adding loads of compost should stop the problems getting on top of me.

[Flummery]

I grow toms directly in the border but I change the soil each year on alternate sides, so they are only in the same soil for 2 years. I don't do it both sides because it's heavy and I'm old!

[coreopsis]

I haven't changed the soil but I'm going to do it before next growing season.

[King Carrot]

I don't change the soil but over the last 5 - 6 years I've added various animal manures and seaweed over winter - I did have a year off toms and cus in that time though. I think I read on here someone had grown toms in the same greenhouse border for around 10 years with no problems - might depend on your type of soil as well and how much water soaks through it as this can wash any goodness along with any salt build up away.

[Incy]

According to Bob Flowerdew, as most of us gardeners (as opposed to commercial growers) tend to let our greenhouse soil rest during the winter, it takes a very long time for there to be any problems from growing toms in the same place each year in there. He does recommend replacing some of the soil and also conditioning it etc. but apparently it was 15 years before he had any problems.

[salilah]

I'm only on my second year - and I didn't rest the border over winter as I had an amazing winter salad crop! However, I topped the bed up massively with a "mix of black fen soil and rotted horse manure" so will see how they get on

Interested in the comment about spiders - I have so many already in the greenhouse! Are they particularly useful? I've had to rescue a couple of butterflies already - do they eat greenflies / aphids?
thanks
S

[Tam]

I find that spiders are most useful in the greenhouse and have never had any sap sucking insects in there. This is a good article: Natural Pest Control Aphids: Organic Garden and Fruit Tree Aphids Remedy, Tips.

[Snadger]

I have tried numerous methods for growing in a greenhouse. Pots, ring culture, grow bags etc and non of them give me the crops that I get by growing direct in the bedsoil.

With my greenhouses being at the allotment and not being able to get there every day to water them, growing in the bedsoil gives a little bit of leeway as the roots go searching for ground water and establish strong root systems.
The best crop of tomatioes I ever had was after billeting the chooks in the greenhouse over winter and allowing them to get rid of any grubs and fertilise the beds at the same time!

I usually replace the topsoil every three or four years and that is sufficient to keep the fertility and structure up to scratch.

[Ananke]

We lifted slabs in the greenhouse this year to plant directly into the borders. I can't believe the difference in how big and healthy the plants are and watering is not nearly as demanding. Glad I read this thread, I like the idea of not changing the topsoil every year.

[jonohanson]

I have 2 greenhouses (1 4m*4m at the allotment, and one 14ft*10ft at home) and I used to grow in pots, last year I planted direct in the border at the allotment and in pots at home. Needless to say the allotment ones performed much better, no blossom end rot (erratic watering).

So this year the allotment and home garden have them in borders and they are really thick deep green plants, we are just about to have our first toms too.

We have now set an auto watering system up in the greenhouse at home, such a time saver.

[Ananke]

We have a kind of auto watering system too, called a leaky roof and being in Scotland there is a constant supply of the wet stuff

We were supposed to be fixing the roof this year but it is working so well, i'm tempted to leave it.

[jonohanson]

We have a kind of auto watering system too, called a leaky roof and being in Scotland there is a constant supply of the wet stuff

We were supposed to be fixing the roof this year but it is working so well, i'm tempted to leave it.

You see we also use that on the allotment greenhouse, as its a recycled greenhouse its built from alsorts of transparent objects (primaraly doors), the roof is made from this transparent plastic, once I had roofed it I realised that when it rained the water collected in many dips in the roof, so I pearced the roof in these places for drainage, this inturn waters the beds.

At home we went upmarket and got a Gardena system.