Early crops from the greenhouse

[jacob]

This year I want to experiment with getting early crops of 'outside' veg from the (unheated) greenhouse, hoping that the extra heat and frost protection would allow me to get stuff a month or so earlier than outside.

I'll be growing in (big) pots and was thinking of first early potatoes, beetroot, broad beans and maybe peas. (I already do courgettes this way, cropping from late May.)

Has anyone got any comments trying this kind of thing, or other suggestions?

[veg man]

Broad beans and early peas should be ok outside. potatoes in big tubs or the potato bags you can buy should be ok i did cabbage and cauli early last year with good results just watch out for server frosts my greenhouse was so cold before xmas it killed off my xmas spuds

[Thelma Sanders]

Apart from an early courgette, and some salads in 'mushroom' boxes - I don't do early stuff in my greenhouses.
It's the busiest time of year and I need the space for everything that'll be either going outside in due course or wants planting in the g/h borders.....it's a struggle as it is cramming everything in

[hollychap]

i also are going to give early growing a go , hopefully monday i plan to sow a row of carrots and a row of beetroot in the greenhouse border with the added protection of a poly cloche . last year i did some early tatties in sacks with clear poly bags over them in the greenhouse didnt get a massive crop just a few welcome extra earlies

[Potstubsdustbins]

My first earlies will go in about the 20th Feb with fleece handy in case of frosts.

Then like Thelma all the other space is accounted for.

Potty

[SarzWix]

If you're growing in pots anyway, then by the time you're ready to fill the space with other stuff, it will be warm enough to move the pots outside, so I say go for it. If we slip back into arctic cold again before Spring you might need to protect stuff with fleece, but you should still get crops earlier than ones grown solely outside

[Bigmallly]

I think you are a tad too far north to be gambling with an unheated greenhouse Jacob, by all means give it a go but keep plenty of fleece handy.........maybe a few candles under terracotta pots.........good luck.

[SarzWix]

But the crops he was suggesting an early start with are all hardy, with the exception of the early spuds? All are common things to start in a polytunnel a bit earlier than you would outside? Probably in Fife that's somewhere around the time people further south would be planting outside...

I think it's well worth having a go at personally; I have brassicas and peas and salad leaves in my polytunnel that are growing in this mild spell while the ones outside have either frozen or rotted in the wet...
Give it a go Jacob, the only thing you'll lose is a bit of time if it doesn't work, cos you can reuse the compost

[solway cropper]

I get masses of early crops in containers in the greenhouse but it is quite a big one. My first crops of broad beans, peas, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, onions, spring onions, strawberries, etc. are all container grown under glass. As SarzWix says, by the time the space is need for toms, etc. it's warm enough to put all the containers outside anyway.

Go for it. There's almost nothing that can't be brought on with a a bit of protection, even in Fife!

[jacob]

Thanks all -- I'll let you know my success or otherwise. My previous experiments with courgettes have been fairly successful, I think particularly because they greenhouse stops frost from biting when the air temperature is above freezing. And as suggested, everything gets chucked outside once proper greenhouse things want the space!

[Paulieb]

Check out this link for my spuds last year. Planted them on 15th Feb and kept them in a blowaway in my greenhouse for probably the first 4 weeks. Then just the greenhouse for 4 weeks covering with fleece when it was forecast to be below 1 or 2c.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ght_65150.html

The others I harvested a week or 2 later had much better yields, but fresh new spuds at that time was definitely worth it.

Also I'd suggest 1 spud per morrisons flower bucket instead of 2 (from experience the yield is similar).

[Paulieb]

My previous experiments with courgettes have been fairly successful.

I'm planing on an early courgette for the greenhouse. Got some Parthenon seeds that don't require pollination. Any tips, when do you sow them (indoors?), etc?

[jacob]

I'm planing on an early courgette for the greenhouse. Got some Parthenon seeds that don't require pollination. Any tips, when do you sow them (indoors?), etc?

I've sown inside, about 1st March and kept them inside until they've got two or three proper leaves. Once out I've occasionally brought them back in again if the weather forecast looks properly cold (at least whilst they are in manageable size pots). I've typically sown 4 seeds aiming for two successful greenhouse plants. First courgettes have been late May.

At this point I should say that my house is neither the warmest nor the sunniest, and quite apart from East Fife being rather cold, my garden could catch more sun... If you've got a better set up (and I see you're much further south) I think you could sow earlier.

[Loudbarker1]

I sowed various autumn pea varieties in Novemebr that have all germinated and are growing in greenhouse borders. Looking good for April/May harvest.....

[Acanthus]

I have early peas,carrots,chard,brassicas,salads,strawberries. Most successful probably purple sprouting broc, which crops from feb to whenever I need the room.