Can I grow veggies, such as bell peppers, and be able to harvest them thru out the winter months in my greenhouse? My greenhouse gets sun from the very first hint of sun up, to the very last drop before sun down...so even in the shortest winter days, this is still a solid 9 hours of sunlight (I think that is right)...which I would think is enough for most veggies to grow. I was thinking along the lines of a few bell pepper plants in huge pots,I could dig up the healthiest ones in the fall and bring them into the GH. I would need to help them pollinate... I don't know the methods for each plant... like with tomatoes you tap on the support stakes to shake it up a bit... I've heard about using an artist's paint brush for some other things... but at any rate... if I can manage to figure out how to help the pollination... and get soil management down and keep the overnight temps above 55, will I be able to harvest veggies thru out the winter?

high electric bills are not really concerning me at this point... we put up the GH in January and we've just gotten thru some of the coldest days and nights, and during the days when its literally freezing outside and wildly windy, its been 90 inside with no heater!!!! and last night, at 11pm, I forgot that I didn't close my roof vents!!!... so I went out there to shut them and even with the roof vents open, and 23 degrees outside, it somehow managed to stay 45 degrees inside!!! I haven't used it yet, no need yet since the GH is empty, but I do have a heater with thermostat available that can kick on if it does get under 55 degrees overnight in the winters. The GH is empty right now, but I'll be starting seeds soon and I doubt I will keep anything in it over the summer since it gets crazy hot in there as it is with freezing temps outside. Please let me know if anyone has had success (or knows of) growing veggies (other than tomatoes) in the winter... AND harvesting veggies thru out the winter. I've found info on how to overwinter plants thru the winter in a GH... but I'm looking at being able to actually continue growing and harvesting the fresh garden veggies all winter long!!! And if so, what are some good veggies to grow in the GH during the winter?

:)

Thanks for the info!!!

You'll have to decide whether or not it will be worthwhile to try to grow warm-temp vegetables like peppers, tomatos, and cucumbers in there. They would definitely need supplemental heat, especially important would be root-zone heating to keep the soil mass warmer. It certainly can be done.

I would NOT attempt to dig pepper plants in the fall, though. While it can be done, the setback to them would be fairly significant. Instead, I'd just grow some in large planters and bring them in when frost threatens. Then, you'd be all set with those.

Cool season vegetables, primarily greens and herbs, possibly root crops like radishes and carrots, would be a piece of cake in your setup.

The main things to watch out for are insect problems, aphids, etc., and fungal disease problems. Disease can be the biggest problem because of the lack of much airflow and the high humidity. Running a couple of small fans to promote air movement helps, and you may need to use fungicide dusts or sprays periodically.

I have 2 greenshouses, 10 x 12 and 10 x 32, but I simply can't afford to heat them in Michigan winters. Used to do that, but the cost of heat was more than the value of the plants overwintered (tropicals, patio plants, that sort of thing). Now, I use them in the spring for seed starting, and in the summer to grow crops like okra, cotton, etc. which benefit in my climate from the extra heat. I have 4 laying hens spending the winter in the larger greenhouse, but they'll be bummed out when they have to go back to their outdoor, summer accomodations in April, since they seem to love it in there, it's their little winter spa.

Thanks for the info on winter GH gardening. I will definately plant several bell pepper plants in containers, and a few bush type variety tomatoes. I just started a bunch of seed today.... a few varieties of each... bell peppers, brocolli, eggplant, celery, parsley, sage, fennel, a bunch of daisy seed and a few more things that are escaping memory right now. I would have started more, but I was short seed trays. I'm so excited to start planting this year. Last year was our first year at this property and my first chance to ever have a really nice large garden... so now this year I am syked to try out a bunch of different heirloom varieties and a few more types of veggies too. We have a farmers market stand on the property and I'm hoping to grow enough to sell a bit on weekends or something. =)

P.S. If you don't have Eliot Coleman's book already, it's the Bible!

Hope this helps,
Jan