dopey_03
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:22 pm
Location: Knoxville, TN

Beginning a greenhouse

I'm a beginner gardener, also a beginner greenhouser.

We just moved into Eastern TN and have TONS of yardspace. My husband already built my greenhouse -- now he expects me to put something in it.

HELP, please?

Where do I start? Ideally, I'd like broccoli, tomatoes, lettuces, etc. Mostly all veggies, no herbs.

Any good books or articles, or tips?


Thanks!

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Hydrogardener
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Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:04 pm
Location: Upstate New York

dopey_03 wrote:I'm a beginner gardener, also a beginner greenhouser.

We just moved into Eastern TN and have TONS of yardspace. My husband already built my greenhouse -- now he expects me to put something in it.

HELP, please?

Where do I start? Ideally, I'd like broccoli, tomatoes, lettuces, etc. Mostly all veggies, no herbs.

Any good books or articles, or tips?


Thanks!
I faced the same problem last spring. Our local library has a website that allows a search by title. I found Greenhouse Gardening by James Underwood Crocket to be excellent. Although the book mostly concerned soil gardening, and I use hydroponic methods, I still got a lot of useful information from the book. There were a few other books from Time Life on Greenhouse Gardening, but I can not recall the titles.
You are going to love having a greenhouse. :)

Timlin
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Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: Zone 3 Canada

You have the very best library of information right at your finger tips.

Google 'Beginning Greenhouse Gardening' and see all the information just waiting for you to dream your way through to being an expert.

I agree you will love your greenhouse........but your climate is so much warmer than mine I would have no hints for you at all. I have heat in my gh but in order not to waste fuel I can't move out there until the end of March for overnight (I do take all the seedlings out to bathe in the sunlight during the daylight hours late February when the sun heats it enough in the daytime)

My greenhouse months are the best months of gardening for me.

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Gnome
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Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A

dopey_03,
We just moved into Eastern TN and have TONS of yardspace. My husband already built my greenhouse -- now he expects me to put something in it.
Rather than thinking of your greenhouse as your main focus of vegetable gardening use it to augment your outside activities. Since you do have space outside one way you could utilize the greenhouse is to start your own transplants to be moved outside as the weather warms. Why try to grow vegetables primarily inside when you have space outside?

Another area to pursue would be using the greenhouse to extend your growing season in the spring or fall. For instance, you could plant lettuce inside earlier and grow it later than you could outside, perhaps even now if you are prepared. I say perhaps as I don't know the specifics of your climate or how warm this structure gets.

I guess what I am saying is that I would play to the strengths of the structure rather than trying to use it to replace outdoor gardening, at least as far as vegetables are concerned. Just some thoughts.

Norm

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hendi_alex
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Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

First question that comes to my mind, is the greenhouse heated or not?



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