How to grow greens in a greenhouse in winter or everything about winter greens

In a small dacha or a large backyard there is always room for a greenhouse, which can be used almost all year round, including the greenhouse off-season, for growing fresh herbs for the dinner table. In winter, in heated greenhouses in cold regions and unheated ones in the south, you can grow dill, parsley, salads, celery, and onions. Greens and onions, as a rule, are early-ripening vegetable crops with a short growing season, which makes it possible to harvest several crops during the autumn-winter season and always have greens on the table.

Greens grown in a greenhouse in winter. © Lee A. Reich

Ingredients for growing recipe

Greens are best grown in greenhouse conditions

To grow greens in winter you need:

• A greenhouse in which the temperature does not drop below 12 °C in winter
• Sufficient lighting for good quality greens
• Irrigation system, preferably drip or sprinkler type
• Good quality seeds and other planting material
• Timely watering and care of growing greenery
• Timely harvesting

If desired, all the components should come together, and there will be an excess of vitamins on the table all year round.

What greens are best to grow?

It is impossible to give a definite answer to this question. But it is best to cultivate those species that are always in demand.

Table. Types of greens and features of their cultivation.

On a note! You can grow several types of greens at once in one greenhouse or room. The main thing is that the requirements of the cultures are similar to each other, and that you find time to look after everyone.

Prices for green seeds

green seeds

Types of greenhouses

From March to October, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are grown in a heated greenhouse. And in winter it is used to grow vitamins for the table. Greenhouses can be:

On a metal frame coated with polycarbonate. This is the most popular type of greenhouse.

With a wooden frame and covered with frost-resistant film. You can make such a greenhouse yourself. On a wooden frame covered with ordinary glass. The old windows left after replacing the apartment with plastic ones are used by craftsmen to build greenhouses on their plots.

Industrial greenhouse of huge size with heating from central sources. Greenhouses of this scale are used for growing vegetables all year round. Greens are grown in them as an addition.

Heating of the greenhouse can be water, carried out from the house, or electric. Even solar batteries are used for these purposes.

Each owner chooses the best option for himself in terms of the feasibility of bringing the project to life and the cost of maintenance.

Ways to grow greens

If you want greenery in winter, then this is a reason to plant it in a greenhouse

Winter greens are grown in a greenhouse depending on needs. If this is a family treasure trove of vitamins, then in winter you can use the entire greenhouse volume for various types of green crops and sow them directly in a garden bed freed from tomatoes. After other crops, it is necessary to renew the top soil layer and treat the soil against diseases with phytosporin.

Since many homeowners prepare their greenhouses for growing vegetables in the fall, for better use of space while cultivating greens, you can build racks with shelves in several tiers. Containers with crops of dill, parsley, onions, and lettuce are placed on them. In this case, the lower tiers need additional lighting.

Both options are good. In the first case, it will be much cheaper and faster. The second option will save space for growing vegetables earlier.

How to properly grow greens in closed ground - a greenhouse

The choice of method for cultivating greenery in a greenhouse is determined not only by the volume of its production, but also, in fact, by the type of structure. So, in rooms that are not additionally heated and do not have artificial lighting, greens are grown only until the end of autumn and with the onset of spring. Heated rooms allow the conveyor belt to cultivate greens almost all year round.

Selection of varieties

In order to get a high yield of greens in the greenhouse, we select the most hardy and early ripening varieties of green plants. They are characterized by high growth of stems and foliage. Moreover, they are very unpretentious to cultivation conditions. A wide variety of crops can be grown in greenhouses with great success, but the most commonly grown crops are onions, dill, parsley, lettuce and spinach.

The technology for growing various herbs in a greenhouse involves dividing its productive area into separate bays into which various types of greenery are sown. This makes it much easier to care for it and easier to remove commercial products in a timely manner.

Required soil for planting

An important factor in greenhouse agricultural technology for greens is the choice of substrate on which they will be grown. Most of these crops prefer light and fertile soil. We feed the plantings as needed, but most often we perform this procedure before sowing the seeds (for those who wish, please learn about their treatment before planting) and during active plant growth.

When growing leafy vegetables and herbs in greenhouses, you should constantly monitor the condition of the soil. When a whitish coating forms on it, spray it with urea. When humidity is high, mold may appear on the soil. To eliminate it, water the soil with pale pink potassium permanganate.

Soil preparation

The composition of the soil for all green crops is the same and can exist in several versions:

• Garden soil, humus, sand in proportions 2:2:1. If the garden soil is sandy, then clay is added in the same proportion.
• Forest soil from under birch or aspen, humus, sand or clay in a ratio of 2:2:1.
• Ready-made soil with microfertilizers from the store and garden soil in a 2:1 ratio.

The basic rule when preparing soil for a greenhouse is good water and air permeability. The roots of green crops must receive sufficient water. Stagnation of water near the roots or lack of it will lead to the death of the plant. Therefore, good drainage is needed when preparing the growing site. This could be a layer of expanded clay at the bottom of a planting bed or a hole in a growing container. The container is placed in a tray, from where excess liquid flows down the drain into the sewer pit. Preparing the soil for crops is one of the important components of a good harvest of tasty greens.

Expert opinion

Yulia Yurievna

I have a large garden and vegetable garden, several greenhouses. I love modern methods of cultivating plants and mulching the soil, and I share my experience.

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We recommend using forest or purchased soil, since the soil in your garden can contain many pests and insects. They will begin to actively function and reproduce in a heated greenhouse. Further, disinfection of the soil is a prerequisite.

If you plan to sow greens in several boxes, you can process them thermally by frying them in a frying pan or in the oven. If mass planting is planned, then the soil should be watered with a rich pink solution of manganese. After this procedure, we do not recommend planting plants there immediately; you need to give time for disinfection.

Sometimes, if garden or forest soil is taken, special large sieves are used that help separate debris, stones and pests from high-quality soil. In addition, this sifting procedure will help make the soil more airy, and this will improve the access of oxygen to the roots of plants.

If you prepare the mixture for growing greens yourself, you need to make sure that it is not too heavy. Since, even if the proportions are strictly observed, the final result can be affected by the quality of specific ingredients. If you have any suspicions, it is better to add a little sand or peat. Otherwise, there is a risk that the sown seeds simply will not germinate.

It is necessary to ensure that after watering the top layer of soil does not become a kind of crust; this is harmful to the roots of plants. If there is such a tendency, then you need to carefully loosen the top layer of soil.

If the plants in some container begin to suffer from a fungus, then after fruiting is over, it is better not to use the soil in which the infected specimens were located. In addition, the container itself should be doused with boiling water and a baking soda solution soaked there for several days.

Feeding

Green crops are grown in an artificial climate and at an accelerated pace, so they take from the earth all the substances contained in it.

Artificial lighting suits greenery

The addition of nitrophoska or superphosphate is recommended when preparing soil mixtures for growing in exceptional cases. If the garden soil included in the composition is very depleted, then it is recommended to add no more than 10 grams of fertilizer per square meter.

In this case, it is better to replace the addition of mineral fertilizers when growing in the form of fertilizing with microelements or biological preparations such as HB-101, which are used to treat the soil before planting and the plants during cultivation.

Wood ash, added when preparing the soil mixture and during further plant care, can serve as a source of useful elements.

A smaller amount of mineral fertilizers contributes to a lesser accumulation of nitrates.

The benefits of greens for the human body

Garden herbs, which are combined with various products, speed up the digestion of food, remove waste and toxins. Ascorbic acid, which is found in dill, lettuce, and tarragon, strengthens the immune system and slows down the aging of cells in tissues and organs.

Parsley, which plays the role of a source of vitamins. B, and especially folic acid:

• stimulates hormone synthesis;
• eliminates intestinal spasms;
• has a positive effect on vision.

Dill strengthens the nervous system and improves skin condition. Celery improves tone and normalizes salt balance. Arugula increases the hemoglobin content in the blood, saturates the body with phosphorus, iron, vitamin K, and calms the nerves. Spinach cleanses the intestines of toxins. Cilantro strengthens blood vessels, accelerates metabolic processes in bone tissue, and neutralizes the effects of toxic substances.

Selection of crops

It is better to start growing greens for year-round consumption with simple crops that do not require special care.

Such crops include:

• Onion
• Dill
• Parsley
• Leaf salad
• Watercress
• Arugula

Seed and planting material is purchased in advance, so it is better to study the question of choosing a variety in advance.

The varieties of onions, dill, parsley and lettuce for the greenhouse are preferably chosen from the south.

To obtain green onions, you need to choose perennial species that winter in open ground:

• Slime
• Chives
• Onion
• Shallot

All of these onions have different tastes. They don't have the same flavor as onion greens. You can choose the right type for yourself only after trying everything.

Arugula is a southern aromatic and edible plant, without which almost no dish in Italy is complete. Its interesting taste is suitable for cooking meat, poultry, and sandwiches.

Lettuce is a great plant to grow.

Leaf lettuce needs no recommendations. Its juicy greens will decorate any dish and supply the body with a large amount of vitamins.

Watercress is so unpretentious that it is even grown on sawdust or as a compactor for other crops. The nutty-mustard flavor of this green crop will add zest and benefits to the winter menu.

Behavior of celery in greenhouse structures

As you know, greens grown in a greenhouse in winter are saturated with a large amount of nutrients and vitamins, which are so necessary for the human body during the cold season.

Carrying out work:

• Celery is especially different in this regard from other crops. Therefore, it is recommended to grow it in winter in greenhouses.
• Celery should be planted in well-prepared soil, which should be fertilized with chicken droppings or mullein.
• The planting material itself should be in the form of lateral buds, which are obtained from the trimmed tops of an adult plant.

The temperature regime for the growth of celery in a greenhouse should be maintained in the range of 10-20°C. And watering this crop should be rare but plentiful. When doing this, you need to try to prevent water from getting on the leaves of the plants.

Onion varieties

Onions for growing as greens:

• Bamberger
• Karatalsky
• Krasnodar G-35
• Spanish 313
• Kaba

Perennial varieties of onions for greens are grown from parts of ready-made plants: bulbs from the axils of leaves, clumps of three-year-old plants. From seeds, plants turn out weak and produce little greenery.

Chives of the Crocus variety have proven themselves well.

The green onion sometimes misleads ignorant people. It resembles the feathers of an onion, but without the bulb. Varieties of this vitamin storehouse for growing in a greenhouse:

• Emerald
• Ladozhsky
• Tenderness
• Picnic
• Parade

Shallot varieties Mezhezonie and Elan were bred specifically for growing in greenhouses and have delicate, fragrant feathers.

Onions sprout very quickly and make you wait for the first harvest

Multi-tiered onions of the Pamyat and Likova varieties will produce a lot of green mass in 20 days.

All varieties have the right to exist. After trying each of them, the gardener will determine which one is right for him.

Tips for winter care of plantings

Greens and vegetables in a greenhouse get sick in winter due to lack of moisture, oxygen and incorrect temperature conditions. Therefore, it is important to monitor these indicators and prevent failures in the heating system.

During the period of fruit ripening, it is recommended to gradually remove the lower leaves of the plants, this way it will receive more light.

Parsley varieties

Parsley is perfect for artificial cultivation

There are two types of parsley: leaf and root. Despite the name, the second type produces beautiful greenery along with the root. Parsley seeds take a very long time to germinate, so the harvest can be obtained only after one and a half to two months. Root parsley of the Harvest Sugar variety will give a good harvest in just a month.

There are two types of leaf parsley: curly and ordinary. Varieties of curly parsley produce more green mass. And varieties of common parsley have a stronger aroma.

Varieties of common parsley for growing in a greenhouse:

• Enchantress
• Breeze
• Bogatyr
• Beads
• Sandwich.

Curly or curly parsley:

• Aster
• Vorozheya
• Kucheryavets
• Mooskrause 2
• Green pearl
• Lettuce varieties

The following varieties of lettuce are suitable for greenhouses:

• Emerald
• Moscow greenhouse
• New Year
• Snowflake
• Golden ball
• Zorepad

The last three of them are considered early ripening.

Watercress is presented on the market in the following varieties:

• Fun
• Openwork
• News
• Ducat

Some varieties have a smooth leaf surface, while others have a wavy one.

Don't forget the salad

Lettuce loves light and humidity; it is planted at a temperature of +5 degrees.

An unpretentious crop such as leaf lettuce, rich in carotene, vitamins E and B, is perfect for growing in greenhouses. It grows at temperatures from +5°C, although the optimal temperature is 15-20 degrees. It loves light, but cannot tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations, and when there is an excess of moisture, it blooms faster. It is worth growing greens of early and mid-season varieties (for example, Moscow Greenhouse). Grown using the following technology:

1. Before sowing, fertilizers are applied to the soil (30 g - superphosphate, 25 g - saltpeter, 15 g - potassium chloride per cubic meter), compost (4 kg) and loosen it.
2. Seeds (large ones are selected) are immediately sown in the soil with a 1 cm depth according to 6x6 cm patterns or in furrows located in 10 cm increments, which are leveled on top, 0.5 g/m2 of seed is consumed.
3. Fertilizing of greenery in winter will be required (from 10 g of fertilizer per 5 liters) once or twice during growth.
4. In order to grow juicy and lush, the plants need 20 cm of free space on each side; to achieve this, they are thinned out 2 times (when 3 leaves appear, and then 5), while simultaneously loosening the soil around them.
5. Water the green shoots between the rows (so as not to stain the leaves), first every other day, then once a week. When powdery mildew (white coating) appears on a leaf, the diseased leaves must be torn off. In a couple of weeks, a leaf rosette will form, and another week later the greens can be harvested.

What to grow in a greenhouse - which plants exactly - depends on the preferences of the owners. But it is possible to receive vitamins all year round and prepare delicious and healthy salads only by organizing the production of greens in a greenhouse in the winter. Food prepared with greens grown on your own will taste better and be cheaper than buying it in markets and stores. Knowing how to grow greens, you can get enough of them without unnecessary difficulties.

Arugula varieties

If the balcony is glazed, it can serve as an excellent place for growing greenery.

This unusual, but very healthy and tasty plant has many varieties:

• curiosity
• Oliveta
• Rocket
• Victoria
• Poker
• Solitaire

Each variety has its own exquisite taste, from sweet to spicy with a nutty-mustard aroma.

Growing onions

Perennial onions are planted in prepared soil in divisions, bulbs, and clumps close to each other and brought into a warm room. During the first days, until small sprouts appear, additional lighting is not needed.

Onion bulbs prepared for planting in a greenhouse must be selected by size. Bulbs with a diameter of 4-6 cm are best suited for this purpose. The neck of them is cut off to bring the bulb out of dormancy. Then all planting material is placed for several minutes in a pink manganese solution at a temperature of 40 °C. After this, the bulbs are laid out on a bed or in a container at intervals of 1 cm.

Watering is done with warm water depending on the condition of the soil. The top soil layer should be moderately moist, but not wet.

Growing dill

You can shorten the germination time of dill by pre-soaking the seeds. At a water temperature of about 50 °C, essential oils dissolve and seeds germinate much earlier. Within three days, the seeds swell and hatch. To prevent them from souring, they must be washed with running water twice a day.

Water your greens, but be careful not to overwater them.

The hatched seeds are dried and sown in ridges in furrows no more than 2 cm deep. It is better to water before emergence by sprinkling daily. After the first green blades of grass appear, watering is reduced to once or twice a week to maintain the top layer of soil moist.

Humidity, temperature and watering

For the first time (immediately after planting), the seeds need to be covered. For these purposes, you can use a cap made of plastic or polyethylene. Using this method, air humidity increases. When shoots appear, the “shelter” is removed.

The optimal temperature, which is suitable for most plants, is considered to be 16-16 degrees. If the indicators are higher, it is important to monitor the humidity of not only the air, but also the substrate and, if necessary, spray the seedlings.

Watering greens grown on the window should be regular. It is important to prevent both waterlogging and drying out of the soil. The frequency depends on the structure of the soil, as well as the type of greenery.

In winter, the watering regime needs to be adjusted, because... greenery will grow close to heating devices that dry the air. To maintain humidity, you can place containers of water near the crops or cover the radiators with a damp towel and make sure that it remains wet constantly. The watering itself must be done with pre-settled water.

Growing parsley

To speed up the process of germination and growth of green mass, parsley seeds are placed in a damp cloth for five days. Then the germinated seeds are placed in an environment with a temperature of 1 °C for 10 days.

Planting material treated in this way germinates in two weeks, unlike a month or more for ordinary seeds.

Parsley seeds are laid out to a depth of no more than 2 cm. The distance between them should be about 5 cm.

Then the soil is moistened with a sprayer and maintained in this condition until the first shoots appear.

Unlike onions and dill, parsley does not like high soil moisture, and watering is done as the top layer of soil dries out.

Growing lettuce

Almost all lettuces have rather small seeds, so sowing is done to a depth of about 1 cm. The distance between lettuce plants for the splendor of the bush should be no more than 6 cm.

If this was not possible during sowing, then it is advisable to thin out the seedlings. Watering lettuce is best done by drip, placing the hoses between the grooves. With this watering system, the plants will remain clean. The soil must be kept moist.

For growing you can choose arugula

Watercress is sowed in heaps, without maintaining the distance between plants. In this case, it is convenient to cut off the overgrown greenery with scissors.

Containers for planting herbs and spices

You can use absolutely any containers for planting herbs or spices, from wooden pallets to pots and plastic bowls. The only requirement for containers for growing plants is the presence of drainage holes in the bottom through which excess water will flow out during watering.

Some lovers of homemade greens make their own boxes from spruce boards. It is optimal to make such containers for planting in the following sizes: length - 45 cm, width - 25 cm and height - 13-14 cm. The thickness of the boards themselves should be about 1.5 cm.

Helpful information

Daria Vorontsova

Amateur gardener. He is interested in growing various greens at home.

To make containers for planting, you should not take the remains of furniture boards - in the process of regular watering of plants, the coating of such walls of the box will peel off, and the harmful substances released will get into the soil, and then into the greenery.

Comments (9)

• Marina

  06/13/2016 at 00:18 |
  A heated greenhouse is a good idea if you live outside the city permanently or live until winter. Unfortunately, we don’t have such an opportunity, so we grow greens on the window and on the balcony in the apartment.

  Answer

  Sergey

  03/25/2019 at 01:42 pm |

  Also a double-edged sword. The cost of heating a greenhouse in winter can reach such sums that after you harvest the crop and receive a receipt for paying for electricity, you will understand that dill and onions are simply “golden”. So such cultivation makes sense only on an industrial scale and for sale. It's cheaper to buy for yourself.

  Answer

  Yulia Expert Plodogorod

  03/26/2019 at 01:12 |

  Hello, Sergey! You are absolutely right, when growing greens and other plants for your own consumption, regardless of the season, you will have to spend a lot of money on heating the greenhouse. At low speeds it will not be profitable.

  But many gardeners do this not to save money, but to get better quality products that are not treated with chemicals.

  In addition, it is not necessary to purchase electric heaters; there are various installations available that require wood or coal. On a large scale, this is also not cheap, but it is still more profitable than paying for electricity.

  We would like to note that if the gardener’s goal is to get greens and some vegetables a little earlier in the spring, and not constantly, then providing heating is not so troublesome and expensive. The main problem is maintaining a set temperature at night, although most plants require less heat at this time of day.

  There are a few more tricks that help retain heat. For example, using a very thick film, or even laying it in several layers. It is also important to ensure optimal soil temperature. This should be taken care of even at the stage of building the greenhouse.

  Usually, thermal insulation material is buried around the perimeter, which is not susceptible to moisture. When growing crops in winter, of course, more serious measures are needed. For example, laying pipes in the ground through which warm water circulates.

  But you will still have to spend money on electricity, even if the harvest is simply planned to be received earlier than usual. This is explained by the need for artificial lighting. After all, at the beginning of spring there is still not enough natural light. Plants may become yellow and elongated.

  It is worth adding that having a heated greenhouse you can not only get vegetables, berries or herbs earlier, but also later, when the autumn cold comes. This is relevant if several landings are planned during the season.

  Answer

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's summarize and determine the main advantages and disadvantages of growing greens in order to make money.

The advantages of this type of business:

• Anyone can grow greens for sale, even those without special gardening knowledge;
• the first profit comes quickly, as the greenery grows and develops at high speed;
• there is an opportunity to use the Unified Agricultural Tax system;
• small investments at first if you plan to grow greens at home or in the summer;
• good demand for the product;
• there is the possibility of gradually developing and expanding the business as funds accumulate, and you can start growing greens right away.

There are many benefits to growing greens to sell.

Disadvantages of a greens growing business:

• high competition in the market;
• to grow greens all year round on an industrial scale, you need an expensive greenhouse;
• it is impossible to sell this product through stores without obtaining permits;
• short shelf life of greens.

Strawberries in a greenhouse all year round as a business

Looking at people earning big money in the gardening industry, you involuntarily begin to think about creating your own business. Strawberries in a greenhouse all year round as a business are one of the most profitable ideas in the field of entrepreneurship related to gardening.