Mother's Mini-Manual: Greenhouse Gardening

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For a quick sampling of flowers and vegetables by climatic types, note the following general classifications given by F.F. Rockwell in Gardening Under Glass (Doubleday, Page, & Co.: New York, 1923).

COOL (35 to 40°F, night): chrysanthemum, sweet pea, violet, endive, lettuce, parsley, radish and spinach.

INTERMEDIATE (45 to 55°F, night): cactus, carnation, geranium, gladiolus, hyacinth, iris, asparagus, beans, beets, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, peas and rhubarb.

WARM (55 to 65°F, night): amarylis, begonia, fuchsia, azalea, hibiscus, rose, beans, peppers, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, melons, grapes, peaches, nectarines and strawberries.

HOT (65 to 80°F, night): begonia, lily-of-the-valley, gardenia, philodendron, cucumber, eggplant, melons and citrus fruits.

SELECTING YOUR GREENHOUSE CROP²

As you begin to plan your garden menu there are some things you will need to consider. First, of course, you will want to list all of the different things you and your family like to eat. Then you will need to eliminate from that list some of the things that are not practical to grow in a greenhouse. While sweet corn is delicious and would grow well in a greenhouse, the amount of space that it would require, and the length of time that it takes to bear, divided by the amount of produce it will yield, shows us that it is not practical. Crops that bear but once, and have a long growing period before they reach maturity, are not desirable in a greenhouse where space is at a premium—especially if the plants are large and bulky, such as corn. Another example is the artichoke, which takes a year to reach maturity, and asparagus, which takes two to three years to reach maturity. Peanuts take five months to reach maturity and to obtain satisfactory yield would require far too much space. Potatoes should not be grown in the greenhouse because they are a harbinger of disease, and will infect the soil.

PLANNING FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCTION²

With proper planning the production of a greenhouse can be multiplied many times over that of one planted without any planning. For example, when tomatoes, pole beans, cucumbers or any such climbing plants are placed, they should be along the back or north wall of the greenhouse. By placing stakes in the ground and running cord to the ceiling of the greenhouse, these plants can be attached to the cord and trained to climb to the roof. Thus, they will be able to pick up ample sun which has passed over the tops of shorter plants placed in front of them. Near the outside wall would be an ideal place to plant such low-growing plants as radishes, onions and carrots; next could come beets, turnips, broccoli and Brussels sprouts; then lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach and celery; after that you could have peas, cauliflower, cabbages and beans; finally, we have the tomatoes, pole beans and climbing plants. Thus, from the south or outside wall, we have the smaller or lower growing plants; to the rear or north wall, we have a gradually ascending scale of height until we come to the last row, next to the rear wall, where the tallest plants are placed.

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