Winter greenhouse is an opportunity to receive fresh fruit and vegetable products all year round. Planting cultivated plants for winter in such greenhouses has its pros and cons, and is also characterized by a number of features. What can be sown before winter in the greenhouse and how to do it, read below.

Features of winter planting in the greenhouse

In a polycarbonate greenhouse, you can plant any winter-hardy crops. For beginning farmers it is better to prefer one when approaching the question of choosing crops for growing in winter. Over time, when the whole process is completed, and the work is well-established, you can begin to combine several cultures. To make the most rational use of the presence of a winter greenhouse, you need to equip it with a heating system.

If, for example, in the Krasnodar Territory it is possible to grow products in greenhouses without heating in a warm bed, in the northern regions this cannot be done without additional equipment. In addition to warming, additional illumination will be required, and for most cultures. The optimal daylight hours for most cultures are 10-14 hours, and in the winter by 4 o'clock in the evening the street already begins to darken.

Room heating can be done using:

• coarse kilns - it is built in the part of the building where the entrance is located, the drawback is the strong drying of the air;
• electrical equipment - if it is possible to connect to the mains, you can use convectors, fireplaces and infrared heaters, which are the most economical in the consumption of electricity;
• an air hose drawn around the entire perimeter of the building - it quickly warms up the air, but dries it too much.

Important! On organic beds do not plant crops that are prone to the accumulation of nitrates.

Soil heating in the greenhouse can be provided in several ways:

1. Lay a heating cable to a depth of 40 cm under the ground - the advantage of such heating is the ability to control the soil temperature up to 1 °. The system is set up so that when the cable is heated to + 25 ° C, a shutdown occurs.
2. Lay pipes at a depth of 40 cm - this system can also be used to heat indoor air by equipping the pipes not only underground, but throughout the building. In addition to the pipeline, a water heating boiler with a pump will be required, from which hot water will be launched through the pipes and distilled. Pipes are best selected from copper or plastic.
3. Biological method - the upper 40 cm of soil is removed and compost layers are laid, which, when rotted, will generate heat. The first layer will be sawdust scalded with a solution of manganese. The second layer is plant debris sprinkled with wood ash. The third layer - 60 kg of humus + 10 kg of sand + 5 kg of sawdust. To this composition add 1 tbsp. l superphosphate and urea + 3 tbsp. wood ash + 1 tsp. potassium sulfate, boric acid and zinc sulfate. Then, for every 1 m², 50 liters of water are added, evenly distributing it, and covered with a film. After 3-4 weeks, you can begin planting work. If you bookmark the beds in November, then in December you can already plant the first seeds.
4. Horse manure or fresh mullein is the second variation of the biological method. At the time of the construction of the greenhouse, before laying the foundation, the upper 40 cm of soil is removed from the site and for every 1 m² 10 kg of available manure and compost are laid. The mixture is thoroughly mixed and watered with hot (+ 40 ° C) water. Then, the removed soil layer is returned to its original place.

Organic warm beds can be used not only in greenhouses, but also on open ground, if you want all crops to sprout in the spring much earlier. In addition to heating, such a bed makes it possible to completely abandon the application of fertilizers for several seasons, or rather, 3 years. That is how long the process of decay will last.

Winter sowing is carried out taking into account several factors relating to specific crops:

• appropriateness - it is necessary to decide how appropriate it will be to cultivate a particular crop, and also to consider the possibilities of selling and using surplus of the obtained products;
• rationality - it is necessary to assess the possibilities of creating optimal conditions for specific crops, taking into account the timing of sowing, in order to rationally use a year-round greenhouse;
• profitability - it is important for those who are going to receive monetary benefits from growing specific plants.

When planting plants under such conditions, it is necessary to take into account the advantages and disadvantages of this growing technique. This will help to choose the right crops, as well as organize work to care for them.

Did you know? Greenhouses in our latitudes are mainly intended for organizing plant growth in winter. In hot countries, the opposite is true - the greenhouse plays the role of a protective shield against ultraviolet sunlight and moisture storage.

Benefits

• The main advantages of winter planting in a greenhouse:
• shifting the timing of plant vegetation;
• yield increase;
• passing the stratification process in the soil by the seeds;
• increasing the resistance of the resulting specimens to disease, the absence of pests.

disadvantages

• The main disadvantages of winter cultivation of plants in greenhouses:
• the taste of the product differs from that obtained in the summer;
• the ability to grow only self-pollinated hybrids;
• seed germination during winter planting below.

What should be a winter greenhouse

For year-round use, you need an insulated capital greenhouse, which is located on a small hill or located on a flat area. The building must be protected from the north winds, for which the wall on the windy side can:

• make deaf;
• equip with insulated vestibule.

A good option would be an annex to a business building or residential premises. The winter greenhouse must be installed on a foundation, deepened by 0.8 m. In such a building, protection against flooding by precipitation, melt and groundwater should be provided. In winter, the heating system should work flawlessly, because the slightest deviation in a microclimate will cause the death of plants.

In addition, the greenhouse should be equipped with an irrigation system, ideally a drip (to save water), as well as a ventilation system. If in the summer and spring the process of photosynthesis of plants can be carried out without additional lighting, then in winter this will be impossible. In this regard, you need to take care of the organization of re-education.

The best option is infrared lamps. The greenhouse must be equipped with thermometers in order to be able to control the temperature regime. Even in the most severe frost, the minimum allowable indicator is + 15 ° C. Optimally, the room temperature should be maintained within the range of +20 ... + 23 ° С.

Learn more about greenhouse lighting.

Greenhouse crops that can be grown at different times of the year

The following plant types are suitable for growing in year-round greenhouses:

• greens - onions, parsley, sorrel, basil, salad;
• root crops - carrots, beets, radishes, early potatoes;
• berries - strawberries, gourds;
• vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, Bulgarian and hot peppers, eggplant;
• medicinal herbs - mint, aloe;
• flowers - roses, peonies, lilies, asters, violets, snowdrops, tulips;
• ornamental plants that are designed for home growing;
• Exotic plants - bananas, oranges, tangerines, lemons, kiwi.

According to the rational organization of the use of useful space, there are cultures:

• predecessors - cold-resistant vegetables and greens (early carrots, radishes, parsley, dill);
• the main ones are cucumbers, tomatoes, nightshade;
• intermediate - they are planted in gaps not occupied by the main plants;
• winter - sorrel, onion, garlic, parsnip.

When growing cultivated plants in a greenhouse, the microclimate conditions must be taken into account.

An unheated greenhouse in winter is used for:

• growing greens and early root crops that are harvested in the spring;
• cultivation of onion sets for greens and seedlings;
• storage of bulbs of cultivated plants;
• placement of biennial plants with reduced cold resistance;
• sowing flower and ornamental crops for the winter;
• sowing corn, legumes and thyme at the end of February for subsequent transfer of seedlings to the open ground.

In a heated greenhouse in winter, you can grow almost any plant.

Did you know? One of the Swiss families designed an unusual greenhouse. This solution allows not only to enjoy the presence of an ecologically clean zone directly in the house, but also to increase energy saving in the living room - when it is -3 ° С outside, the temperature in the house is always kept within +15 ... + 20 ° С.

How to plant plants in a greenhouse before winter

First of all, you should take care of the quality of the soil in the beds. On insulated beds annually change the fertile layer (about 20 cm). In greenhouses where it is planned to grow from 4 different crops, long beds are zoned. This is especially important if cultures need varying degrees of light and humidity. The most correct way to organize the rational zoning of the greenhouse is to separate the cultures from each other.

To do this, you need to take temperature measurements near the side walls and separate the areas cooler and warmer using any material available. It can be a transparent film or plywood (for large greenhouses). After the organization of the zones, they select the crops that are most suitable for growing on a particular site.

Basic vegetables are cucumbers and tomatoes. They are placed in the warmest areas. In the remaining territory, other plants are placed that are more loyal to the temperature regime. In large rooms, the main factor affecting the placement of crops on the beds is the height of the bushes.

If you plant tall crops attached to vertical trellises near the side walls, stunted plants located on the inner beds will suffer from a lack of lighting. It will correctly place tall crops in the middle of the building, and stunted and root crops - at the side walls.

Important! When placing crops in a greenhouse, do not thicken the rows too much. This will interfere with normal air circulation, which will lead to the spread of harmful bacteria.

Growing and caring for planting vegetables for the winter

Growing conditions and agricultural technology in heated and unheated greenhouses will vary.

In an unheated greenhouse

In unheated greenhouses, various types of herbs, onions and garlic are mainly grown. Such plants need a temperature in the range of +12 ... + 20 ° С, which can be perfectly maintained due to the insulation of the beds with organic matter. Watering should be daily, but not too plentiful.

For normal development, these crops need good lighting. If you install infrared lamps in a greenhouse, they will play the role of not only lighting devices, but will also help to heat the environment.

You can place them in the immediate vicinity of plants. When growing on beds insulated with organic matter, additional planting fertilizer is not required. Once a week, shallow loosening of the soil should be carried out to ensure air to the roots.

Important! To maximize the use of the useful space of the greenhouse, you can grow seedlings of various crops in flower pots suspended from the ceiling. In the same way, you can grow some varieties of tomatoes, ampelous plants, etc.

In a greenhouse with heating

In greenhouses with heating, it is important to monitor air humidity. The best indicator is 70–75%. The temperature for plants must be maintained in a comfortable mode - + 20 ° C. This temperature is suitable for any crop. Watering is carried out every 2-3 days depending on the condition of the soil. It is better to organize an automated drip irrigation system and supply water in small quantities daily, so that the soil is always moist (50-60%) and loose.

Fertilizers are applied according to the schedule, if the warming of the beds was carried out not by organic matter. After unfolding the leaves, nitrogen-containing top dressing will be required. To do this, you can use a solution of liquid mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3. After 3 weeks, they begin to fertilize the leaf and under the root with a solution of wood ash (add 10 g of powder to 10 liters of water and boil it).

After this, the solution is decanted and cooled to a temperature of + 25 ° C. Once a week, loosening is mandatory. For bush crops, formative pruning is performed and the lashes must be tied to vertical or horizontal trellises. Leaves located as close to the soil as possible are removed to prevent the spread of infection.

Possible growing problems

Most often, gardeners are faced with the fact that the planted crop does not grow in the greenhouse. This may be due to:

• wrong seed choice - only hybrid self-pollinated varieties are suitable for growing in greenhouses;
• poor-quality soil preparation - not a single crop will grow on acidified, cold soil;
• lack of sufficient light - in the greenhouse for the winter, additional illumination must be organized;
• lack of nutrients in the soil - in closed ground plants deplete the soil much faster;
• diseases and pests - before planting, you need to disinfect the soil.

With increasing humidity, outbreaks of fungal diseases are observed. If this happens, you need to adjust the microclimate in the greenhouse and process it with appropriate means, and after harvesting, replace the top 20 cm of soil to avoid repeated outbreaks.

You will be interested to know how to cultivate the earth in a greenhouse in the fall from diseases and pests.

The advice of gardeners who have long successfully cultivated various crops in greenhouses will help to avoid some difficulties:

1. When planting, use only high-quality seed material that has been treated with disinfectants and growth accelerators.
2. Separate different cultures from each other and competently approach the combination of primary and secondary plants.
3. For greenhouse equipment, use quality materials that are resistant to environmental influences.
4. For winter planting, prepare fertile soil 2 months before sowing. For disinfection, you can use Fitosporin. It not only plays the role of an antibacterial agent, but also increases the fertility of the soil.
5. In the greenhouse, fertilize more often on the leaf than under the root. This will increase the ability to absorb nutrients from the soil from the roots of plants.

The presence of a winter greenhouse on the site opens up many prospects for gardeners. To benefit from such a structure, it is not necessary to plant a large number of plants in it. You can start with greenery, which is developing rapidly and gives high yields with a minimum of energy consumption.