[Homestead] Burning coal at home

Lynn Wigglesworth lynnw1366 at hotmail.com
Fri Dec 26 18:27:40 EST 2008


> How do you grow vegetables in your winter greenhouse with no heat?
>

I only grow things that can take some cold. Outside here is a zone 4/5, but 
in the greenhouse it's a zone 7/8. I'm slowly filling the north side of the 
greenhouse with figs. I love figs, but they won't grow outside here. They 
love it in the greenhouse. I can keep lettuce and other plants that can take 
some frost growing all winter. I'm trying an experiment this year; I had a 
lot of potatoes that sprouted, so I planted them in the greenhouse. They 
grew until the end of November, then got hit by frost. I'm wondering if 
they'll come back in March (when the greenhouse warms up again) so I'll have 
some nice early new potatoes.

I also use it to start plants. I'll be starting onions next month to set out 
in May. Then in March or April, I'll start the frost-sensitive plants so 
they will be ready to set out by the end of May. I have to do that with some 
large tomatoes and the large 120-day squash or they don't mature before 
frost.

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA 




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