From: "Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Burning coal at home
Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:27:40 -0500
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.