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Winter vegetable garden in the greenhouse

Mijn eerste serre in 2016 was 6 m² groot.

Winter vegetable garden in the greenhouse

In the meantime, the last tomatoes are ripening on the bare vines of our tomato plants. Outside, ripening will be a bit slower than in the greenhouse or hothouse. Many vegetable gardeners have worked hard in the summer and preserved a lot of vegetables for the winter. After the tomato harvest, they tidy up the vegetable garden for the winter. Some sow a green manure to give the soil energy for the coming year. I personally choose to sow some more vegetables in my greenhouse . Fresh rocket with beef carpaccio as a starter on Christmas Eve, a crunchy lettuce mix with radishes and cheese cubes for lunch or a delicious stewed young carrot in the spring. Yes, I want that. Every year I add fresh compost to my greenhouse for my tomato cultivation, the energy that remains is for my winter greenhouse . Checking the temperatures daily and peeking inside my greenhouse to see if everything is going well, that's how I stay busy.

last tomatoes

Are you also interested in a winter vegetable garden in the greenhouse or conservatory and are you wondering if you will actually get something on your plate when it is shiveringly cold outside? Then read the following article and follow some guidelines:

Winter vegetable garden in the greenhouse - Which plants?

The greenhouse , the hothouse, the cold frame. All names for spaces in your garden where you protect and stimulate your crops. You protect them from the weather and stimulate them with sun.

Vegetable garden plants for cold climate or vegetable garden plants for cold periods are ideal for our winter vegetable garden in the greenhouse . The night temperatures below 10 degrees in the greenhouse will still be higher than the outside temperature. Also, the cold or frost settles on the glass and not directly on the vegetables.

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There are many vegetables that you can grow in colder weather conditions in your 'glass (or plastic) winter vegetable garden'. In the Vegetable garden calendars on this site you can see per month what you can sow. Below is a selection of what you can still do in the greenhouse . An overview:

September :

October :

November :

December :

January :

In the webshop of moestuinweetjes you can order many varieties. You can also click on the crop cards above and click on the links to the different types.

Benefits of the winter vegetable garden

The winter vegetable garden has many advantages.

  • First of all, we can continue gardening, albeit less intensively and on a smaller scale. Keeping busy in the garden is often missed and with a winter vegetable garden you stay wonderfully busy.
  • If the conservatory is in your garden, it will also add some colour to your garden during the grey winter days.
  • What motivates me the most are crispy fresh leafy vegetables. A crispy peppery mustard lettuce, also called mizuna , in the winter is worth its weight in gold to me. Fresh herbs in the winter are also an absolute added value in your kitchen. The herbs that I freeze I usually use in warm preparations, in cold preparations, I like to dive into my cold greenhouse.
  • A winter vegetable garden also gives you a flying start for the following year, where you often have to wait for the first vegetables. You can also grow your seedlings of the year in it.
  • And finally, in your winter garden you also have more choice than what is offered in the supermarkets for native vegetables. You also have to buy less vegetables from the supermarket that have travelled halfway around the world.

Disadvantages

  • Investing in a conservatory or greenhouse can cost a lot of money. If you are a handyman, you can keep the costs down considerably. Screw together a few old windows and you can continue your hobby in the winter.
  • Maintaining your own winter vegetable garden may seem less interesting economically, since you can often get it cheaper in the supermarket. But does that weigh up against the healthy body and mind that the vegetable garden can offer you???
  • If you need to heat your conservatory in the winter, this requires extra attention. You need to keep a close eye on the weather and, in addition, additional heating costs money. Although this is very reasonable with an oil heater. Many conservatories are built against the house. This way, you recover the heat that leaves your house in the conservatory .

Considerations before installing a conservatory or greenhouse

Inform yourself well about the different types of greenhouses. Glass, safety glass, polycarbonate, foil tunnels , ... there are many different types. We will write an article about this someday.

Once you are convinced to install a greenhouse , you will want to find a good location. Find a piece of ground that is level and has the best possible position towards the sun. Pay attention to trees or other large objects that could be in the way. A small tree can grow large. Place your greenhouse or conservatory with the long side facing south as much as possible.

Make sure your greenhouse is big enough. In addition to your plants, you also need work space. A potting table, racks for your seedlings, ... Working in the greenhouse in the spring gives tons of energy.

Also think about a good layout of your greenhouse . Root vegetables can easily be grown in pots or containers under your seed tables. Also make sure that you have enough walking space in your winter vegetable garden. You can't enjoy your winter garden if you can't get to your vegetables.

Enjoy your winter vegetable garden!

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