Pushing the Season: Early Spring Greenhouse Planting
Tanya, I usually transplant around late April, but next year I want to hold off and wait out the late May spring frosts indoors. I’ll only plant out the determinates early, aiming for mid-April.
So the greenhouse doesn’t just sit empty, I’m going to plant green onions, radishes, Napa cabbage, lettuce, and other greens in there in March.
Aleksan9ra said on Dec 19, 2021:
Tanya, I usually transplant around late April, but next year I want to hold off and wait out the late May spring frosts indoors. I’ll only plant out the determinates early, aiming for mid-April.
So the greenhouse doesn’t just sit empty, I’m going to plant green onions, radishes, Napa cabbage, lettuce, and other greens in there in March.
Late spring frosts aren’t the scariest thing if the soil temperature has reached at least 57°F (14°C) by then. And not just in the raised greenhouse beds! Well, maybe the center bed is fine since it’s always warmer and insulated from the cold outdoor soil.
Transplanting tomatoes in mid-April is something we can only dream of! Right into the greenhouse? Does the soil even allow it? Have you tried it before? What varieties are you planning? I’m so curious about all of this!
And planting greens in March! A dream! Is the Moscow region really that different from the Leningrad region? Almost a month’s difference! But either way, my greenhouse greens wouldn’t have time to yield anything before the main crops go in… Here is how I plant my tomatoes in early May. It looks like a war zone 😂 Where am I supposed to find room for early crops when it’s still freezing cold outside in mid-April?
So you definitely need dedicated patches of dirt for early crops. Or you have to plant the main crops in a smaller volume. Just pop them in without disturbing anything around them….
Let me show you 2 more photos of my little plant babies so we can get better acquainted 🤝
Right after transplanting into the greenhouse. And a week later.
I checked my photos. On April 3rd, my seedlings were already out in the greenhouse in cups, cylinders, and trays. Sitting under hoops, row covers, and bubble wrap. In late April, I transplanted lettuce and dill directly into the aisles between the tomato rows.
I soaked radish seeds and direct-sowed them on April 4th (by April 23rd they were showing little colored shoulders). On the 4th I also sowed arugula and transplanted ‘Totem’ bunching onions. By May 12th, I planted peppers out of 2-liter pots right into that same space.
Digging the holes for the tomatoes and peppers where the greens were growing was a bit of a hassle. But from May 1st, we had fresh lettuce, dill, and green onions on the table 😋. I’d scoop the soil into a 5-liter bucket, amend it, place the tomato plant in the hole, fill it not quite to the top, water it deeply, and then top it off with soil.
Lyuda, 🙏 you taught me how to start dill and beet seedlings, and that incredibly delicious ‘Azart’ lettuce. I don’t even plant other varieties now.
I dig up the greenhouse beds as early as possible. There might still be ice crunching under the shovel near the walls. I dig trenches for 3 tomato plants (2 indeterminates and 1 short determinate). I plant my bunching onions, or ideally small store-bought sets. We harvest the middle row earlier. We plant ‘Azart’ lettuce seedlings and dill for continuous cutting. It’s constant. The photo is from March 29th. Before the tomatoes even go into the greenhouse, the whole thing is packed with other crops, and we have fresh greens on the table constantly. Greetings from Siberia, Tomsk.
Lyuda, we’ll be waiting for your guide on the initial soilless seed starting method. We need to wrap our heads around it, there are only 2 months left! 😄
PomiTa said on Dec 19, 2021:
Where am I supposed to find room for early crops when it’s still freezing cold outside in mid-April?
Tatyana, my beds are planned out exactly the same way. I find room for radishes and greens. On my narrow beds, I simply plant the tomatoes in a single row instead of two. And I sow the radishes right along the edges of the bed. That way, when it’s time to transplant the tomato seedlings, those early greens aren’t in my way, and I’m not in theirs.
