November Greenhouse Tour

Today I want to give a quick tour of the greenhouse to show what’s growing in there in early November. All the summer plants have been cleared out now, and I have started planting crops for fall and winter growing. I’ve also begun the process of bringing in potted herbs to overwinter in there, which will provide us with fresh herbs for much of the winter. Our greenhouse is big enough to give us a good variety of greens and herbs in the cooler months, and it is one of my favorite times since the pace of gardening is much slower in the winter months.

greenhouse with landscaping in 2019

I have parsley planted at one end of the beds, and the plants I set out this summer should keep us well supplied until they complete their life cycle and bolt to flower next spring. The tallest plant in the back is Gigante di Napoli, a cold hardy Italian flat leaf variety with large leaves. I also have Cilician and Splendid planted nearby.

parsley plants

I started the seeds for lettuce and other greens indoors under lights about a month ago. I have several old favorites planted plus a few new ones like the Green Curls container kale I got from Renee’s Garden. I have it plus their Tuscan Baby Leaf kale planted in containers, and they are big enough now to begin cutting individual leaves.

Green Curls (L) and Tuscan Baby Leaf (R) kale plants

I have several containers planted with various kinds of mizuna and arugula. Miz America mizuna/mustard has burgundy colored leaves and a mild flavor that works well in salads and for soups. Speedy arugula is a long time favorite, and we use it on pizzas along with other dishes.

arugula and mizuna

The Salanova line of lettuces always do well for me in the greenhouse. I have the Red and Green Oakleaf varieties planted in one small salad box, and Red and Green Butter planted in a larger box.

Salanova butter lettuce plants

I also have lettuce planted in one bed on the right side of the greenhouse, along with a few curly kale plants. I potted up a few of the seedlings about two weeks ago to help them develop good root systems, and they have taken off nicely while growing in the protected environment of the greenhouse. The lettuce I planted includes favorites like Starfighter, Bergam’s Green and Grazion plus newcomers here like Tehama and Thai Oakleaf. The kale I set out is Winterbor and Starbor, two that do well for me in the greenhouse and in cold frame plantings.

planting the lettuce

Grazion lettuce seedling

After planting, I spread Sluggo Plus on the bed to help keep down the slugs and sowbugs, and then gave all the plants a good drink of a fish emulsion/seaweed solution (Neptunes Harvest).

inside the greenhouse

I have more chores to do in the greenhouse, including planting the other side of the beds with some onion sets and a few collard plants I have growing, If there’s room, I can even set out more lettuce plants since I still have quite a few left. I plan to get those things done in the next few days.

collard seedlings

I hope you enjoyed this look at what’s growing in the greenhouse. I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres – including an update from the vegetable garden.