Stopping Inside the Vegetable Greenhouse
My outdoor garden beds are all cleared for the winter, but fresh, delicious vegetables are growing beautifully indoors - in a special greenhouse I had constructed several years ago that was inspired by Eliot Coleman, an expert in four-season farming.
Last week was cloudy and dreary here at my Bedford, New York farm. The deciduous trees are bare, my tropical plants are tucked away in their designated hoop houses, and all the precious boxwood shrubs and hedges are enveloped in protective burlap. During this time of year, it's nice to step into the vegetable greenhouse to see the lush, organic produce thriving.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is the exterior of my Vegetable Greenhouse. It is located near my Equipment Barn next to the Hay Barn and one of three hoop houses. This structure uses minimal artificial heat, where many cold hardy crops, such as root vegetables and brassicas, can be grown and harvested through the winter months.
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- Most of the energy comes naturally through the big windows up above and all around the structure. These windows can be programmed to open for ventilation or cooling when needed.
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- We built 16 of these wooden garden boxes to fit the entire length and width of the space. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
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- Having a greenhouse like this one means we can harvest a lot of vegetables all year long – I use spinach for my daily green juice. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2.
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- The vegetables always grow so nicely inside this greenhouse. Just look at this cauliflower head. Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea in the genus Brassica, which is in the Brassicaceae or mustard family.
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- We also have broccoli in this greenhouse. It’s done so wonderfully indoors. To grow broccoli successfully, it must get at least six hours of direct sunlight per day or grow lights timed to provide the same amount of direct exposure. And they need room – each broccoli plant should be allowed at least a couple feet of overall space and six to 12 inches of soil depth.
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- All my plants are grown organically and have no chemical taste at all. This is the celery – also great for my daily green juice. Celery is part of the Apiaceae family, which includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, and celeriac.
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- Looking more closely, one can see the familiar crunchy celery stalks.
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- Here’s our bed of parsley. Parsley is a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning “rock celery.” It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established.
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- It’s a real treat to have lettuce like this through the year. I grow lots of lettuce for me and my family.
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- Some of these lettuces will be picked very soon.
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- And some will be ready in several weeks. All our vegetables are planted at different times as part of succession planting, a practice of seeding crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. I am a big fan of succession planting. This dramatically increases a garden’s yield, while also improving produce quality.
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- The Swiss chard stalk colors can be seen through the leaves. They are so vibrant with stems of red, yellow, rose, gold, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets. Swiss chard is part of the goosefoot family – aptly named because the leaves resemble a goose’s foot. The most common method for picking is to cut off the outer leaves about two inches above the ground while they are young, tender, and about eight to 12 inches long. Older leaves are often stripped off the plants and discarded to allow the young leaves to continue to grow.
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- Beet stems are also quite colorful in deep red. Beets are sweet and tender – and one of the healthiest foods. Beets contain a unique source of phytonutrients called betalains, which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support.
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- Nearby – the newer beet sprouts just poking through the soil.
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- Kale is related to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. There are many different types of kale – the leaves can be green or purple in color, and have either smooth or curly shapes.
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- Curly leafed kale is usually bright-green and tends to have a strong peppery flavor.
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- In this bed – beautiful growing turnips. When harvesting, I always gently remove the surrounding earth first to see if the vegetables are big enough. If not, I push the soil back into place. Turnips are smooth flat, round and white vegetables that mature early and are best harvested young – when they are up to two inches in diameter. The flavor is sweet and fruity, and the texture is crisp and tender. Both the root and the leaves of the turnip are edible. The leaves have a taste similar to mustard greens but with a less intense spicy flavor.
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- Also stored in this greenhouse is this grapefruit tree. Look at all the gorgeous grapefruits that are growing!
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- In another corner, Carambola, also known as star fruit, native to tropical Southeast Asia. It is a sweet and sour fruit that has the shape of a five-point star. The skin is edible and the flesh has a mild, sour flavor that makes it popular in a number of dishes.
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- This year, we also decided to try growing strawberries indoors. Homegrown strawberries are so tasty and among the easiest berries to grow. They are cold-hardy and adaptable and can be planted in both garden beds and containers. I am sure they will do very well in this greenhouse.
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- There’s nothing like the taste of fresh organic vegetables from one’s own garden. By the end of the week, the clouds disappeared and we saw sunny blue skies. Today, we’re expecting snow showers early and more clouds this afternoon with temperatures in the 40s.
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