Do many farmers grow there own salad crops in a greenhouse?

Wolds Beef · May 6, 2019

As above, If so what have you tried? Having been diagnosed with diabetes2 and lost 4.5 stone since November I am now trying to produce some of my own food. But I hate digging so Hanging baskets and pots are the answer but what do you grow?
WB

Chasingmytail · May 9, 2019

Yes toms, cucumbers, herbs and aubergines in polytunnel very easy just buy plants. raised beds in poly with good 2" compost no hand digging You can grow green leaves outside. We used a machine to dig the beds out as soil poor put in good quality soil then topped with a load of compost. I actually grow my lettuce/rocket/spinach down by house in more shelter patio in big pots as I find it better avoiding slugs and I can open patio window and cut straight from plant. Not difficult I can do it a lot of thought and planning no worries try Rocket gardens/Victoriana nurseries for strong plants. Well done on the weight loss my husband went from 18stone to 13stone by eating purely clean very little carbs and fitness.

betternextyear · May 9, 2019

Of course.
There would be no point in being a farmer ,If I didnt have a greenhouse full of tomato plants etc and a veg garden with fresh veg.
If you dont like digging go for raised beds, but digging is oddly satisfying after too many hours driving modern tractors.

hendrebc · May 9, 2019

Haven't done for a while since I moved from the farmhouse but it's easy. Just follow the instructions in the back of a seed packet and you won't go far wrong

SilliamWhale · May 9, 2019

Make some raised beds. No need to dig a garden ever

renewablejohn · May 9, 2019

If you dont want to go to the trouble of deep beds then 3 Ltr deep pots are quite adequate for most veg in a polytunnel. Cant think of many veg I dont grow in the polytunnel. Normally tropical stuff during the summer than outdoor crops over winter therefore using the polytunnel all year round.

Danllan · Jun 2, 2019

Wolds Beef said:
As above, If so what have you tried? Having been diagnosed with diabetes2 and lost 4.5 stone since November I am now trying to produce some of my own food. But I hate digging so Hanging baskets and pots are the answer but what do you grow?
WB

We grow lots of different things, fruits, salads and vegetables. Two idiot-proof (meaning me, in a garden) books that are very good are Bob Flowerdew's 'The no work garden' and Pippa Greenwood's 'Organic kitchen garden'. Whatever you know already, they'll help.

My Grandma and Mamgu - Welsh version - were both keen kitchen-gardeners and one grandfather too, so I had lots of fresh veg' when I was young and enjoyed working with them too. My father had no interest in it and my mother only liked flowers, so once the old folk were dead I didn't do it anymore.

Move on nearly thirty years and Mrs Danllan is a passionate kitchen-gardener. I had entirely forgotten just how good fresh things are until she re-opened my eyes; some newly cut young spinach, just rinsed, is absolutely delicious! Stick with large pots or troughs and properly raised beds you can sit on the edge of; much more manageable, the soil doesn't get compacted, you pay attention to more and so everything is much more productive.

We British used to - a few centuries ago - have a selection of over a hundred things to eat from the garden (rocket is back after decades of being ignored) but most shopping baskets will now have less than a dozen things in, including cereals. And just think how that is a tiny number compared to what we evolved to eat as hunter-gatherers, I can't believe anyone will be less healthy with a much greater variety in his diet.

Hesstondriver · Jun 3, 2019

Nothing gets the agronomist scratching his head like a "while your here can you just look at my : cucumber / pears / melons/ plums - there's something wrong with them ?"

Princess Pooper · Jun 3, 2019

I have toms in the greenhouse and also start of other things in there. I have a few old metal water troughs that started to leak, set along a south facing wall, filled to make some raised beds for salad leaves, with some supports to take beans etc up the wall. Nice and close to the house for watering and harvesting.

PS well done with the weight loss, that's a real achievement. A friend of mine in her 40's achieved about 8 stone loss and is now completely free of Type 2 diabetes.

guernseydonkey · Jun 13, 2019

that weight loss is impressive, give us a clue as to how you did it , i have been diagnosed type 2 ,and need to shift about 1 1/2 stone, but really struggling with it, dont want to be on metformin for ever !!

JCMaloney · Jun 13, 2019

guernseydonkey said:
that weight loss is impressive, give us a clue as to how you did it , i have been diagnosed type 2 ,and need to shift about 1 1/2 stone, but really struggling with it, dont want to be on metformin for ever !!

It really is as simple as eat less, move more. I would add to that eat less processed food. Fresh veg, decent meat/fish and less of it....and drink 2litres of water a day.
Decent breakfast, decent lunch, lighter tea so you aren`t "sitting" on belly full.
And be sensible with bad things ... don`t exclude them from your life or you`ll get cravings which often knock folk off the rails.
My weaknesses are cheese & beer........ so make them treats on a good week.
If you lose 1 or 2lb a week thats fine.

Alan88 · Jun 17, 2019

Is there anything can be planted now or in the next few weeks? Thought of a good place at the farm for raised beds but maybe I should just plan to be ready for next spring now that half the year is gone.

Danllan · Jun 18, 2019

Alan88 said:
Is there anything can be planted now or in the next few weeks? Thought of a good place at the farm for raised beds but maybe I should just plan to be ready for next spring now that half the year is gone.

Just drop into your local ag' merchant or nursery and take a look at the seeds on display, if something catches your eye, look on the back of the packet and it will show you the growing times. I'd say do it now rather than leave it until next year, and then the next...

br jones · Jun 18, 2019

My good lady always has something growing ,you could plant cut and comeagain lettuce in a growbag ,not to late for tomatoes , little late for runner beans nut an indian summer and they would be fine

Alan88 · Jun 18, 2019

Will have a look and see what there is then. Don't think I'll bother with tomatoes in northern Ireland unless it's in a polytunnel

and planted a few lettuce at home a week or two ago

Gadget · Jun 18, 2019

Whilst on this subject, does anyone have recommendations for varieties of veg with good flavour?
We are trying Orange Paruche tomatoes this year, we also wanted some Tumbling Bella but couldn't find any plants or seeds by the time we got our act together.

B1982 · Jun 19, 2019

I have a garden full of fruit and veg. No digging required, or raised beds. I make alot of compost and just layer 5ft wide beds at ground level with a couple of inches each year.The garden has really improved since I stopped digging actually.

Gadget said:
Whilst on this subject, does anyone have recommendations for varieties of veg with good flavour?
We are trying Orange Paruche tomatoes this year, we also wanted some Tumbling Bella but couldn't find any plants or seeds by the time we got our act together.

I grow Sungold, Gardeners delight and Shirley. The Sungold have the best flavour IMO the children love them. We picked the first small handful for this year this evening as it happens.

Chasingmytail · Jun 20, 2019

Gadget said:
Whilst on this subject, does anyone have recommendations for varieties of veg with good flavour?
We are trying Orange Paruche tomatoes this year, we also wanted some Tumbling Bella but couldn't find any plants or seeds by the time we got our act together.

Go to Real Seeds http://www.realseeds.co.uk/ I also like Tamar seeds there is a good online catalogue I always review the options. I find Charles Dowding gives his opinion in his books too.

Unfort I havent planted in the poly this year after all. Too many things going on best advice is do small scale but make sure you pop in every day. My issue is mising a day or so and its ruined.

Clive · Jun 20, 2019

Got a battle on with planners over my greenhouse

Planning appeal on going ! Crazy when I consider the many thousands of square footage of storage and house builds I’ve done without bother in the past !

Jameshenry · Jun 20, 2019

Clive said:
Got a battle on with planners over my greenhouse

Planning appeal on going ! Crazy when I consider the many thousands of square footage of storage and house builds I’ve done without bother in the past !

How big is your greenhouse going to be ?

Do many farmers grow there own salad crops in a greenhouse?

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

New Member

Member

Staff Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page