This will be our first winter with our new greenhouse. We presently have "new" tomatos growing and basil..want to do more salad veggies. My question is....do I need to put more light in there..or is the winter sun going to be enough.?? I can provide the heat with my little kersone heater. Any ideas ???? Thanks !!

-- Helena (windyacs@ptdprolog.net), October 01, 2001

Answers

Yes you will need lights,amount of light is key to good growth and so are bees,remember that when planting greenhouse plants. If the "fruit" comes from a flower you need a polinator. Stick with leafy things. The heater will need to be vented too,gases will build up to quick.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), October 01, 2001.

You can be your own pollinator. Use a small paint brush (like those found in children's watercolor sets) and brush each fully opened flower. You may need to do this daily or until you see small fruit forming. You will need to do this to get any fruit from your tomatoes unless you release some sort of pollinating insect into your greenhouse but then you have to have the right conditions over winter for them. Tomatoes and basil will probably need extra light. Cool season crops (salad mixes, spinach, etc.) may be okay without depending on the situation of your greenhouse (full southern exposure, partial, any trees shading the greenhouse?) Experiment and see what works for you.

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), October 01, 2001.

Alot would depend on what part of the country you live in.I have kept tomatoes in a solar greenhouse clear into January,but in this location the natural light level drops off in early winter,and using grow lights is not cost effective,for us anyhow.As for the K-1 heater,I would agree with one of the other posts,the plants will suffer if not ventilated properly

-- Steve in Ohio (stevenb@ohiohills.com), October 01, 2001.

The heater will make co2 and help the plant. Not sure what other gases come from it. If it is safe for humans without ventilation then it should be safe for plants. You could get a metal halide or high pressure sodium light and have it come on for few hours before sunrise to get extra light and heat. Depending on size of light it will use about .4kw to 1kw / hr. Around here that would cost about 4 -10 cents per hour. I would get the light.

-- ed (edfrhes@aol.com), October 01, 2001.

Just a little follow up on the K-1 heater,burning kerosene consumes oxygen and produces carbon dioxide,sulfur dioxide,nitrogen dioxide,carbon monoxide and other gases.So ventilation must be provided to replace oxygen as well as to remove gases.

-- Steve in Ohio (stevenb@ohiohills.com), October 01, 2001.

There has been a little discussion about this going on over on the GardenWeb, indoor tomatoes specifically, other food plants generally. What it boiled down to was if you want to try growing indeterminiate type slicing tomatoes indoors, you will need metal halide bulbs, and your electricity costs will be very high on a per-tomato basis (the poster said $15 apiece, altho that may just have been humor). Another poster opined that his vines were lush and beautiful -- no tomatoes to speak of.

A third poster said she had experimented with growing dwarf determinates in pots in her greenhouse/sunroom, and found that the two best were Red Robin and Tiny Tim, both cherry types, for flavour and adaptability -- but she did use growlights 16 hours a day on them to achieve this.

I have dragged in a chili pepper in a pot and it is responding well to the warmth, putting out lots of new blossoms. Both chilis and tomatoes will self pollinate if you shake the stems briskly every day to distribute the pollen. So far, the basil I brought in has also liked it's new dwelling, but this is a sunroom attached to my house and kept relatively warm.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), October 01, 2001.