Do You know! The reason that greenhouses are very popular nowadays is NOT that this technology is advanced but because they allow you the flexibility to control the environment for your greenhouse plants and This is where the magic happens.
During summer the trapped sunlight will heat up your greenhouse to make it an unsuitable environment for growing plants. SO, can we grow inside a greenhouse during summer? Well! provided that you have a good ventilation system installed in your greenhouse and you are using shade cloth to block off some of the light when the temperature inside is becoming too high, you can definitely grow vegetables and plants inside your greenhouse.
In Fact, you can grow the majority of the vegetables, fruits, and herbs inside your greenhouse provided that you have a good controlled greenhouse.
This is a guest post article written by Yasinzaii from greenhouseplanter.com.
Table of Contents
Vegetables to Grow in a Greenhouse in Summer
The following are the vegetables that are heat tolerant and will thrive inside a greenhouse.
Hot Peppers
Hot peppers are one the perfect veggies to grow during summer inside your greenhouse because they prefer warmer temperatures. Sow the hot pepper seeds in the seedling trays during the spring and transplant them into your greenhouse when they are 4-5 weeks old (when they reach a height of 10-12 inches). It is good to allow the soil to dry out between watering sessions.
Eggplant
Eggplant does well in the greenhouse during summers (especially the variety that yields long narrow fruit or larger fruit). To grow eggplants inside your greenhouse during summer, I will recommend sowing your seeds inside seedling trays during the spring and when they reach a height of 12 inches transplant them into your greenhouse. Eggplants require plenty of space so it would be great to transplant them 2 feet apart.
Okra
Okra is known in many English-speaking countries as ladies’ fingers or ochro. This veggie is native to tropical Africa and it is very tolerant of high temperatures. If you wanna utilize your greenhouse and plant okra during the summer, I will suggest sowing seeds in late spring (April) and when the seedlings are 1 month old then transplant them into your greenhouse. You should harvest them frequently when they are about 3 inches long so that they are of the best quality.
Melons
Watermelon, Cantaloupe, and honeydew do great in warm temperatures. Hence you can easily grow them inside your greenhouse during summer. You should sow the seeds inside the seedlings trays in late spring and then transplant it in your greenhouse after 4-5 weeks. I would highly recommend you to use arch trellis to save your greenhouse space if you are planning to grow melons.
Other Vegetables for Summer Greenhouse
Besides the vegetables that I have mentioned above, you can also grow vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, basil, and cucumbers because they are also heat tolerant. However, to grow these veggies you should have a good greenhouse ventilation system and you should allow partial sunlight to enter into your greenhouse in order to prevent it from overheating.
If you are looking for the Best Organic Fertilizer Plants, you will not want to miss this article, and you probably have it now at home!
Best Greenhouse for Vegetables
You might now be thinking which greenhouse would be the best to grow veggies during summer. If you want to have a greenhouse there are two options.
Buying Greenhouse Kit
Greenhouse kits are perfect for those people who doest have any idea on how to build one themself or they don’t have time for building a DIY Greenhouse. Such Greenhouses come as complete kits and are very easy to assemble however they are expensive.
If you want to go with a greenhouse kit, I will strongly recommend buying a good quality kit that will last for years and will be a one time expense (I know it will be expensive but it’s good to spend once rather than spending again and again). The Greenhouse kit that I will recommend is “Exaco Junior Victorian” but why?
- 2 roof vents, One of the vents has an auto opener which opens automatically when the temperature increases.
- 4mm thick glass provides great insulation.
- Will last for years.
- Sliding frame door (Will also provide additional ventilation).
- Finally, this one looks great.
Going for DIY Greenhouse
Greenhouse kits are usually expensive and if you are low on budget or you are just getting into this hobby then you might think of building a DIY Greenhouse. DIY greenhouses cost less compared to the kits and are used by experienced greenhouse gardeners and even beginners. Most DIY Greenhouses are polythene based and the plastic lasts for 4-5 years. After 4 to 5 years you will just have to change the plastic cover.
If you want to build a DIY Greenhouse then you can follow this detailed guide on “How to build a greenhouse” from greenhouseplanter.com.
For your DIY greenhouse, you will be needing cool ventilation systems to grow inside your greenhouse during summer. You can follow this detailed guide “ Build Automatic DIY Ventilation System” for making a DIY ventilation system for your greenhouse.
Best Shade Cloth for Vegetables
Besides having good ventilation the use of shade cloth is necessary for growing vegetables successfully inside your greenhouse during summer. Shade cloth comes in different shade ranges that are from 30 up to 90% and a shade percentage of 40-50% is ideal for vegetables.
What percentage should you choose? You should choose according to your region. If the temperature is too high in your area then go with 50% shade otherwise choose 30-40%.
For 50% shade, I recommend using “EasyShade 50% Black Shade Cloth” and for the 40% shade requirement I will recommend “e.share 40% Black Shade Cloth”.
If you are still not sure which shade cloth you should choose, we did an experiment with a few types of shade cloths, and checked how much does shade cloth reduces temperature?
Fruits to Grow in a Greenhouse in Summer
Just like vegetables, you can also grow fruits in your greenhouse. However, They should grow on bushes or vines. I will not recommend growing fruit trees inside the greenhouse unless you are planning to build a large greenhouse with at least 14-20 feet height.
Grapes:
Many of us think that grapes cannot be grown in a greenhouse, However, Grapes are very easy to grow inside the greenhouse. You can even grow grapes in large pots. However, I will strongly recommend growing grapes inside a large deep greenhouse raised bed because their roots go deep into the ground. Good ventilation and 50% shade is what I recommend.
Strawberries:
This is one of the most common greenhouse fruits and just like vegetables you can easily grow it inside your greenhouse. You should provide Strawberries with good ventilation during the summer.
Raspberries:
Yes! You can grow raspberries in your greenhouse. Just like strawberries, raspberries also do great inside the greenhouse. For Raspberries, I will strongly recommend good ventilation and a 40-50% shade.
Other Fruits for Summer Greenhouse
Fruits that grow in bushes can easily be grown inside your greenhouse. These include BlueBerries, Currants, Blackberries can be grown inside your greenhouse. Proper ventilation and the use of shade cloth is very important if you want to grow fruits inside your greenhouse during summer.
I wrote a nice article on fruits with seeds or pits, if you want to deepen your knowledge about fruits.
Best Greenhouse for Fruits
A greenhouse is actually a controlled environment and the best greenhouse is the one that provides you the most controls. i.e. Good insulation, Proper ventilation, and high-quality Glazing are the main features that determine the quality of the greenhouse. If you have a good greenhouse then you can grow everything including herbs, veggies, and fruits.
Again I will recommend using “Exaco Junior Victorian” if you are going to grow fruit inside your greenhouse.
Best Shade Cloth for Fruits
The majority of the Fruits are happy in 40-50% shade just like for most of the vegetables again. I will recommend using the same shade cloths that I have mentioned above in the veggies section.
Herbs to Grow in a Greenhouse in Summer
Rosemary
Rosemary is tolerant of hot weather but if you want to grow it in your greenhouse it is best to use shade cloth and allow partial sunlight. Furthermore, a good ventilation system is a must for growing rosemary inside your greenhouse during winter.
Lavender
Lavender can grow year-round in a hot climate, therefore you can easily grow Lavender inside your greenhouse. Only if you provide adequate ventilation these herbs will grow happily.
Sage
Sage is also heat tolerant and can easily survive during the summer heat, However, inside your greenhouse, you should keep Sage in partial shade and good ventilation is a must.
Other herbs:
You can also Oregano, Thyme, marjoram, mint, parsley, and chives inside your greenhouse during summer. But again, you need to provide a great ventilation system inside your greenhouse.
I am enforcing the installation of a good ventilation system again and again, because during summer if you don’t provide proper ventilation you will burn your plants to death no matter how much heat tolerant your plants are.
If you want to know what herbs grow well together, click here.
Best Greenhouse for Herbs
The greenhouse that is best for growing veggies will also work great with herbs or any other plants that you grow. Therefore I will again recommend you use the same greenhouse as I mentioned in the veggies section.
Best Shade Cloth for Herbs
One thing that I want to mention about shade cloth is that you should always install your shade cloth above your greenhouse glazing so that when the shade cloth heats up the head doest pass through the greenhouse glazing.
If you install the shade cloth inside your greenhouse it will not help you in any way because as the shade cloth will heat up because of the sunlight it will heat your greenhouse too. Again, I will recommend the same shade cloth that I have mentioned above.
What to Grow in a Greenhouse in Summer Summary
Greenhouses are nothing but just a frame enclosed in a glazing material that can be plastic, glass, or polycarbonate film. The glazing material allows sunlight to pass through it but at the same time, it blocks the heat from passing. A portion of the light that enters your greenhouse is consumed by the plants during photosynthesis and the remaining sunlight heats up your greenhouse. like I mention at the beginning of the article, if you have a good ventilation system and you are using shade cloth to block off some of the light, you can definitely grow vegetables and plants inside your greenhouse.
You can grow a lot of vegetables, fruits, and herbs inside your greenhouse if you have a proper greenhouse ventilation system and if you keep your greenhouse from overheating by partially allowing the sunlight into your greenhouse using shade cloth.
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