A greenhouse is a complex and fun method to provide the plants a warm and controlled growing environment. It is a perfect solution to grow plants in the cold winter. But, it also comes in handy in the scorching heat of summer.
What to grow in a greenhouse in summer? Let’s dive into the answer to find the best plants to grow and a greenhouse planting guide in the summer.
Challenges of a Greenhouse During Summer
Along with all the benefits a greenhouse offers, it also comes with some challenges, especially throughout the hot season.
A greenhouse provides a great, comfortable temperature for your plants in the summer. But, the summer temperature is ideal for all the other things like pests, fungi, bacteria, and many things. Along with providing a controlled and suitable environment for the plants in this season, you also need to take care of these problems.
One of the most common problems in the hot season is overheating. The scorching heat comes inside the farm and gets trapped in there. To prevent this, make sure there is minimum sun for the greenhouse. Also, you need good ventilation and heat transfer mechanisms in place. Overheating can really damage the plants, even the most heat-embracing ones.
What to Grow in a Greenhouse in Summer
There are a lot of plants to choose from if you are thinking about What to grow in a greenhouse for beginners. Here are the easiest and suitable plants:
Herbs
Herbs are suitable to grow in the heat, and they are a suitable candidate to be grown in the greenhouse in summer. You can plant and grow herbs like lavender, sage, oregano, mint, basil, and many others.
When growing herbs on the farm, make sure to check regularly to keep them from overheating. Another tip is to let them dry out between the intervals of watering.
Salad
Salad plants like lettuce, cabbage, asparagus, are suitable for growing at a warm temperature. The controlled temperature and weather inside the greenhouse affect their growth positively. You will get grown salads within 2 weeks and then plant again.
According to the planting guide of greenhouse, for salad plants, you need to loosen the ground for better growth. Also, water under the root and be careful not to make the leaves wet.
Eggplant
Eggplants are suitable for the heat and the warm weather. The plants need a good amount of space to grow, and the pest problem should be taken care of.
To know what time to harvest the eggplants, keep a keen eye on the skin. When they start to become dull, harvest the eggplant. Some types can be tender inside while looking dull outside, so act accordingly.
Hot Pepper
While bell peppers are not suitable to take on a warmer climate, hot peppers are accustomed to it and grow fast with heat as a catalyst.
Between the watering sessions, make sure the soil is drying completely. This accelerates the growth of the plants. When the peppers are long and green, they are ready to be harvested. Plus, you may wait for them to be fully matured, depending on your preference.
Strawberries
Strawberries love the warmer climate and are so versatile when planted. Put the strawberries in garden boxes and use the block method to rack them in several layers. In this way, you can plant a lot of strawberries in a small greenhouse.
Make sure the strawberries are getting enough light. If they don’t get enough sunlight, use artificial grow lights to help and accelerate the growth. Follow the guide properly, and you will get a big amount of harvest in no time.
Parsley
Among all other herbs, parsley grows particularly well in a greenhouse. You need to water the parsley properly and have enough ventilation for the plants to breathe. Using either the sowing seeds or germination or direct planting of root crops, you can harvest around 3 pounds from a 10 square feet greenhouse space.
Melons
Melons are one of the fruits that embrace heat and warmth and grows very quickly in the greenhouse. Melons like watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe are suitable for warm conditions.
While temperature is not an issue while planting melons throughout summer, you need to have proper ventilation to prevent overheating.
Green Onions
You need to loosen the soil, level, and fertilize before planting green onion. They already grow quickly in warm conditions. Also, cover the seeds with thatch straws mixed with manure. This will accelerate the growth.
Okra
Okra is a native tropical plant from the heating weather of Africa, so it makes itself at home in a warm greenhouse. Put the seedlings with a distance of 1 foot between them, and water regularly. You can start harvesting while they are 1-2 inches long, but the best quality comes when they are 3 inches long.
FAQ
Is the Greenhouse too hot in summer?
If there is too much sun going in the greenhouse, and not enough ventilation for the plants, a greenhouse can get too hot in summer. To prevent this, you need to have good ventilation and minimum sun for the house.
What can you grow in a greenhouse easily?
You can easily grow salad plants like lettuce, asparagus, and other things like carrots, onions, green onions, okra, etc. in a greenhouse.
How to keep a greenhouse cool in summer?
Good ventilation, and allow minimum sunlight for the greenhouse in summer to keep it cool. Also, use heat transfer devices to reduce the heat inside the greenhouse.
Final Words
A greenhouse provides rapid growth in plants in the summer. If you are wondering what to grow in a greenhouse in summer, this article has shared plenty of ideas. Keep cautious about the challenges of growing plants in summer, and always follow the proper methods and guides.
