Greenhouse Bean Feast

Part 23 - 1st August

Keeping a greenhouse productive is a bit like spinning plates, there’s always something that needs some TLC and once you’ve got your plants in flower and about to fruit you can’t afford to neglect them even for a day or two.

By August some greenhouse crops have sung their swan song, been harvested, eaten and anything left over has been relegated to the great compost heap in the sky. Things like broad beans, many salad crops and early sown root crops grown in planters in the protected climes of the glasshouse.

But just as in nature when one plant dies another grows to take its place, in the greenhouse we need to keep sowing and growing to ensure a continuation of crops. It’s important to make the most of all the available space to reap the greatest rewards from a greenhouse environment.

Many plants are at their peak with tree like tomatoes heavy with ripening fruit, cucumbers clambering up to the greenhouse eaves, curling their tendrils around the vents and framework to support their developing fruit. These need constant attention to prevent a stop in production. Cucumbers in particular need regular harvest or the plants simply stop producing. Tomatoes can’t be allowed to dry out, or the fruit may split, drop or even develop blossom end rot.

With school holidays upon us, some gardeners harness childhood enthusiasm and encourage their children and grandchildren to help around the garden and greenhouse. Sometimes this doesn’t pay off and attention to detail may be lacking, but for some little ones the opportunity to have some responsibility and to care for a living thing is just what they need to boost their self-esteem and keep them occupied. Don’t use them as slave labour; instead get them active and involved in growing in the greenhouse.

Little Ones

For very young children, grow mustard and cress. It’s a failsafe crop that they can grow and eat within a couple of weeks and doesn’t need too much attention. Take a few seedlings and pot them up and grow them into full-grown mustard and cress plants. It’s fascinating for a child to see a large plant grow from a tiny seed.

Soak a few runner bean seeds in wet kitchen roll inside a jam jar. Watch the roots appear and the shoots appear and the new plant start to form. Don’t discard the bean plant, plant it out in the garden with a support frame and if we get a late autumn you should get a small crop of beans in about 6-8 weeks.

Growing up

It’s never too late to sow a pot or two of salad crops and this is something children can relate to easily. Not only are the seeds quick to germinate, but also they will be familiar with the cellophane packs of salads in the supermarkets. Give them a challenge. Get them growing mixed salad leaves and buy the crops from them, minus the cost of the compost, the pots and the seed. Not only will they learn about sowing, growing and nurturing plants from seed, but they will also learn a little about business, time management and economics. Hopefully they will also enjoy eating something they have grown and want to grow more.

 

Leaf Cuttings

Aug 16, 2010

Leaf Cuttings Sometimes all it takes to get the kids interested in gardening is to show them some of the amazing things that plants do. Cuttings are a brilliant... Read More...

 

Herbs for free

Jul 1, 2010

Herbs for free By June everything in the garden and greenhouse is growing furiously. Plants are set on their mission to make seeds and gardeners and greenhouse... Read More...

 

Basket Bonanza

Jun 7, 2010

Basket Bonanza If there’s one easy way to instantly transform the appearance of your house and garden, it’s to add a container or two of colourful plants.... Read More...

 

Hot and Spicy Chillies

May 7, 2010

Even the smallest greenhouse can benefit from a couple of chilli pepper plants. Two plants will provide enough spice and flavour for a small family for the rest... Read More...

 

Getting Started with Potatoes

Feb 12, 2010

When you’ve got a greenhouse you’ve got everything you need to be productive in terms of homegrown fruit and vegetables. Whether you are starting out,... Read More...

 

Tomato Feast

Apr 12, 2010

Nothing surpasses the flavour of home grown tomatoes, and with hundreds of different varieties available to grow from seed, you can indulge a desire to grow just... Read More...

 

Seeds Pots and Modules

Feb 23, 2010

With the nights drawing out very noticeably and a slight rise in temperature the garden is starting to come alive. Spring really is only a few weeks away. In the... Read More...

 

Slippery Paths

Jan 8, 2010

We’ve had so much rain in the last few weeks that the greenhouse has been a haven from the elements. The gutters on my greenhouse were filled with needles... Read More...

 

Greenhouse Scent

Dec 7, 2009

Many winter flowers are highly scented to attract any pollinating insects that are brave enough to forage outside on a still and hopefully sunny day. In the garden... Read More...

 

The Great Greenhouse Tidy-up and Autumn Sown Broad Beans

Nov 13, 2009

I’ve left the greenhouse to it’s own devices for the last few days as I’ve been working away. Normally I leave the key with a neighbour, who diligently... Read More...

 

Oriental Winter Veg

Oct 13, 2009

By September the greenhouse is starting to look a bit tired, well not so much the greenhouse, more the plants inside. I often think that the plants I’ve chosen... Read More...

 

A Mouse in the Greenhouse

Sep 10, 2009

All greenhouse owners have experienced it at one time or another, munched on plants, missing leaves, and more. There are more than just bugs in my greenhouse. Over... Read More...

 

Saving Seed

Sep 3, 2009

Most gardeners will have saved a few seeds over the years. Runner beans are the most likely candidate and one of the easiest seeds to save. There are lots of reasons... Read More...

 

Summer Cuttings

Aug 19, 2009

One of the most magical things about gardening is taking a cutting and watching it suddenly start to grow into a whole new plant. That moment when you can’t... Read More...

 

Ventilation and Pollination

Aug 12, 2009

If your greenhouse is like mine at the moment, it’s full of tubs of French beans, pots of tomatoes, planters with cucumbers, courgettes and masses of salads.... Read More...

 

Savour the Flavour

Jul 15, 2009

One of the best things about having a garden and a greenhouse is that when you have been away for a few days you know that there is something fresh to eat when... Read More...

 

Foolproof Fly Control

Jun 30, 2009

If there is one thing I absolutely hate about my greenhouse in the summer, it is the buzzing flies that accumulate in the apex of the roof in hot weather. I hate... Read More...

 

Greenhouse Pest Control - Bug eat Bug

Jun 16, 2009

When you are growing plenty of plants to eat it can be particularly disheartening to find that other creatures are helping themselves to your hard grown crops.... Read More...

 

Early Strawberries

Jun 16, 2009

Everyone loves the smell and the taste of strawberries. But when a small bowlful can cost the earth, isn’t it time you grew your own? The flavour of these... Read More...

 

Pumpkin Patch

Jun 1, 2009

If there’s one way to get children interested in gardening its to give them their own growing projects. Kids either need to grow something that will give... Read More...

 

Bunches of Basil

May 22, 2009

If there’s one herb that conjures up summer for me it has to be basil. Its intense fragrance and flavors creates an instant Mediterranean feel to the garden,... Read More...

 

Growing Beans for Bean Feasts

May 22, 2009

A bean feast is more than a sumptuous spread of leguminous vegetables, it is a celebration of self sufficiency and the ‘raison d’etre’ to which... Read More...