Eating greenhouse radishes

In January! In cold northeast Oregon! While it is about 20 degrees for a high temp every day! With several inches of snow on the ground outside! Can you tell I am excited? Ok, they took about 7 weeks instead of 4 but they are GOOD!

:) very happy for you Mary. Jealous. But happy. :)

I thought I had a picture of the raised bed they are growing in but you'll have to use your imagination. I also have a couple of almost ripe yellow pear tomatoes and more blossoms on those which I hope will be pollinated with help from the fan that goes in there 24/7. We could use a few sunny days and some heat. Things are not too happy or too unhappy with 50-60 degrees, but it does make for some slow growth.

I think I remember it from when you were posting pics of your new gh.

MaryE, radishes and tomatoes! I'm green with envy.
If you had some lights, it might speed your "slow growers" up 'Course I know Hid lights are expensive. There are some flourecent(spelling) lights that are especially for plants. I've wondered how well they work.
Next winter I am hoping to grow some salad greens and etc. all winter. Do you have any advice?

oh mary so cool!!! I have been thinking about all that has been growing in your greenhouse! Isnt it fun! :)

Besides the radishes there are 3 kinds of leaf lettuce and some swiss chard, not big enough to make salad yet but they are growing and looking happy. I've read that in a greenhouse that stays in the 55 degree range most of the time it is better to get things started earlier than I was able to do so they are about eating size when your weather gets too cool to make much growth and they will just be on hold during the colder part of the winter without getting old. Next year I can get an earlier start. They seem to get enough light, they're standing up pretty straight. Yesterday was bright and sunny and they got a heat boost too, it got up to 79 degrees in the gh for a little while.

Mary your right about the real growth being on hold. Thats how it works when you plant onions mid aug for may june harvest.

About frost time it quits growing till early spring then grows faster and faster as night time ave temps warm.

Need some copra onion seed I have lots and won't plant that many I think my pack is a thousand. I have started the W.W.and Candy will get to copra today

Today I installed a soil heating cable in the empty end of the raised bed and planted more lettuce, radishes, chard, some brocolli and red and green cabbage (will thin to 1 each of the cabbage and about 3 brocolli). Picked more of the radishes that were planted around Thanksgiving, they are still sweet and not woody at all. I felt a little pea sized tomato hiding in a dried up blossom, oh boy, baby tomatoes! We had another bright sunny day and the greenhouse got up to 90 so I opened a window and roof vent to keep things from cooking, including me when I was working out there. Outside it was about 25.

Mary what will the ground temp be with your heat cable in your raised bed.

A market grower That sells lots to the local stores told me lettuce won't germainate at 70 or above.

He germinates his in a cool room during the summer. Ernie

The thermometer in the raised bed says 70, but the probe is down at about the same depth as the heat cable, around 4 inches deep. I'm sure the temp near the surface is a bit cooler except when the sun shines directly on it. I might lay a thermometer out there on the bed to see. Yesterday was sunny but with 30 degrees and a strong wind the gh only got to 72 for a couple of hours. This greenhouse thing sure is a learning experience! Tons of fun too!

Mary did the instructions that came with yours tell you what kind of soap to use to wash it? Ernie

I chose Ivory because it is mild. I think it is just to help hold the mix in place on the leaves. I spray until it drips anyhow.

Mary?? I am thinking we are not talking about which thing to wash with soap am sort of confused by leaves.

I am refering to the polycarbonate ,according to the folks at Charlies Green House some soaps are to strong or have the wrong chemical in it and will harm the finish. They told me to use Dawn so I use Dawn right or wrong.

Since your Cadilac looks like a kit I just wondered if you got specific instructions as to which to avoid. Ernie

Oops, sorry, I misunderstood your question. I had just answered a question about bug spray on another forum so my mind was still there apparently, that's not unusual. The instructions for cleaning the greenhouse plastic are to spray it with a hose and then wash with a mild liquid dishwashing soap and lukewarm water using a solt cloth or sponge. Rub lightly only in the same direction as the channels in the glazing to avoid scratches. Rinse well. It also says not to use Lysol, Pinesol, Butyl Cellosolve, Isopropanol, Formula 409. compatable cleaners are Freon T.F., Joy, Palmolive Liquid, Top Job, VM7P grade Naptha, Windex with Ammonia, and Brillianize which is available from Charleys.

This message was edited Feb 10, 2004 1:44 PM

Thats better than what Charlies said thanks, Ernie

It came from Charlie's little booklet on greenhouse care that came with the gh kit. The info was on two different pages, not consecutive but at least in the same booklet.

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