Growing Organic Food In A Greenhouse
One of the most rewarding uses of a greenhouse is growing your own organic food. There’s just nothing like literally eating the fruit of your own labor. You might also find significant cost savings for growing certain things yourself, rather than buying them in any online store like Amazon or Walmart.
Since you control the entire process of growing your veggies, you can also choose to grow organically. Organic technically just means relating to a living organism. But in the realm of food, it more accurately means “all-natural”.
Organic Farming Concept
Organic farming can be defined as “an integrated agricultural system that aims at sustainability, increased soil fertility, and biodiversity, while, with rare exceptions, prohibits synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, and biodiversity. growth”.
Organic Farming Features Practices
Use of cover different crops, green manure, animal manure, and different crop rotation to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity, and maintain soil health over the long term. Use of biological control, crop rotation, and other techniques to control weeds, insects, and diseases.
A well-planned and maintained organic garden can produce quite a lot of food. There is at least one example out on the internet of 1/10th of an acre producing 6,000 pounds of food in one year, after maturing for a few years. That’s over 5 pounds of food available per meal, three times a day, for the whole year.
Advantages of Organic food:
- Tastes better. I know this first hand, organic Philippine Mangoes are wonderful!
- Healthier. Organic food has a much higher nutrient content.
- Not bad for you. No strange synthetic chemicals are being absorbed into your food.
- Environmentally friendly. Sustainable and won’t put any chemicals in the water supply.
By growing your own organic food, you’ll be healthier. Not only because the veggies, herbs, and fruits are better for you, but because you’ll end up eating more of them. Vegetarians live 10+ years longer than non-vegetarians, so obviously eating more veggies is a good plan.
Growing all-natural, or organic, food means avoiding or eliminating all modern synthetics from the process. Organic food can have none of the following:
- Synthetic pesticides
- Chemical fertilizers
- Genetically modified organisms
- Industrial solvents
- Irradiation
- Chemical food additives.
To get started growing organically in your greenhouse, you need to first stop using all the usual pesticides, weed killers, and other chemical sprays or feeds anywhere inside or near the greenhouse.
You also need to plant your new foods in new soil, void of all the usual chemical fertilizers.
Bugs! If you’re the type who hates bugs, then perhaps organic growing isn’t for you. You’ll need bugs, worms, and other little living things in your soil to do the work of fertilization.
You’ll want to use good compost, spread thinly over all of your soil. You also should start your own compost pile. Just pile up the organic remains of everything else, and keep it damp. Occasionally spread the compost around your plants lightly, or mix it half and half with your soil when planting new.
What Can You Grow Organically in your Greenhouse?
Herbs: They grow quickly and are harvestable in a short time. Parsley, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, and many others.
Peppers: Bell peppers and Serrano peppers are obviously popular choices.
Vine Veggies: Zucchini, cucumbers, squash.
The usual favorites: Tomatoes, carrots,
Lettuce might work in the winter, depending on your climate.
Growing organic food in your greenhouse is a sure money saver. Not only will you save money on veggies, but you’ll also save money in the long run by being healthier and living longer, too.
Choosing Greenhouse Plants
There are tons of different plants that you can use in your greenhouse. Depending on what you are looking for, you might want to think about a few different choices of greenhouse plants. Some people like to plant flowers so that they can have them around their homes all year round.
Others like to sell their greenhouse flowers to others so that they can make money from them. If flowers are not your thing, planting produce might be the choice for you. You can choose many different types of produce to plant.
Some like to use vegetables or even fruits in their greenhouse. It is going to be all up to you and what you want to use in your greenhouse. Think about the ones that are easiest to plant. If you are a beginner, you do not want to use plants that are going to take a lot of work and effort.
You do not want anything too difficult. Take your time and move up to different plants and produce as you go. Choosing plants that are going to work for you and your needs is important. You have to do your research and learn as you go about the greenhouse plants that you plant.
Different Uses of Greenhouse
You will find that there are a lot of ways that you can use a greenhouse. You’ll want to keep in mind that there are a lot of plant options and many ways that you can use a greenhouse for personal benefit. You’ll find that there are personal reasons and then there are personal profitable reasons as to why someone would have a greenhouse.
Once you figure out how the greenhouse can benefit your family you’ll be able to start building the greenhouse and possibly using it to start your own business. You don’t want to worry about things like pesticides anymore, because you can use your greenhouse to grow some of your favorite pieces of fruit or vegetables.
When it comes to using the greenhouse for produce, you’ll find that there are so many benefits to doing so. First, you will find that the greenhouse will help you to give your family something nutritious to eat. While you could always go to the store to purchase things like herbs, tomatoes, or oranges you’ll find that there are many cons to doing so. When you plant your own food you know exactly what it is that made them grow.
You’ll know that it is not pumped full of toxic chemicals or steroids. You’ll also find that the product doesn’t have a wax film on the outside of the fruit or vegetables either. You’ll find that when you have natural products you’ll not only be able to give your family something healthier, but you’ll be able to give your family better-tasting produce.
Another reason why you’ll want to use the greenhouse to plant food is that you can cut down on your grocery bills, but also have these produce items at your own disposal all year long. You’ll find that it will be no problem at all to make a fresh garden salad in the middle of winter.
Not only can you benefit from having greenhouse produce for your family, but you’ll also find that your landscape can benefit too. A lot of people will use their greenhouse to keep their seeds safe while they germinate. You’ll then be able to transfer live plants into the garden. This will end up making your gardens look better, but it will also help you to make your gardens stronger. You’ll be able to enhance your landscape.
Another reason why you will want to keep a greenhouse is that you can stay active all year long. You’ll find that your garden will flourish during the spring and summer times, but during the long hard winter, you’ll still be able to carry on with a hobby that you truly enjoy.
Read More: How To Build A Good Greenhouse For A Farm
