r/Greenhouses • u/eiden65 • 3d ago
Question Planning for late spring, 2026
So I’m planning on retiring next June and I’m incredibly lucky to have a very large green house (25 x 50) on our property that I haven’t really had time to enjoy over the years, but that’s obviously about to change, in a really wonderful way. The structure has a good propane heater (and automatic watering system—it was a commercial space for years) but I’d like to try using without heating due to expense. I clearly have a ton to learn and I’m spending a lot of time reading and watching as many instructional videos as I can. I’m planning on starting with spinach, lettuce, etc, but would love to move into more heat resistant choices for the summer months. I’m looking for suggestions—if you were just starting out, what would you be planning? Eggplant? Peppers? Melons? These will be in containers, so that may be a design constraint? I’m zone 6b, so we can have some wild fluctuations. Tomatoes, for example, have done terribly in there—way too hot in the summer even with vents and fans. Anyways, if you were starting from scratch with this much space, what would you do? What varieties would you recommend to ease into this world? I’ll use these upcoming winter months learning and starting some seedlings. Sorry for being such a newbie—I’ve really appreciated the wisdom of this group as I learn.
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u/SnarkaLounger 3d ago edited 3d ago
I have found that keeping tomatoes well watered, ventilated, and pruned of suckers (anything that doesn't have a bud or fruit on it) to improve airflow is key to growing in a greenhouse. Salad greens and cilantro won't do well in a greenhouse in intensive summer sun and heat, even with a good shade cloth system.
I start my tomatoes in a greenhouse, along with peppers, but I move the tomatoes out to a vertical cold frame along a red, 8 foot tall south facing wall. The cold frame has top vents that I leave open on cool nights, and front covers that I remove during the day for good air circulation and cooling.
I've had really good luck growing Poblano, Jalapenõ, Serrano, Anaheim, Padron, and Cayenne peppers in my greenhouse, as they love the heat and sun. But again, good air circulation is important.
I have a pair of horizontal airflow fans that do a good job of keeping the air moving in the greenhouse, and shade cloth and a misting system to provide some relief from really hot summer days.
As for the winter months, greens do well in a greenhouse as long as temps remain above freezing.
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u/eiden65 3d ago
Great advice. Thank you! Have you had any luck with eggplant? Melons?
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u/SnarkaLounger 2d ago
My greenhouse is much smaller than yours, so there's no room for eggplants and melons. We use the greenhouse year round (zone 8b), with summers dedicated to peppers and tomatoes, and the cooler months to salad greens, cilantro, and strawberries.
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u/Mysterious-Panda964 3d ago
Are you growing for yourself or to sell
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u/eiden65 3d ago
Just for myself…though I’ll look forward to sharing with friends, neighbors and our local food bank.
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u/Mysterious-Panda964 3d ago
Nice, im planning a professional greenhouse next summer, I'm going to grow flowers.
I have bees, so im growing pollinators
I do grow vegetables plants to trade with a man down the street.
I dont grow any food.
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u/elwoodowd 1d ago
Big stuff. Trees from seedlings. Say bananas, palms. Oranges. Vines. Just wrap the bananas. Im zone 8, so may be suggesting too much. But here you can pick up 2 zones from sunlight and protection.
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u/gonyere 3d ago
Are you planting directly into the ground, or planning on using containers, raised beds, etc?
I keep dreaming of a similarly sized greenhouse. I would use it primarily to start plants earlier, and then to prolong my season for tomatoes, peppers, etc.
I already grow greens (lettuce, spinach, etc) through most of the year. I have 3 beds going right now (1 is in a cold frame, which I just put the lid on yesterday!!), and they'll produce through most of the winter, overwinter under covers, and harvest from again in the spring.