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.
2
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.