Here are some details to help you know what the greenhouse will be like and what questions I'm asking myself while reading my seed catalogs and looking through the seeds I have left from spring and summer to choose which I should try in the greenhouse.

What plants will grow best in the conditions I'll have in my greenhouse set-up?

What plants will grow best during the winter?

What plants will grow best with a beginner like me who doesn't spot problems very well yet?

We are building a greenhouse. It is 2 HFGH each size 10x12. They'll be connected.

I don't think we'll be finished putting them up for a month or two (end of Nov to beginning of Jan). I'd like to start planting as soon as it's finished.

The only thing inside will be a light (to see if I'm in there at night after my kids are in bed). It won't have any heaters or thermostat or fan or automatic watering. I have some tarps that I could hang over it if that would help insulating it?

This year was my first time planting fruits and veggies in a garden. It went okay. But, we still have a lot to learn. I don't know anyone who gardens and I'm super shy. So, reading books and lurking around here for months is really where I'm getting all my learning. (That and a lot of trial and error out in the dirt!)

We only are growing plants from seed. And, I rely on my goats, chickens, turkeys, and ducks for fertilizing. I haven't had extra $$ for anything else to add to our soil or watering.

Money is a HUGE factor in all our decisions. I'm a pretty good cook and my family are good fruit and veggie eaters. I'm trying hard to have "free homegrown organic" food from gardening as much as possible.

Thank you for any advise you can offer.

Hope this helps

Can you tell me what temp I should be keeping the greenhouse at for planting at day and at nighttime? just above 32F? or maybe in the 50's?

If I don't have a cover or a heater by the time it's built at least I'll know what temps to be looking for in there before I plant stuff.

I might be able to house some of my poultry in there as an alternative. Their breathing and body heat is significant in their coop. I don't need to heat their coop at all to keep their water from freezing. So that could generate free heat for me.

Thanks.

As for what to grow, my suggestion is to experiment. Our GH is only on its 2nd year so I still have plenty to learn. We've had great luck with salad greens, basil, broccoli, green onions and carrots in the cooler weather. In summer we grow tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers because our summer weather is too cool to ensure good crops of these heat-lovers. So far I have been impressed with the GH carrot crop. The ground never freezes in there so I can pull carrots as needed all winter.

I've learned lots from two books: Greenhouse Gardener's Companion and Four Season Harvest. They include helpful info about what grows in what temperatures and conditions.

But mostly I just buy seeds that seem like they may work and I just try it to see what works. Thankfully seeds are cheap!

You definitely need to look into "Four Season Harvest" by Eliot Coleman. Also, you can look at "Winter Harvest Handbook" by Eliot Coleman.

Basically, he says this:

#1 - the goal is economically and biologically feasible, if you try to extend the harvest, rather than extend the growing.

#2 - the goal also can be accomplished simply if you are choosing the right plants.

You need cold hardy veggies. In general, these are the plants that do not FRUIT! Anything that you eat the leaves or root of are much better options than fruiting plants. Next, certain types of plants are far more cold-tolerant than others. If you time it correctly, and grow these types in late summer - mid-fall, they can get sufficient growth before the sunlight drops off drastically. From that point on, the plants will go semi-dormant (hibernate, as he calls it). The plants can handle freezing temps, but don't harvest, unless the temp is above freezing.

A few of the veggies he mentions:
Carrots, spinach, arugula, endive/escarole, beets, turnip greens, raddichio, kale and mache. Mache is the hardiest plant he says, and can form a nice base for a winter salad.

As you may have noticed most of these are leafy greens. I guess mostly what you will get is salad fixings, with a few others.

I wish I could speak from experience with these, but I am in the very infancy of this myself. I have just learned about these books, and wasn't able to plant early enough to have the plants for this year.

The key is to HARVEST throughout the calendar, not to GROW throughout the calendar. Choosing correctly, as you seem to understand by your opening question, is the key.

I think I'm going to see what kind of difference moving some of my poultry in the GH will make for raising the temp. Has anyone else tried this? Or any other unconventional heating besides the solar pool cover.

In case you haven't guessed, my family is part of the "brotherhood of use it up, make your own, or do without" club. My husband and I were both raised to "poor boy it". :)