Page 41 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2025

Growing salads
in a small
greenhouse
My small greenhouse is situated near
a hedge where it is protected from the
winter weather and the intense heat of
summer. During the winter I emptied all
last year’s growth from the greenhouse,
cleaned the glass inside and out also
removed all the soil from the beds. As
the growing season approached, I set-
up supports and revived the beds with
a dressing of bone meal and a slow-
release fertilizer.
At the front of the beds a crop of early
dwarf peas is grown and will be replaced
with salad lettuce leaves and radishes
for year-round production. After the
introduction of a couple of cucumber
plants, more planning was required after
the reduction in space available to the
tomatoes. It was necessary to choose a
new cultivar and improve the organisation
of my feeding and watering systems
Tomatoes are a tender, though not
tropical, plants they need to be skillfully
grown with free access to air and light. The
crop is best grown in the company of Salad
leaves, French beans, Strawberries, Early
peas or Marigolds. When sowing seed in
February and March, the growing compost
must be allowed to warm-up for a few days
to avoid an untimely check to germination.
Select a cultivar which you are familiar with.
If you are studying the seed catalogues,
look for a new modern F1, single stemmed
also called intermediate or cordon variety
with a strong resistance to disease.
There is no advantage to be gained
by attempting to force tomatoes with a
higher temperature. A moderate heat will
produce vigorous development sufficient
to grow two plants together or one plant
with two stems. A long growing season is
important for your plants. Prepare them
to be ready when temperatures reach 60
̊F (15˚C) encouraging strong growth and
an early crop of fruit. This early start is
most important, and you may have to visit
a specialist to choose a few of his most
advanced plants, which may be easier
than attempting to raise them early in a
frost-free place and saves on heating the
greenhouse.
Another modification is to feed then well
commercial composts and liquid fertilizer
will need to be supplemented to produce
healthy growing as the plants develop their
root system. Do not discard your first truss,
it is this truss that will get your harvest off
to an early start if you reduce the number
of fertilized flowers. Tie the plants well to
their support. Encourage plenty of leaf
growth to feed the main producing trusses.
Remove excess leaves once the plants are
established and side shoots to let light and
air into the plants. Keep the fruit numbers
low in later trusses, sufficient to mature and
commence ripening before you take them
home.
Producing cucumbers is a bit like
growing tomatoes? There is no difficulty
in growing an abundant and continuous
supply of the finest quality fruits. They are
a warm weather plant and develop very
quickly. Plant them by the end of April, a
month later than the tomatoes providing
the soil is warm enough. When they have
three or four leaves, place the plants near
to the door to give them plenty of sunshine
and a maximum amount of fresh air
Plant them 2 feet (60cm) apart, the stem
at soil level must be kept as dry as possible.
They are gross feeders and will require a
liquid feed every week. Cucumbers bear
both male and female flowers and the
moment a male flower is produced it must
be picked off. It is easier to grow the all-
female cultivars which saves removing the
male flowers.
Daily spraying morning and evening is
necessary with warm water from a tub or
can kept in the greenhouse. With the main
shoot tied firmly, stop side shoots after the
second leaf. These will produce further
shoots which should be stopped after the
first leaf and tied to the supports the weight
of fruit.
Grow salad leaves between the tomato
plants.
Lettuce is the most versatile salad leaf
Early salad leaves
Early radish
and there is a wide choice. Some of the
best varieties for the greenhouse include
Butterhead cultivars, excellent for cut and
come again harvesting and known for
their soft, tender leaves and mild flavour.
They don’t require much space but make
sure that they have enough room to grow
and ensure good air circulation, reducing
fungal diseases. To allow excess moisture
to evaporate during the day, water early
in the morning and try to avoid splashing
too much water onto leaves both lettuce
and tomatoes. Keeping tomato leaves dry
can help to reduce the chance of blight
occurring.
Salad leaves are quick to grow and you
can expect to be harvesting leaves in a
month. The best method is “cut and come
again”, cutting the outer leaves with a pair
of scissors before they get old.
Finally, growing salad leaves in
your greenhouse will complement the
production of your very own tomatoes and
cucumbers at a time, during the summer,
when salads are most enjoyable and
desirable.
Ron Nuttall
Simply Vegetables 41