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Old November 6, 2015   #34
Fusion_power
Tomatovillian™
 
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Alabama
Posts: 2,250
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EEks, everyone is going on about the greenhouse and nobody recognizes that it is set up for specialty and/or breeding work. There are Production greenhouses and then there are Specialty greenhouses. This one is very similar to the setup Randy Gardner uses at NCSU. A production greenhouse would be set up to grow a specific type of plant such as having overhead supports to grow tomatoes using strings as trainers.

Figure out what would be best for the students to grow. If they want to produce seedlings, you need cell trays and seed start mix. If for food production, you need containers. Peppers and tomatoes can be grown in 3 to 5 gallon pots so long as they are either determinate or maintained by pruning at less than 4 ft tall. Get black containers, they help with heat absorption in winter. About 100 containers will be a good start or if seedlings, about 300 trays with cell packs.

A large amount of seed start/growing mix will be needed. I suggest locating a source of Promix MPX and getting about 30 bales. Don't under any conditions bring in "potting soil" or "topsoil". Either one will result in fungal problems later.

Plan when to start seedlings for best effect. I run my greenhouse to produce seedlings which is why I start seed for brassicas in late December to sell in February and March. I start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants the first of January to the 15th of March to sell in late February through June.

Contrary to other suggestions, I do not suggest growing exotics. I've tried growing things from oleanders to lantana and mandevilla. If it can't be safely grown outdoors in your climate, then it is a greenhouse exotic and will have low marketability. Grow things that people want to buy such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, brassicas, impatiens, pansy, petunia, etc.
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