Which fruits are suitable for growing in greenhouses? Variety recommendations are here

Greenhouses can be used to grow fruits such as watermelon, Hami melon, muskmelon, cucumber, tomato, cherry tomato, lettuce, nectarine, apricot, and grape. Because the temperature inside a greenhouse is relatively high, it is generally suitable for cultivating off-season fruits.

Key points for growing fruit in greenhouses

1. Forcing cultivation

Extra-early, early, and mid-season varieties should be selected to facilitate an earlier market launch; for delayed cultivation, late-season varieties or varieties that easily bear fruit multiple times should be selected.

2. Short dormancy period

Select varieties with a short natural dormancy period, low chilling requirement, and that are easy to break dormancy artificially, so as to carry out early or ultra-early protected production.

From an environmental standpoint, in greenhouse facility forcing cultivation of fruit trees, the earlier the greenhouse covering time, the earlier the ripening and market time, and the higher the benefit. However, in greenhouse facility cultivation, the covering time is limited and is not infinitely advanced or set arbitrarily. This is because deciduous fruit trees all have the habit of natural dormancy. If the low-temperature accumulation is insufficient and the chilling requirement of the fruit tree is not met, and natural dormancy has not been completed, then even if the greenhouse is covered for warmth and suitable environmental conditions for growth and development are provided, the fruit tree will not sprout or bloom. Sometimes, although it sprouts, flowering is often uneven, the production cycle is long, and the fruit-setting rate is low. Therefore, the chilling requirement is the primary basis for determining the covering time. Satisfying the chilling requirement of the fruit tree and covering the greenhouse after it has passed natural dormancy is the foundation for successful greenhouse facility cultivation. Only in this way can the fruit tree grow and develop normally under greenhouse facility conditions.