The Latest Tutorial on Off-Season Greenhouse Vegetable Growing Techniques and Methods

With the progress and development of society, greenhouses are being used more and more widely. Greenhouses have excellent heat-preservation effects and can bring vegetables to market earlier, and by making use of this characteristic, off-season greenhouse vegetables have risen in popularity. Nowadays, spring vegetables on the market are all off-season vegetables grown in greenhouses during winter, so how should off-season growing be done? Let us take a look at the detailed introduction below.

1. Build the greenhouse

First, choose a plot of flat terrain with a convenient water source, wind that is not too strong, and sufficient sunlight to build the greenhouse, preferably in plains or hilly areas. Greenhouses are mainly divided into winter-warm greenhouses and spring-autumn greenhouses; among them, the winter-warm greenhouse is for winter growing, while the spring-autumn type is suited to growing in late autumn and early spring. After the greenhouse is built, disinfection and sterilization work should be carried out. High-temperature greenhouse sealing or chemical disinfection can be used, which is extremely effective for pest and disease control. Half a month before planting, spray Duobai dust powder inside the greenhouse, then seal it and use chlorothalonil smoke agent for fumigation. After about a week, spray carbendazim solution on the ground, which can achieve an excellent disinfection and sterilization effect.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Before planting, first prepare nutrient soil in the greenhouse; this is a key point for vegetable growth. When planting, generally choose fertile soil, and apply organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer in combination with land preparation. When fertilizing, pay attention to timing and method. Fertilization should be done one month before planting, and attention should be paid to the amount applied. Spread the fertilizer on the soil, then plow it so that it mixes evenly with the soil. In addition, before application, the fertilizer should undergo fermentation treatment and fully decomposed fertilizer should be used, so as to avoid fermentation in the soil producing toxic gases that harm lettuce growth.

3. Choose vegetable varieties

Not all vegetables can be grown as off-season vegetables. Choose varieties that are cold-tolerant, strongly disease-resistant, and early-maturing, so as to reduce the impact of low temperatures on the vegetables, such as zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, loofah, and other vegetables. In addition, spinach, Chinese cabbage, and other vegetables can be grown in winter, and the yield will be higher.

4. Field management

When transplanting vegetables, use hole-grasping transplanting. When transplanting, apply organic fertilizer into the holes, which can increase the survival rate. In addition, after transplanting, promptly water with seedling-recovery water to maintain soil moisture. Different vegetables have different water requirements; on this point, control the number of waterings to meet the growth needs of different vegetables. Also loosen the soil and weed regularly to prevent weeds from seizing nutrients and affecting vegetable growth; loosening the soil can promote more smooth root growth of seedlings. Also, promptly remove diseased and weak plants to prevent the spread of pests and diseases. Spray growth hormones and growth inhibitors reasonably, and strengthen pest and disease control work.

5. Heat preservation, moisture retention, and cold protection work

The key point in off-season vegetable growing is to do a good job of heat preservation, moisture retention, and cold protection. Under the three conditions of seedlings lacking water, low ground temperature and low nighttime temperature, and insufficient root nutrition with weak cold resistance, freezing damage may occur. Therefore, in response to these conditions, always maintain soil moisture; loosen the soil regularly to prevent soil compaction; spray foliar fertilizer regularly to increase plant nutrition; ventilate regularly to reduce the release of toxic gases such as carbon dioxide, which can also help the vegetables adapt to the outside temperature; at night, cover with multiple layers of plastic wrap to reduce heat loss from the greenhouse.

The above is off-season greenhouse vegetable growing technique. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more about vegetable growing, please follow us.