Greenhouse Transition

Our little greenhouse is a hard-working element at Red Bucket Farm. In March we began raising seedlings inside the greenhouse. We started with hardy herbs (rosemary, chives, lavender) and cool season veggies like peas, carrots, beets, and Brussels sprouts. In mid-April we added warm-weather veggies including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil. The shelving units were loaded with containers and flats of seedling pots. We used a water thermal inside to moderate cold night temperatures as well as a fan to keep the air circulating.

This week we transitioned the greenhouse from spring nursery to summer growth. I removed the water thermal and three of the four shelving units. We hung shade cloth over the southern exposure to limit the sunshine, which gets overpowering in the summer. One shelving unit remains for ongoing seedling projects.

I potted the eggplant and peppers into their summer containers and gave them each a tomato cage for support. Although the space appears relatively empty now, it will soon be crowded with foliage and veggies. A tall tower-style fan remains in one corner of the greenhouse all year.

Greenhouse Shadecloth

In my life as a Wisconsin gardener, much of my thought process is about how to get bushes, vines, trees, chickens and bees to survive the bitter cold winter. But this year, I'm learning how to get those same bushes, vines, trees, chickens and bees to survive an extraordinarily blistering summer. And although it's been hot outside, it's been even hotter in the greenhouse.

Daytime temperatures in the greenhouse are frequently more than 100 degrees. Inside, we're growing eggplant and peppers in large containers. These two veggies theoretically love the heat, and I thought they would enjoy the protection of the greenhouse. I was surprised to discover that the leaves of the eggplant bushes were bleaching and dropping. Once it dawned on me that it was just too sunny in there, I draped an old sheet over the top of the greenhouse. Within a couple days, the leaves began to turn green again.

We ordered a "shadecloth kit" and installed it inside the greenhouse. It's not perfect, but it certainly makes the greenhouse more tolerable in the heat. The eggplants are recovering and shooting out more blossoms and fruit. I imagine that I'll remove the shade cloth in a few weeks and store it until next year. I've also added a fan to the greenhouse. It's important to keep the air moving, which seems to keep the whiteflies under control.

Whether it's too hot or too cold, we always enjoy eating whatever fresh food we manage to grow.

Enjoying Eggplant

Until a year ago, I had no idea that we could grow eggplant in Wisconsin. It seems so exotic and tropical that I was surprised when a friend mentioned that his eggplant were going crazy. It's true that eggplant love the heat. Cool summers might not produce many eggplant, but this summer has been plenty warm, and the addition of my greenhouse last fall made me want to give it a try.

If the only eggplant you've ever seen are the giant purple things grown commercially in Florida, then think again. Eggplant come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They can be white, red, green, orange and purple. They can range in size from a golf ball (ornamental) to football. Some are even striped. Almost anything that you grow at home will be more tender and tasty than the grocery store variety. The skins are softer and may not need to be peeled at all.

Since eggplant (sometimes called aubergines in cookbooks) come from all over the world, you'll find recipes for them in a wide variety of cuisines. If you haven't got many cookbooks, visit your local library to find ideas. If you love Italian food, try eggplant Parmigiana, eggplant calzones, stuffed eggplant, caponata (eggplant salad), grilled eggplant with pasta, or even eggplant on pizza. If Indian food is your thing, try eggplant with yogurt and rice, or curried eggplant puree with flatbread. Martin Yan recommends Chinese spicy fried eggplant, which is messy but delicious. Mediterranean traditions really know what to do with eggplant: spicy chickpea and eggplant stew, grilled eggplant packets, marinated eggplant, moussaka, eggplant frittata, gnocchi with eggplant, ratatouille, and bab gannouj.

I think I'd better go pick some eggplant and head to the kitchen. It all sounds good to me!