3 large greenhouses but what to grow?

Meager1

Dagobah Resident
FOTCM Member
Hi all, I'm asking for advice on what to grow in the 3 large greenhouses that came with my new house here in Florida. It is a shame not to use them for something other then tomatoes or peppers.
I was thinking about maybe trying to grow Moringa or something like it..any thoughts or other idea's would be appreciated though. Here's some info on Moringa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxCbyoYl1Og
 
Grow veggies that you like to consume. Also grow veggies that you don't like that you can sell/give away/barter. Root veggies can be good as they can be stored in a root cellar and keep for a while. You may also want to grow some medicinal herbs. They'd come in handy.

Also berries would be good if you like a little sweetness.
 
Check out the homegrown tobacco thread would be my suggestion. Even with our short growing season i had a pretty good haul. Although my new landlord threw it in the fire.
 
Meager1 said:
Hi all, I'm asking for advice on what to grow in the 3 large greenhouses that came with my new house here in Florida. It is a shame not to use them for something other then tomatoes or peppers.

How about installing a small aquaponics system that will grow fish/shrimp in combination with some vegetable?
 
My advice to you would be to plant the seedlings of lemon and olive trees on the one part, and the second (closer to the home) parsley, celery, garlic and onions.
Enjoy the consumption of your effort and work :) ;)
 
Various herbs would be good also-they can be used fresh and also dried. I like chives for a light onion flavor, thyme, and different types of basil are also good
 
Herbs are a good place to start if you're inexperienced in gardening - they're pretty easy to maintain (and come in handy) and you'll learn as you go :)

Happy growing!
 
Herbs are great and you can dry them, bag them, sell them on the internet or at flea markets, etc.

I also like to seed trees and if I had three green houses, I would do that, then get them in pots and let them grow a bit and sell them as seedlings or small saplings.

You can also seed veggies early in the year and sell the ready to plant seedlings at flea markets or to drop in buyers who want to get a fast start on their garden.
 
I was thinking with the earth changes and all the airborne particulate that planning this sorta thing might be an exercise in futility. Will our sun snap out of it's doldrums after the change? Wasn't planning to till the garden soil in prep for spring thinking what's the point? Gosh if I had a greenhouse though I might risk the energy and give it a go for non GMO fresh produce and herbs. Not trying to be overly negative but wishing... well not sure on my knowledge I suppose.
 
You could do a lot with three greenhouses i LIve in an apartment
With a balcony And Grow herbs comfry thyme sage rosemary chives and
Parsley harvest Just before the winter store in the freezer herbs are very easy to grow
If i had the space id Grow some veg and tobacco
Might be a little business there if you can Put the time into it.
Good luck And happy growing :)
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I did bring tobacco seed and some medicinal herbs with me.

The soil here appears to be mostly beach sand with some sporadic weeds here and there though I do have some huge moss covered trees out in the yard which seems to be evidence that the most severe storms haven't been this far inland for a long, long time.

But that may all change at anytime though, of course.

And even though this is suppose to be the Florida "highlands", I'm not sure how well tobacco will do in this sandy soil, but I'm going to try it.

There is a 3 stage outside aquaponics system already here, it just needs some minor repairs, like draining, getting the fallen leaves out and it probably needs new lines installed etc, but it shouldn't take to much to get it operating again and yes I was excited about having that too!
I just found an awesome deal on certified seeds for starting olive and various fruit trees and that is so much cheaper then buying seedlings, and even though it will take a little longer, the savings will be well worth the extra effort.

I also have a small lake in the back yard, they call it a lake here, but in the northeast it would have been called a good sized pond..and there is a pump and hose system already installed from the lake to the aquaponics system and the greenhouses, which I assume was to save the well water. I've tried to follow the hoses but they disappear underground and finding where they actually end up and if they all still function, is still a mystery.

No one has lived here in the past five years, so everything from the inside of the house to the yard and the greenhouses is in need of cleaning and some minor repair, all things I can do myself, and I'm excited about fixing it all up and feeling like I'm accomplishing something again.

I had to leave the house in the northeast, it was full of mold due to a constantly wet basement and my health was becoming comprised, because of it. And, it was time for a change.
 
Meager1 said:
Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I did bring tobacco seed and some medicinal herbs with me.

The soil here appears to be mostly beach sand with some sporadic weeds here and there though I do have some huge moss covered trees out in the yard which seems to be evidence that the most severe storms haven't been this far inland for a long, long time.

But that may all change at anytime though, of course.

And even though this is suppose to be the Florida "highlands", I'm not sure how well tobacco will do in this sandy soil, but I'm going to try it.

If I were you, I'd make friends with locals and admit I know nothing. Obviously, you don't know about live oaks and their resistance to high winds...


Meager1 said:
There is a 3 stage outside aquaponics system already here, it just needs some minor repairs, like draining, getting the fallen leaves out and it probably needs new lines installed etc, but it shouldn't take to much to get it operating again and yes I was excited about having that too!
I just found an awesome deal on certified seeds for starting olive and various fruit trees and that is so much cheaper then buying seedlings, and even though it will take a little longer, the savings will be well worth the extra effort.

Olives and fruit trees won't do that well there.

Coming from the Northeast, you are due for a culture shock, I'm afraid. Best get to hanging out with the hillbillies and learn to talk like them.
 
Lol, no Laura their not all hillbillies!
Some are of course, but I've that type everywhere I've been.
I know some people here already and most of them are very nice.

Surprisingly,quite a few people who are my neighbors in this area are not from here originally, but moved here from PA, LA, etc and there's even one guy from Panama.

I'm not exactly "new" here either.

When I first left Idaho I stayed with my sister in Middleburg Florida for a couple of years. My Aunt lived here in Keystone Heights for 20 years and I came down a few times to visit her, in fact the place I'm at now was her house, and when she died a few years back none of her kids wanted to move down here, so they sold it dirt cheap.

That's the only reason I was able to come down here now.

My Mom has lived here, through the winters, for the past 16 years and I've been here with her quite often as well. My Mom has orange and Grapefruit trees in her yard, 3 houses up from me and my Aunt grew an Orange tree here in the back yard here that's about 10 feet tall, so it's been there awhile.

I also did some research and discovered that both Anna and Dorsell Golden apples do well here, as do peach, Nectarine, Tangerines, Moringa and several other kinds of fruit trees. I am hesitant to buy already growing trees, but I don't mind buying the seeds for much cheaper.. and giving it a try.

Most of the Oak in the general area are fairly small, there are only a few areas where they are this huge. Maybe they have been logged or harvested in the past, I don't know.

But I do appreciate the ones I have here, they are very beautiful trees, and there are two out front that are almost exactly like the Ponderosa pine we had in Idaho.

I know that there is no ideal place, but I'll do the best I can with what I have..and if I fail.. I'll try something else.
And I like the southern accent some of these people have!

I don't know if I'll ever talk like they do, but I wouldn't mind it.
 
Meager1 said:
I don't know if I'll ever talk like they do, but I wouldn't mind it.
As long as you drive a carr instead of a cah, grow your trees in the yard and not yahd, and refer to our state as Floorida instead of Flar'da, you'll do fine :P What most people from the North don't realize is that they have literally destroyed the southern half of the state, except for maybe a few holdouts along the north side of Lake Okeechobee, with their overpriced real estate scams and foisting their big city "superior" way of doing things upon us. Anyone who moves into these gated communities where you can be fined for sneezing in the wrong direction and plops down their Mediterranean villa is complicit in this travesty somewhere along the line. The lands that we used to play in are gone, and it's all from this overwhelming "invasion" from the North. That is literally how it is viewed, and families that have lived in Florida 100 years or more are livid about it, though we will rarely tell you to your face. Furthermore, those in the N FL where you are have seen what has happened in the south and are very wary of it spreading to where they are.

Generally the "Yankees" live in their own segregated neighborhoods, go shopping at their own special venues, and only converse with their "yankee" friends because they are the only ones who can tolerate them; they have no ties to the community. We are merely servants for them because they did the honor of parking some of their money in our town, therefore we owe them.

Where I work, being somewhat of a backwater area, though not quite as far out in the boonies as you, pretty much all of the rank and file are native Floridians. When somebody with a New York plate pulls up and that accent comes out of their mouth...the yankee Defcon alarm goes off and you immediately go on the hitlist :P I'm only exaggerating a little. If you're still culturally Western I think you will be seen as more of an exotic curiosity than an "enemy." I remember this guy from Kansas who came to work with us for awhile, sweet kid, and we all basically considered him an "interesting foreigner." As long as you respect the land, and don't try to civilize the locals with your superior way of doing things, they will like you. And there are some of them out there that really are redneck hillbillies that will make you go "OMG."

This was kind of ranty, very politically incorrect post, but that is the backdrop you've moved into, and while a lot of it is probably that ponerogenesis divide and conquer stuff, there are some genuine reasons for the animosity in my opinion. Just be aware.
 
I totally understand what your saying Neil.

In Idaho the Californian's moving into the state were responsible for a whole lot of discontent and In southern Colorado I heard all about how much things have changed since the people from Oklahoma moved there, because of the dust bowl situation.

And I have seen the same here to, the Middleburg Florida I knew during the early 90's was totally different then it is day and I suppose population influxes are largely responsible there too.

I am able to use external consideration [for the most part] and can usually get along with pretty much everybody. That doesn't mean that I have to actually like or trust a person, or a neighbor, but I don't have to argue or wage a battle with anyone either.

And one thing I've found from spending a good amount of time living in different areas of the Country is that people are pretty much the same wherever you go.

There are the good, the bad and the ugly in every state.

The accent you referred to is more of a Boston accent and no I don't have that, though people always know that I'm not a local!

So far, the people I have met here whether Florida born and raised, or imports from other states, have all been considerate and polite and yeah I have seen a few local rednecks but have not had any contact with them. They seem to have their own click..or people they associate with.

My only complaint about this area would be that people here drive way to fast!
 
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