Greenhouse construction and recommendations for growing vegetables and flowers

L. M. Shulgina Construction and recommendations for the cultivation of vegetables, flowers, and mushrooms. Second edition (PUBLISHING HOUSE

My entire creative life has been connected with protected soil. I remember my first steps at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Vegetable and Potato Growing (as the Research Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing was then called) in the laboratory of polymer materials — a new direction in vegetable growing. I was overcome with a joyful feeling: so much unexplored, what a scope for creativity! I was on the threshold of life. Scientific work was devoted to the peculiarities of tomato cultivation under film covers.

The Timiryazev Agricultural Academy was our school of vegetable growing. Vitaly Ivanovich Edelstein — the founder of Russian vegetable growing — blessed me for this work. I still retain a feeling of gratitude for the science of research work to German Ivanovich Tarakanov, whom I always considered my teacher. Soon after defending my PhD thesis, I became the head of the protected soil department at the institute. Those were wonderful years of a bright creative life. The vegetable growing industry was on the rise. The polymer materials industry began to develop intensively, and film structures were springing up like mushrooms. The industry needed recommendations on the cultivation technology for vegetables and transplants in them, and our team began to develop them.

A wonderful atmosphere reigned in the institute; there was no favoritism, everyone was equal, and everyone was valued for the results of their labor.

And all the directors carried this noble spirit. Over 27 years, I was lucky enough to work with three directors who, possessing outstanding organizational and diplomatic gifts, contributed to the prosperity of the institute. They were Ivan Avksentievich Chizhenko, Pavel Fedorovich Sokol, and Gerold Leonidovich Bonda AI om "A. <

renko. It was a happy youth! Everything worked out, what was conceived was easily accomplished, and the work brought immense pleasure.

After defending my PhD thesis, I began working on my doctoral dissertation. Over thirteen years, hundreds of experiments were conducted. What is surprising is that when we set up the first experiments, I was not yet thinking about the "scientific foundations of industrial transplant cultivation technology." I did not have a specific plan for the dissertation then either. Everything went as it went — I was responding to the demands of production. Later it turned out that 95% of all the material corresponds to the stated topic. Intuition guided me, and besides, it was a wonderful time! I recall with pleasure how for more than twenty years I, a native of Kharkiv, traveled to the suburbs — to the city of Merefa, at eight o'clock in the morning, to work at the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing.

I was a little over 40 years old when I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation at the Leningrad Agricultural Institute in Pushkin. There, our famous vegetable grower Valentin Andreevich Bryzgalov, Honored Scientist, together with the Head of the Vegetable Growing Department Valentina Yefimovna Sovetkina, created an atmosphere of high standards and benevolence. It was a wonderful period even after the defense of the doctoral dissertation, when these very "scientific foundations" were being hastily implemented into production. Our sphere of activity expanded: together with civil engineers and machinery operators, we developed new agricultural requirements, in accordance with which factories in the Soviet Union manufactured designs of greenhouses and machines. All of this was directed by an amazing person, a man of great scale and broad soul — Vladimir Vasilyevich Samoshchev, Head of Glavteplitsatekhoborudovanie. As a result of joint work with the Bulgarian Research Institute of Vegetable Crops in Plovdiv, a joint book was published on the industrial technology of growing transplants.

Fate decreed that I moved to a teaching position at the H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, where I soon became a Professor of the Botany Department and taught plant physiology. Obviously, it is natural for a scientist to pass on their experience —-. Роу к ь > Ц > ыы > 5

=> 558) to the younger generation. I remember how on the roof of the pedagogical university we built plastic hotbeds and studied ways to reduce the content of nitrates and heavy-

Protected ground as a factor for stable yield

Changing weather conditions and the widespread occurrence of pathogens turn the growing of heat-loving vegetable crops in open soil into a high-risk zone. To guarantee the harvest of such crops as tomato and eggplant, it is advisable to use plastic covers and greenhouses. Protected ground creates a controlled microclimate and protects plantings from diseases.

Practical experience shows that growing tomatoes under plastic allows for complete abandonment of chemical treatments against late blight throughout the entire main growing season. Plantings remain healthy even when neighboring plantings in open soil die completely or partially from late blight, despite systematic spraying. Plant infection in protected ground begins only at the end of the season, when the integrity of the plastic cover is broken and rainwater gets onto the leaves.

• Fruiting period of spring greenhouses — from May to October
• Harvest gain under temporary covers — 3–4 weeks
• Acceleration of ripening using the transplant method — 2–3 weeks
• Difference in ripening of early and late cultivars — 30–40 days

The choice of a cultivation structure depends on the economic possibilities of the manager and the set tasks. Different types of structures and agricultural techniques ensure varying degrees of accelerating produce availability.

Agricultural techniques for accelerating the ripening of vegetable crops

Obtaining an early harvest of vegetables (cucumber, tomato, pepper, eggplant, squash, leafy greens), melons (watermelon, melon), as well as growing mushrooms (champignons) requires the use of a special complex of agricultural practices. The intensification of early vegetable production is directly related to increasing the level of mineral nutrition and high soil fertility.

To accelerate fruiting and obtain high yields, it is necessary to use the following key elements of the technology:

• Selection of early-ripening cultivars: the difference in ripening times between early and late cultivars of tomato and pepper ranges from 30 to 40 days.
• Observance of optimal planting dates: the precise selection of the planting date acts as one of the strongest agricultural factors.
• Use of simple covers: protection of plants with the provision of a correct microclimate allows for obtaining a harvest 3 weeks earlier than usual.
• High soil fertility and intensive nutrition: early crops are demanding of soil structure and a high nutritional background.
• Site selection and wind protection: placing plantings on southern or southeastern slopes with light-textured soils ensures rapid warming of the soil.
• Winter sowing: carrying out winter sowing of vegetable crops accelerates the availability of the first greens and vegetables.
• Use of hardened transplants: planting high-quality, pre-hardened transplants guarantees a high percentage of survival and a fast start to the growing season.

What joy flowers bring us! Many people are fond of growing them not only for themselves but also for sale. This book describes an accessible technology for forcing tulips. For professionals growing greenhouse roses, it will be interesting to familiarize themselves not only with traditional methods but also with modern low-volume production technology. 255) 2 y 4 y Cultivation facilities %. (1 protected gr | $ protected soil l i a 0 No \ 2 CLASSIFICATION OF PROTECTED SOIL FACILITIES There are three types of protected soil facilities: greenhouses, hotbeds, and warmed soil. A greenhouse is the primary, most advanced type of medium- or large-sized cultivation facility with a transparent roof (except for mushroom houses). In greenhouses, optimal conditions for growing plants can be created using modern equipment. The main difference between greenhouses and hotbeds or warmed soil facilities is that machines and personnel remain inside the structure during operation. A distinction is made between the construction area (the product of external length and width) and the useful area, where plants grow. In accordance with technological requirements, greenhouses are divided by purpose, operating period, and crop growing method. Depending on construction requirements, greenhouses are distinguished by the number of spans and slopes, the type of load-bearing structures, and the covering material.

By purpose, greenhouses are divided into vegetable and seedling-vegetable greenhouses. A fundamental difference of greenhouses used for preparing transplants for open ground is the ability to provide temperature, air, and light hardening of seedlings for 10 days before planting. For this, the area of ventilation openings must be at least 25—30 % of the area g to ®. re A e A.

covering, preferably on the sides (we orient greenhouses from north to south).

By operating period, greenhouses are divided into winter ones, which can be used throughout the year, and spring ones, which are operated in spring, summer, and autumn. As a rule, spring greenhouses have plastic film coverings, while winter ones have glass or plastic film coverings.

By growing method, there are soil-based greenhouses, where plants are grown in soil mixtures, and soilless ones, where plants are grown using hydroponic and aeroponic methods. In the hydroponic method, the root-inhabiting environment consists of artificial substrates, and plant nutrition is provided through aqueous solutions of mineral salts. Hydroponics is a promising method of modern vegetable production, as it meets industrial production requirements to a greater extent than soil-based greenhouses, ensuring higher standards of cultivation and labor productivity, especially in low-volume configurations. In the aeroponic method, plants are grown in humid air, with roots periodically sprayed with a nutrient solution. |

By the number of spans and slopes, greenhouses are divided into multi-span (block) and single-span (hangar) types. The block type is the primary one in areas south of 55° north latitude, where heavy snowfall is extremely rare. It has advantages over the hangar type: reduced heat loss and construction costs, and more efficient use of utility lines.

By the type of load-bearing structures, greenhouses are distinguished into framed and frameless ones. Framed greenhouses have received wide practical application.

Hotbeds are the least advanced type of cultivation facility with a removable cover and small internal volume. For many decades, up until the 1960s, the primary facilities for growing seedlings were single-slope hotbeds with biological heating. In the 1960s, the modernization of hotbeds began in connection with the development of mechanization for certain labor-intensive processes and the use of technical heating types.

None of the hotbed modifications have changed its essence as a facility where the ability to regulate environmental factors and apply mechanization is limited, and the timing and quality of work depend on the weather.

Based on design features, there are two types of hotbeds: single-slope and double-slope, which can be sunken or surface-level. Surface-level hotbeds can be stationary or portable. The light-transmitting cover can be glass or plastic film, and the latter can be frame-based or curtain-based.

Hotbeds use solar, biological, and technical heating (water, air, electric). By operating period, hotbeds are divided into early, medium, and late.

The most widely used in production is the single-slope stationary hotbed, sunken into the ground and covered with glass frames and mats, with biological, electric, or water heating.

Single-slope hotbeds, compared to double-slope ones, which are most often covered with polyethylene film, are the most economical facilities in terms of thermal engineering.

Warmed soil is the simplest temporary, small-sized facility used during a period when weather conditions do not yet allow vegetables to be grown in open ground due to low temperatures. Covers can be individual (e.g., plastic bottles, glass jars, polyethylene film on a frame) or group-based. Two methods of group covers are used: frameless and framed. The frameless method involves

< = 524 Я < д > -8 > 2 rolling out the film on a flat surface and covering its edges in the rows with soil. Such a cover accelerates emergence and plant growth by 10—15 days. The frame method has three types of shelters: earth-based, arched or tunnel, and frame or panel. Panel shelters differ from dual-pitch hotbeds by the absence of side bracing. WHICH STRUCTURES TO CHOOSE Your desires and plans must, first of all, be consistent with your capabilities. If you do not live at your summer house constantly during the spring-summer period, it is better to settle for using hotbeds or sheltered soil. Greenhouse operation, as a rule, requires almost daily presence. Although some skilled gardeners have developed such automatic ventilation and irrigation systems in a greenhouse that operate independently, and the owner does not need to look after it for several days.

When choosing a greenhouse structure, first of all, you need to understand the purpose for which it is needed. If you are going to grow transplants for sale in it, and vegetables — in the second cycle, then you should build a transplant-vegetable greenhouse that ensures hardening.

However, not all greenhouses are suitable for growing transplants. A significant feature of greenhouses where transplants for open soil are prepared is that they provide temperature, air, and light hardening of transplants for 10 days before planting them out. It should be noted that greenhouses are placed oriented from north to south, and at least 25—30% of the fencing area is allocated for the area of ventilation openings. Such ventilation makes it possible to keep the temperature in the greenhouse during the transplant hardening period no more than 1 °C higher than in open soil; to ensure good airing and gradual exposure of transplants to direct sunlight throughout the day. Thus, conditions are created that are as close as possible to open r 5 a —® a

=> 25 soil. What you choose — glazed or film greenhouses — is a matter of taste and possibilities. Many are attracted by the solidity of greenhouses under glass. Before building such greenhouses, take into account that their frame will require significantly more building materials than film greenhouses. In addition, greenhouses under glass are designed for heating and year-round operation, as they can suffer from snow in case of heavy snowfall.

Film greenhouses can also suffer from snow. As a rule, they are not designed for snow load, as this significantly weighs down the structure. In Bulgaria, I was shown an original solution to this problem. In case of heavy snowfall, the greenhouse was opened mechanically, and the snow, getting inside, briefly covered the cold-resistant soil crops growing there, which did not suffer from such a snow cover.

Film greenhouses are cheaper, require fewer building materials, transmit more light, and are better in quality than glazed ones, which means they allow for growing higher-quality produce. At the same time, due to the need to replace the film annually, if it is not stabilized, and the danger of the sheet tearing under the influence of wind, the use of film greenhouses is not always convenient. Wind is the main enemy of film, so special attention is paid to creating wind-resistant structures and reliable methods of film attachment. You can, of course, purchase stabilized films with a long service life, but this does not guarantee the integrity of the cover if the method of attachment is poor. At the same time, such a cover requires year-round operation. And do you have the possibility for heating?

The choice of material for the greenhouse frame (wood, metal, or plastic pipes) depends primarily on the size of the greenhouse and the available opportunities. For example, I know that the best in terms of wind resistance, ease of manufacture, and convenience in operation is an arched greenhouse made of one-inch multipurpose pipes. If I need a closed area of 100—300 m2, I would choose this particular greenhouse. If your 02 а 2 _ А 0 2 оч ь > щ в needs can be met by a 10 m2 greenhouse and wood is at hand, then it is advisable to settle on a single- or dual-pitch wooden greenhouse, although its frame is not the most durable.

The choice is yours. I do not recommend focusing your efforts on greenhouses made from old window frames, as such structures are not viable. And most importantly: before inventing something, study the experience of others, analyze the possibilities of your structure in which you will be able to create optimal conditions for plants.

Warmed soil Individual covers are used to protect plants from frost and to improve the microclimate during the initial period of plant growth.

Previously, covering heat-loving plants with paper cones before an expected frost was widely practiced. By the way, paper is one of the most reliable materials for this purpose.

Now, more advanced methods of frost protection have emerged. For this purpose, milk cartons and plastic bottles cut in half are widely used. Moreover, these tools allow for changes in crop cultivation technology and provide an opportunity to plant earlier and protect plants from pests. I widely use plastic bottles to optimize the microclimate and protect cucurbit crops and direct-sown tomatoes from frost. After sowing the seed of watermelon, melon, cucumber, or zucchini, I place the top half of a bottle over each planting hole. In case of frost or cool weather, I close the bottle neck with a cap. By the way, this method protects seedlings from the giant dung beetle, which clips young plants.

Some gardeners have adapted to use cardboard packaging boxes for warming plants. Individual covers are constructed in the form of film cones over plants that are rarely planted, for example, watermelons (one plant per 1 m²). For this, a frame is made over the planting hole, perhaps from willow vines, and a plastic bag or film is stretched over it.