35 of the Best Crops for Your Winter Greenhouse

27.10.2023 - 16:13 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren

35 of the Best Crops for Your Winter Greenhouse

Sorry, winter, you aren’t going to interrupt my growing plans!

I’ve come to terms with the idea that I can’t have fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes or big juicy cantaloupes in mid-January, but you’d better believe I’m going to enjoy fresh beets, beans, and greens even when it’s dropping below freezing outdoors.

An unheated greenhouse raises the interior temperature by up to 10°F because the sunlight that enters through the translucent material is trapped inside.

This is known as the “greenhouse effect,” and it’s the same process that is contributing to global warming. But we’re talking about the good kind of greenhouse effect here.

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What that means for our purposes is that if a plant can tolerate temperatures down to 30°F, it can survive outdoor temperatures that drop as low as 20°F if it’s grown in a greenhouse.

So what crops can you grow in an unheated greenhouse in the winter?

You’re going to see a lot of brassicas on this list. They love cool weather. On the other hand, you won’t see any heat lovers like peppers, melons, or tomatoes.

You’d need a heated greenhouse and supplemental lighting to have any chance of growing those over the winter months.

Don’t worry, there are so many excellent options that you won’t be missing those green beans. Ready to see what’s on the menu? Here’s the list:

As I mentioned, if you have a heated greenhouse, you have even more options.

Depending on what kind of heating you have, and if you have supplemental lights, you could grow year-round in any USDA Hardiness Zone.

The ones included in this guide