Greenhouse Magic

Why yes, we do have a greenhouse! Greenhouses are designed so that growers can produce fruits and veggies during off seasons. That’s why if you go to Piedmont Produce right this second we will have summer squash and cucumbers fresh from the garden even though, if you do the math, that would mean we planted them in February when the temperatures were low enough to kill any little squash or cucumber in its way!

But that’s exactly what we did! The greenhouse can keep the temperatures high enough inside and let enough light through to allow plants that prefer lounging on the beach, rather than skiing in the mountains, to grow.

How does this magic work!?

Everyone has heard of the greenhouse effect. Transparent plastic allows light into the greenhouse, the light hits the ground, plants, people, bugs, whatever it can find, and turns into heat. The heat cannot penetrate the plastic as easily as light can go through it. As time passes more and more heat is trapped inside of the greenhouse causing the inside to be much warmer than the outside temperature; no electricity or gas needed!

What does this mean to me?

If you enjoy eating tomatoes, you have greenhouses to thank. Plants like tomatoes and peppers are picky. They like to grow before the weather gets really hot but can also be killed by frost. To get fresh tomatoes in June, seeds need to be sown in March, inside of a greenhouse, so the plants can be transplanted to the field in May when the threat of frost is gone.

Right now we are selling fresh, local summer squash and cucumbers in our store, all thanks to our greenhouse!