Which are the best?

[secuono]

So I eat nearly nothing green and grown from the ground, carnivor, not much of a herbivore.
Lots failed, some grow, few weird things happened.
Kind of need help choosing what to grow of the things I'm able to grow and then where to put it.

I sold all my chickens, might start over with new pullets in the spring, who knows. Still have two PBs, but might find them new homes. If I do, some things will be taken off the list. I have rabbits and guinea pigs, so I'd like to grow things for them that would grow easily, but also be high in nutrition for them [over wild greens and weeds, to be worth planting]. But then there might be none...I have a feeling there won't be much in the greenhouse...lol.

Ok, so here's what I can grow or want to grow and for who. Help me choose what variety of seed to buy that will work with my needs/weak green thumb. Kind of hoping to add screens as vents and that will help lessen bad bugs. But then I'll have to pollinate them myself, no?
Hopefully all can sell at swaps.


Potatoes
Yukon Gold have done great for me, I always save some from the year before. I make mashed potatoes outta them, not much else.
Sweet Potato, they'll be new, rabbits and guinea pigs can eat them cooked or raw.
Also grown in the greenhouse.

Tomatoes
Cherry for the pigs, chickens. I read that GPs might be able to eat them, too. No idea about rabbits eating the fruit.
Some kind of large tomatoes that grows many per plant, that's what I'm looking to have in the greenhouse. These my family are willing to buy, they hated the tiny cherry ones.

Cucumber
Nothing grew 2013, we weren't able to make pickles! In 2012, I bought random packets of them, all turned out very good as pickles. I'd like a large, round cucumber, not minis or something small and thin. OK, so some did grow in 2013, but very few and all stayed yellow...Great fish food, pigs will also eat them. Don't think rabbits or GPs can eat them. But I mainly want them for us to make pickles!!
I'd have them outside the greenhouse, spreading across the yard. Or should I build something for them to climb on?

Watermelon
I had one Baby melon, it's perfectly round and adorable. No idea what I'll do with it...lol. But, pigs can eat them, family will buy them. Then another kind grew, only the one fruit, I forgot about it. Kinda rotted a hole, opps. It was also small, but oblong shaped. I like ones that are seedless and sweet, but with seeds would be nice to save for the future. I don't want giant store-like melons.
I'd have them outside the greenhouse, spreading across the yard. Or should I build something for them to climb on?

Pumpkins
We grew random ones from the 2012 Halloween pumpkins we bought. But I'd like to find a nice, orange, medium growing one. Maybe that grew well with many fruits, 8-10in across. Pigs eat them, no other animal liked them, even though the horses and sheep can eat them, lol.
I'd have them outside the greenhouse, spreading across the yard. Or should I build something for them to climb on?

Broccoli & Cauliflower
These failed each time, but I'd like to grow them to eat them. So I have no idea what kinds to get that are small/medium and grow well in a greenhouse....

Leafy greens
Also failed, they were small, too. Not sure what kinds rabbits and guinea pigs can eat, but no iceberg lettuce.


I think that's all of them....The floorspace in the greenhouse is about 8x26ft, with a narrow 1.5ft aisle in the middle from me running up and down it. I don't want or need a real aisle, don't mind wandering between plants and such.
So, any help? Anyone know what varieties from the plants above will work best for me? Zone 7B, btw.

Thankies!



Adding
I just saw some gutter containers and I think I'm going to hang some on the walls to grow the leafy greens in!


Adding, again
I totally forgot about corn!!
Corn
Maybe a mix of short growing stalks and sweet corn. Mice got this year's corn and the escaped rabbits.
Going to put it along the long side to attempt to give a touch of shade. No idea how that'll work out.

 

[digitS']

Difficult to answer the questions, Secuono. First of all, because I have only had basil and a couple of tomato plants in my greenhouse thru the summer. Oh, there was a cucumber malingering in there this year .

The basil and tomatoes could take the heat but you live where there is not only heat but humidity. You will have to do a good job of venting it.

The plants may have a problem with mildew - downy mildew, maybe other fungal diseases if there is so much moisture. Johnny's Seed has quite a few cucumber and tomato varieties that are recommended for greenhouses and high tunnels. Not one have I grown. I think that would be a good place to start searching for varieties that can do well in that kind of environment. I also see that High Mowing Seeds and Territorial Seed Company offer greenhouse varieties.

There is information and a good number of links in this University of Kentucky publication on greenhouse tomatoes (link).

It isn't as tho' this is necessarily difficult, it has been done for well over 100 years. It is just that gardeners don't often have crops in a greenhouse thru the growing season. I really doubt if you can screen out insect pests without so interfering with air flow that the greenhouse will be an oven. Some insects will find a way in and start a population boom. This may be especially true since some of their natural predators probably will be the ones most easily kept out.

Steve