For any new beginner learning to garden, the first step is to plan correctly, and planning to rely on the English weather isn’t always the cleverest when it comes to gardening! However, we have been gifted with the revelation of a greenhouse which allows us to grow whichever plants and crops we like all year around. Therefore, the cost of investing in a greenhouse can be easily outweighed by the benefit of having an escape for you to build a green oasis in the privacy of your own garden where you aren’t limited to what you can grow by the weather.
Setting it up
Greenhouse extra-ordinaires always have their greenhouses well set up inside; this makes the job of gardening a lot easier! The first thing to do when you get your greenhouse is to measure out how much space you will have for your greenhouse beds and borders, gardening tools, heating equipment (for those frosty nights the plants will need warming up with!), and benches. These benches will be useful in the summer too as you can move them outside when space is needed for summer crops. The most necessary feature of all in a greenhouse is the thermometer – you must have one! The thermometer is the tell-tale of all future success of your plants and will allow you to change the environment of your greenhouse until you reach the perfect climate for plant growth again.
All these different elements are part of your greenhouse staging and there are plenty of products you can buy from DIY and gardening stores which fit into greenhouses and have all these functional uses.
How to grow and maintain crops in a greenhouse
How you grow your crops will be dependent on the season as crops always grow better in certain seasons and it is best not to mess with the laws of nature! However, the beauty of a greenhouse does mean you don’t always have to play by the rules.
When you’re planting and sowing your seeds make sure to use multipurpose compost and ensure that climbing plants have sufficient supports in place. You must also consider ways to protect young plants from the cold weather; fleece and bubble wrap are both very insulating and a cheap method to keep your plants warm. It is also essential for the care of the plants that the correct ventilation and watering system is in place, an automatic system would be the most convenient option but if that’s too expensive there’s manual work you can do… Simply opening the vents and doors is still an effective way of getting ventilation into the greenhouse or even just placing your plants outside for the day.
It may seem hard to believe but keeping a greenhouse clean and tidy will also help you massively in tending to your plants as all your equipment is readily set up to be used. Keeping the area clean will also prevent any sources of threat such as slugs getting near your plants and protect them from dying, as young plants are especially at risk.