Choosing A Greenhouse for All Seasons

In many climates growing plants in the winter months can become quite frustrating, and if you are finding that you are in that situation then it might be time to consider getting or building a greenhouse.

Medium-sized greenhouse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Greenhouses are available in many different sizes and there are some very compact versions that will suit most budgets.

Having one of these greenhouses tucked away in a sunny corner of your garden will be a godsend when the weather dictates that you would normally have to stay inside rather than venture out into your garden.

And with the added benefit of being able to control damage that might have been caused by birds, insects and the weather, greenhouses can also save you a lot of money in the long term.

They are excellent for growing seedlings and also for extending the season that you will be able to grow particular plants by controlling the climate.

You should always set your greenhouse in a position that gets the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day while allowing easy access to water and electricity. If you have a particularly windy property make sure that the door to the greenhouse is facing away from the prevailing wind.

When deciding on the size of greenhouse that you need always try to get the biggest one possible as once you see the benefits of having a greenhouse you might find that you will be wanting more and more room. Also you will be able to spread out your plants giving them more room to breathe and reducing the risk of disease.

Most good greenhouses come with in-built ventilation systems, which are essential to reduce the temperature when it begins to rise.

If you decide to build your own greenhouse, ventilation is one of the most important factors that you need to consider. Stay tuned to this blog for more tips on building a greenhouse coming soon! And if you want to purchase one that is pre-made, see below for some suggestions.

Greenhouses & Kits:
   

Video - Fall Gardening

This short video gives a few quick ideas on what to grow in the fall. A number of plants grow better in cooler weather, including many tasty vegetables! If you live in a Southern climate, you may even be able to harvest vegetables from your garden year-round. But even in cooler climates, if you don't have a greenhouse or much space, you can still harvest well into the fall and early winter months, as he demonstrates in this video. (See resources below the video for some more great ideas on this topic.)

Enjoy the possibilities!

Fall Gardening
Master Gardener Kent Phillips talks about planting in the fall and overwintering plants through the cold months of the year. Many people think that gardening season is over when summer ends, but you can continue planting in autumn and produce delicio...


Year-Round Gardening Resources:
   

Planting in Fall For A Spring Garden

You might think of the autumn simply as the time to clean up, removing the previous summer's growth from your garden. There might still be some specialized flowers and vegetables growing through the fall, but the emphasis at this time of year is to wind things down, and wait for the spring to do all the new planting. Yet, for some plants, the best time to be put in the garden turns out not to be the spring at all.

An autumn ground with fallen leaves and grass (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some plants, in fact, do much better if they are planted in the autumn rather than in the following spring. That doesn't mean they bloom and grow all winter; they'll lie dormant like many other plants through this period. However, planting in the fall and letting them start their growing season gradually as things warm up in spring works better for some plants.

Most perennials actually thrive by this process, because the soil is still relatively warm and moist from the summer, and they have time to become properly rooted throughout the autumn. If they're planted in the spring, on the other hand, the soil is still quite cool, and the plants face a few months of trying to root properly even while the above-ground temperatures are inducing them to produce leaves and flowers. An especially hot summer can place additional stress on these new plants, and particularly for some fruit-bearing bushes and trees, can even kill them. Perennials planted in the fall have a much better chance of being established and attaining their full size and growth the following summer, than do similar plants that are planted in spring.

There are a number of shrubs and trees that establish themselves better if you plant them in the autumn. Your garden center or some research on gardening websites can help you discover which other plants thrive best if put into your garden at this time of year. However, some plants that you might consider could be Siberian or bearded irises, lilies, peonies, hostas, pinks, hens and chicks, or phlox. Trees or bushes like hawthorn, maple, crab apple, pine, linden, and elm should also be planted in the fall rather than the spring.

Another thing people don't always think of in the autumn is planting seeds rather than the plants themselves. When you think of it, nature's way generally tends to be for seeds to drop and be spread in the fall, and get covered over and lie dormant through the winter, in preparation for germinating the following spring. Some actually require a spell in cold temperatures before they'll sprout. So in your own garden, too, you can plant certain seeds that will then wait through the winter and begin to grow the following spring. Try this with some of your perennials, and you can even give it a go with annuals that are described as "hardy annuals." This will also work with some self-seeding herbs and flowers, such as cilantro, Four O'Clocks, and datura ("moon flowers"). For me, I can never seem to get cilantro to grow well if I plant it in the spring or summer - it always bolts too quickly and hardly makes any leaves. If I plant it in the fall (or it seeds itself), it comes up by itself in the spring and grows large and lush before it gets too hot.

Tulips and narcissus flowers in spring (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of course the one fall planting that everyone is familiar with is the bulbs. Tulips and daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses - all of these should be planted in the autumn before the soil freezes, at least six weeks earlier or slightly more. You might already have been doing this, but now you know that your repertoire for fall planting can be considerably wider. If you plant what you can in the autumn, you will probably end up with a thriving, growing garden much sooner the following spring than you've had before. Plus you don't have to stop gardening yet! :-)

A Few Tips On What to Plant In A Fall Garden

Well, I spotted a few yellow leaves this week.... Sad as it may be, it seems this summer is already drawing to a close (wow - that was fast!). But that doesn't mean gardening is already over! As autumn arrives and you look out the window into the yard, you may be thinking that that's pretty much it for your garden. All the vegetables have been harvested, the annuals have run their course, and it's time to wind things up. Dig up and toss the annuals, prepare the soil and some of the plants for next year, and then leave the garden alone for the next several months. All done.

Fall Planting in Progress (Photo credit: EatandLiveGreen)

However, that isn't necessarily the case. Your garden may, in fact, be far from done, and you can give it life for a few more weeks. It may come as a surprise, especially if you're a novice gardener, but there are actually some things you can plant in the autumn rather than in the spring, and some things that might even keep growing through the first frosts. Far from winding down all your garden activities, you can still be out there, planting, watering, and pruning to your heart's content.

Some flowers, like pansies, for example, actually prefer cooler weather. So in a way, you can bracket your entire growing year with pansies and the related violas, starting them early in the cool spring, and then planting more in the cool autumn. Certain types of impatiens plants also seem to do quite well as the hot summer gives way to cooler autumn temperatures. It's long been known, too, that ornamental (and edible!) kales and cabbages last long into the autumn, and mums are another very hardy flowering plant that you can use to brighten up the garden.

Root Vegetables (Photo credit: frank3.0)

Certain vegetables can also still be growing in the autumn, though they would have been planted a bit earlier in the season. In Zone 5 and further south, for example, you can plant root vegetables in August, to bring in a harvest before the first frost. This would include things like beets and turnips, and possibly green onions and shallots as well. So you can extend your harvest into the fall, even if you planted earlier than that.

You can also check for seed packets in early August, looking for vegetables that can be planted even later. You can ask the advice of the local garden center to be sure which ones work best for your Zone, but look for the ones that list the shortest growing season on the packet. For these vegetables, you would prepare the garden beds all over again, removing all dead and finished vegetation and spreading fresh mulch and compost so that some nutrients are restored to the soil. Some vegetables (including root vegetables like beets and carrots, and leafy greens like lettuce, mustard, collards, and kale) can even grow through the first early frosts and yield a harvest for you - some will even taste sweeter, as the cool weather brings out the sugars in the plants.

As you put some parts of your garden to bed for the autumn and winter, other parts can still be vital and growing, while still others can be planted afresh and begin a new growing season entirely. If you enjoy your gardening and really don't want to let it go yet, there are ways to extend the pleasure just a little longer. Bring in some mums and pansies and plant some root vegetables and greens, and let the gardening continue for several more weeks - or maybe even months!  (And if you want to try gardening year-round - which I am trying this year for the first time myself - see Eliot Coleman's excellent book, The Four-Season Harvest.)

 

Aquaponics Greenhouse - Video

Here is a really cool video showing a great little greenhouse used for an aquaponics system. This could also be used for more traditional gardening styles, and should hold up well and keep your plants nice and snug throughout the winter, and it also shows a great use of vertical space. It's pretty simple, though he's got some more advanced technology in there to manage his aquaponics system. There are also some cool shots of his lovely vegetables growing happily!

If you have other cool greenhouse ideas, feel free to share below!

Aquaponics Greenhouse Tour
This is a Harbor Freight 10x12 greenhouse that is used for an aquaponics system. It's not as big as my regular garden, but I can start it 2 months earlier! You can also get details by viewing my blog at web4deb.blogspot.com . Thanks for viewing! Plea...


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• DIY Bottled Gardens - Turn Your Old Glass Bottles into a Pop Bottle Greenhouse (VIDEO) (trendhunter.com)

Using a Mini-Greenhouse

Dead-winter is just beginning in many areas, so thoughts of gardening may still just seem like a wistful dream. But why not plan ahead for next winter, and try to keep your garden going throughout the year? You may want to think about the possibility of a greenhouse. We will be doing a short series this month on greenhouses, so that you can put plans into place to have a great garden year-round!

Some people may think of a greenhouse as a huge glass-walled contraption similar in size to a house or small barn, but they actually come in all shapes and sizes. A good greenhouse need not always be big and spacious. Although those requirements are ideal for big plant growers and commercial greenhouses, those who only have a small area for a greenhouse can also have their own by building a mini version of a greenhouse.

Image via WikipediaGardeners who are much into planting and growing crops but have a limited garden space have the option of building a mini greenhouse. This mini greenhouse can actually be placed anywhere such as on balconies, patios, backyards, and decks as the typical size is just around 6 square feet. Though small, it also provides the same benefits that the regular greenhouses do.

Mini greenhouses are also ideal for those who are just beginners in the greenhouse technology. Before venturing into building a big one, it is best to learn how a greenhouse works and know the different things needed to have an ideal growing condition for your plants. And this learning process for beginners can be done by starting with mini greenhouses.

A mini greenhouse can be used to start plant growth before the cold season in a particular area. Once the weather gets better and warmer, these healthy plants and crops planted inside the greenhouse can now be transplanted outside into the garden. This will allow for earlier harvesting of crops. A huge selection of seeds can also be planted in the greenhouse which makes planting a lot more fun for hobbyists and gardeners.

There are a good variety of herbs and lettuce that can be grown healthily and successfully in mini-greenhouses even for the whole year. Other delectable vegetables such as Swiss chard, spinach, and kale can also be planted and grown inside the mini-greenhouse. These would make for a great bowl of salad with freshly-picked greens even during the cold season.

Image by Pat Dalton... via FlickrMini greenhouses are also useful with tender perennial plants. The greenhouse can protect them from ice, snow and frost during the winter season. They can be placed in plant containers and stay healthy inside the mini structure until spring begins. Once the weather becomes friendly enough, these plants can then be again transplanted into the garden outside.

The decorative plants commonly found inside the house can be given a healthy change by placing them inside the mini greenhouse and placing them outside during the summer months. This mini structure can offer tropical plants a humid climate. Miniature greenhouses, just like the regular large ones, maximize the amount of sunlight and make the most out of the heat absorbed. It also provides needed protection for plants from rain, wind, destructive insects and other pests in the garden such as rabbits.

Since mini gardens or greenhouses can be very light because of their small structure, they may be easily blown by wind or knocked over by pets and kids. Thus, it is recommended that these small gardens be placed or mounted into a wall or garage rather than being a free-standing structure. It is best to place them in a location where there is enough sunlight, but they are safe from other outside factors as well. There are also do-it-yourself greenhouse kits available in the market that include complete instructions and step-by-step guides for a beginner to build a mini greenhouse quickly and easily. These kits can also be inexpensive and can commonly accommodate up to three shelves.

So should one really choose to have a full-sized greenhouse or just go with a miniature one? Even if a large space is available for a full-sized greenhouse, having a small one may be more practical - especially to start with. If the main purpose of having a greenhouse is to grow only a few plants, germinate seeds, or provide protection during the colder season, having a mini greenhouse is just fine. Also, the cost to maintain small greenhouses are significantly lower than the full-sized ones.

Many gardeners find great success with greenhouses, even a mini one. This structure can prove to be a good investment and yield better results than just doing the traditional gardening. And if one really finds happiness in caring for plants and harvesting a few crops, greenhouse-gardening can definitely offer lifetime enjoyment.

Examples of Mini-Greenhouse Kits: