Essentially there are two ways to grow in soil in your greenhouse. You can grow in pots or you can grow in planting beds. We look now at growing in posts, and we will consider the positives and negatives growing directly in the ground.
What Are the 5 Tips for Keeping My Greenhouse Toasty This Winter?
To keep your greenhouse warm and your plants thriving in winter, start by growing cold-tolerant crops and installing an electric plug with a thermostat to control supplemental heat from soil cables or space heaters. Add frost protection by layering Agribon fabric, build mini-insulated zones for tender plants, and use old-school lights or warming tools for targeted heat. Finally, keep air circulating year-round with fans to prevent cold pockets and strengthen plant growth.
Imagine my surprise when a small hole we drilled through our greenhouse foundation became a runway for mice. We pulled an extension cord into my greenhouse through that hole and the tiny gap became a neon sign for rodents.
What are the best tactics to keep your plants alive in a winter greenhouse? Protecting plants in winter requires matching their cold tolerance to the right strategies, such as using row covers, fabric shelters, thermostatic heaters, and airflow management to create microclimates within your greenhouse. Tropical plants should be moved indoors before the first frost, while semi-tropical species like citrus and bananas can thrive under floating row covers and supplemental heat. Temperate and hardy plants—like kale, arugula, and geraniums—often survive with less protection, but benefit from insulation, moisture, and bottom heat for propagation; overall success depends on segmenting your space, monitoring temperatures, and applying targeted heating only where needed.
All these items will help your winter greenhouse.
What are the 6 essential tips for cleaning a greenhouse before winter sets in? The best time to clean your greenhouse is in late fall when plant growth slows, focusing on removing dead plants, reducing watering, clearing cobwebs, washing overwintering plants, and cleaning row covers to prevent pests and diseases. A thorough fall cleaning deters common greenhouse problems like mold, fungus gnats, and spider mites, ensuring a healthier growing environment for the upcoming season. Starting early and cleaning on a sunny day optimizes results and prepares your greenhouse for a productive spring restart.
My husband and I planned a mid-week ski trip but on departure day I was still in my off finishing a time-sensitive project. We were staying overnight at the hill, it was still a workday, and the car was loaded up. There was no rush to get moving.
Some people consider the first day of school or even “back to school” shopping as the real start to fall. But for me and my garden, the first day of fall comes when wasps appear at my outdoor dining table and I am extending the greenhouse growing season.
Corle ran ahead of me on the beach and stuck her head right into a dead seal. And then she took a big bite.
Arnold is always hungry. And some of his favorite foods are the fruits and vegetables I grow in my greenhouse. He also eats the plants of the tomatoes and squash I grow. He gently pokes around, licking up the small green fruits first and then chomps down on the whole tangled twisted plant.
How Much Food Can My Small Greenhouse Grow?
A small 8’ x 8’ greenhouse can produce a surprisingly abundant and diverse harvest by maximizing vertical and horizontal space with crops like microgreens, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, especially when supplemented with seasonal heating and grow lights. Crop selection and greenhouse heating significantly impact yield and growing seasons, allowing multiple successive harvests and year-round gardening possibilities. To optimize food production, gardeners should prioritize fast-maturing crops they love and efficiently use all growing areas, including shelves, pots, and hanging baskets.
We get asked regularly "how much food can I grow in one of your smaller greenhouses?"
Ian is sitting on a stool inside his lovely brown-framed, glass-walled Parkside greenhouse, practicing guitar and waiting for his lemons to ripen. He is an accountant by day, a musician by night and, since he bought his greenhouse, a lemon-grower in his “spare” time.
