Greenhouse Gardening Tips

Pests, Worm Castings and Algae

What are Worm Castings?

Before we get to greenhouse gardening algae, let's talk about a shopper on Amazon that complained about bugs in her worm castings. If you don’t speak garden lingo yet, worm castings are simply worm poop. They are mixed with soil in garden beds or in pots to make tomatoes grow faster, stronger and healthier. And just in case you missed the memo, worm poop comes with bugs of its own. The good ones.

Greenhouse Growing is Planning for the Future

I am eating a lot of Kale and Bok Choi from my cool Greenhouse Garden right now.  The winter-sown spinach is suddenly starting to explode as the days get longer too. There are still a few beets and carrots in the greenhouse and the season of overlapping crops is about to begin.  This is a normal life with a greenhouse growing.

Aluminum stands the test of time

What about cold weather?

For BC Greenhouse Builders' 70th anniversary, we wanted to showcase our employees, our craft, and our history through a new video. Come celebrate with us, learn about our growth since the 1950s, and follow our team through production and daily life here at BC Greenhouses.

Hear from the Heinen Family about their generational investment in this greenhouse company, tour our manufacturing facility, and see what sets us apart from our competition as the leader in North American greenhouse production today! 

So Many Tomatoes, So Little Space

Greenhouse tomato growers are rightfully confused when they see so many kinds of greenhouse tomatoes for sale. Karen Olivier, an independent tomato breeder from the Secret Seed Cartel, estimates there are 20,000 kinds of tomatoes listed right now and she is adding to that number by breeding new tomatoes every year.

Big thanks to Larry Clarkson for telling us the story of his two used Traditional Greenhouses

Larry won the greenhouse lottery and found two used BC Greenhouse Traditional model greenhouses on, of all places, Craigslist. It's worth saying that we do not sell used greenhouses. After this story broke, our email blew up with requests from customers wanting to buy refurbished greenhouses. 

As with any company, there are many people, vendors, and supporters that make up the fabric of your success.  When I started at BC Greenhouse 10 years ago, they shared with me the story of Erik Davis and it was a pleasure to talk with Russ and Aarron Davis to get the full history of our Vancouver Island connection.  It’s clear that Erik Davis was one of the remarkable people that changed the course of our company.  Erik was a bricklayer by trade who lived on the Island and he was known for his love of gardening. The president of four garden clubs, Erik was familiar with BC Greenhouses and had met Don Vale who was an installer with BCG.  Erik purchased his first greenhouse in 1981.

Wayne Heinen, the owner of Everlast Greenhouses, is the exclusive representative for BC Greenhouse Builders in the Okanagan and Kootenay region. 

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Wayne Heinen, owner of Everlast Greenhouses.  To say that Wayne grew up around greenhouses is an understatement.  Wayne, the youngest son of Henry and Greta Heinen, started hanging around BC Greenhouses and pitching in building cedar benches at nine years old.

A few years back my greenhouse tomato leaves were purple, yellow and spotted. Not all at once, but over time and on different leaves. It was the second year I was growing in my greenhouse and the commercial potting soil I bought was low on phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. The leaves on the plants were telling me what was going on. And it didn’t look good.

Before you Order Seeds or your Hobby Greenhouse, Read the Fine Print

Why I started growing in my Greenhouse Garden a few of my favourite plants stopped working for me. That's what I learned to read the catalog fine print and adapt my shopping for a better hobby greenhouse growing.