Recognize the Signs of Plant Stress

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How do I revive my plants and know if they need fertilizer? Yellowing leaves, pale color, and stunted growth are common signs of nutrient deficiencies—especially nitrogen and sulfur—while shiny, vibrant leaves indicate a well-fed, thriving plant. Are compost, worm tea, and manure enough to fertilize greenhouse plants? Though compost, worm castings, and manures improve soil texture and microbial health, they lack essential nutrients and should be paired with a balanced fertilizer for full plant recovery. What other issues might be stressing your greenhouse plants? Inconsistent watering, pest infestations like scale, or high pH levels can also cause symptoms of stress; identifying the root cause and responding with steady care, micronutrients, and natural pest control helps restore plant vitality and resilience.

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This summer, I returned from a long-distance move to find my greenhouse plants crying out for help—wilted leaves, dry tips, and pale color. Turns out my house sitters were a little too cautious with watering and fertilizer. Now that I’m back, I’m coaxing everything back to life, and the transformation has been remarkable.

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What Are the Key Considerations for Building a Greenhouse on an Older Property?
Building a greenhouse on an older property requires careful planning to address obstacles like shallow tree roots and undocumented gas lines, making hand digging and utility checks essential for safety. Choosing the right foundation—such as gravel, treated lumber, and cinder blocks—must accommodate site-specific challenges like power line placement and height restrictions. Thorough pre-construction investigation and professional coordination ensure a safe, durable greenhouse that maximizes growing potential while protecting existing infrastructure.

Challenges and Surprises During Greenhouse Construction

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. *” I just never thought they would go awry during the...

 

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What Are the Essential Considerations for Building a Dream Greenhouse?
Building a dream greenhouse requires choosing durable materials like glass for maximum sunlight, ensuring enough space for plants and relaxation, and prioritizing sustainability for long-term use. Expert guidance is key to creating a custom greenhouse that meets specific gardening needs and enhances year-round plant growth.

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The Need For a Greenhouse: Overcoming Challenges as a Gardener

The first year I started my own garden, I knew that I needed a greenhouse. As a greenhorn gardener, I was already trying to start my flowers and vegetables from seed. It is no easy feat in the absence of a greenhouse. So, I started my search to building my first greenhouse.

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How Do You Prepare Your Greenhouse for Spring?
Preparing your greenhouse for spring involves starting seeds and cuttings of both cold-tolerant and heat-loving plants, organizing space by moving or harvesting early crops, and timing indoor planting according to local frost dates. Efficient greenhouse management—rotating crops, repotting, and maximizing space with shelves—ensures continuous harvests and healthy plant growth throughout the season. Beyond growing food, a greenhouse provides a year-round sanctuary that nurtures both plants and gardeners.

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Starting Seeds and Cuttings for Your Greenhouse Garden

It’s really, truly spring and the neighbours are jealous. They don’t have a greenhouse, so getting ready for spring in their gardens is all about buying high-cost overgrown plants from commercial greenhouses.

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Greenhouse mold and fungus problems can wreak havoc on your plants—especially in the cooler, damper months. Common culprits like grey mold (botrytis), fusarium, sooty mold, and powdery mildew thrive in stagnant air and excessive humidity. Fortunately, preventing outbreaks is possible with five key strategies: maximize sunlight exposure, ensure proper ventilation, monitor temperature and humidity, water conservatively in winter, and keep your greenhouse clean. From adjusting your watering schedule to changing out contaminated soil, these proactive steps can help you maintain a healthy, thriving greenhouse environment all year round.

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Greenhouses are not one size fits all but in the late fall through spring many greenhouse growers report problems with fungus in their greenhouse. Climate control and cleanliness are important aspects of preventing fungal problems in a greenhouse because damp cool conditions encourage mold to thrive and spread.

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Designing your ideal greenhouse involves selecting a color that complements your garden and reflects light effectively, building a raised foundation for better headroom and airflow, and choosing durable glazing like twinwall polycarbonate for energy efficiency—ensuring both aesthetic appeal and optimal plant growth.

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When buying a new greenhouse, the big news is that whatever you choose, it is never big enough because as gardeners we know how to expand our production to fill our space. That is when my last greenhouse was 16' x 20' and I grew citrus trees in central beds, trays and trays of starter plants on suspended shelves, strawberries in rain troughs sitting on brackets attached to the walls, tomatoes in beds along the inside walls and cucumbers climbing a trellis to the really high roof.

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Choosing the right greenhouse depends on your climate, garden layout, personal style, and long-term goals—whether you’re maximizing growing space or designing a beautiful retreat—so consider structure materials, model types like the Cape Cod or Pacific, and placement with expert guidance to ensure the perfect fit for your space and stage of life.

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It's pretty tough to put all your thoughts into one "basket" - or in my case, one new greenhouse purchase. I'm Donna Balzer and I am a gardener and horticulturist by training. I am about to build my third BC Greenhouse Builders greenhouse this spring and you might think I should know everything about greenhouses by now.

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What are the essential seed terms for greenhouse gardening? Understanding common seed terminology is key when planning your greenhouse garden. Heirloom seeds are stable, open-pollinated varieties that grow true from saved seed, while hybrid (F1) seeds are lab-created crosses offering traits like disease resistance or high yield but cannot be reliably saved. F2–F5 seeds are later generations from hybrids, gradually stabilizing into your own heirlooms. Pelleted seeds are clay-coated for ease of planting, especially by machine, while treated seeds are coated with chemicals to resist rot in cold soil—something many organic growers prefer to avoid. Terms like “new” may refer only to catalogue listings, not to truly new varieties. You’ll also see micro-tomatoes, compact plants ideal for greenhouses, and days to maturity, which are useful for comparing growth speeds across varieties but are not precise. Ultimately, buying seeds in bulk from fewer suppliers or saving your own seed helps manage rising shipping costs while still offering variety and value in your greenhouse garden.

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So much to consider

It is December and the seed catalogues are arriving fast and furious. Meanwhile, online suppliers are pounding out dozens of notices to remind us it is time to order seeds soon.

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Growing a variety of lettuces like iceberg, Bibb, leaf, and romaine in your greenhouse ensures fresh, year-round greens despite outdoor shortages, while maintaining ideal moisture, shade, and temperature conditions maximizes yield and quality.

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Planning to grow more greens in the new year

Dry weather in California has made lettuce plants weaker and a virus has ravaged crops, leaving farmers with little to sell, according to an article in the November 18, 2022, Calgary Herald. Consequently, iceberg and romaine lettuce are harder to find this month all over North America.