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...

 

Quick Answer:

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.

Quick Answer:

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.

Quick Answer:

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.

Quick Answer:

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.

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Preparing your greenhouse for storms involves securing loose items, maintaining minimal heat to prevent snow buildup, reinforcing vents and doors, and using protective materials like plywood to safeguard against wind and debris damage.

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How to Prepare your Greenhouse for High Wind Storms

Tidying Up Before Storms

Tidy up ahead of storms, so that in the event of high winds or snow storms items such as trash bins, lawn furniture, pots and trays will not be blown into your greenhouse. If required, move all the accumulated equipment and supplies out of the way along the sides and around ends of your greenhouse if you would like to create a path to the greenhouse or prevent snow drifts from accumulating on the sidewalls.

Quick Answer:

How does nature in a greenhouse benefit health and well-being? Greenhouse gardening fosters year-round growth, creativity, and mental wellness. The greenhouse serves as both sanctuary and studio, where finger limes, tomatoes, and microgreens thrive—and where the act of nurturing plants inspires everyone from camera crew to casual observers. As supported by experts like psychiatrist Susan Stuart-Smith, engaging with natural complexity in gardens has proven restorative effects. Whether it’s growing exotic citrus or saving tomato seeds, greenhouse gardening extends the seasons and deepens our connection to nature—reminding us that the seeds we sow today hold the promise of tomorrow’s blooms.

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Late Fall Harvests

It's late September and I taste my first-ever finger lime, grown right in my greenhouse, and I am amazed by the crisp texture and luscious lime taste of the juicy vesicles. (See my first impressions here) And just then an unrelated email arrives. A Los Angeles-based marketing firm asks, "Will you showcase the benefits of nature on behalf of a client for an online event?"