Importance of Soil Amendments & Nutrients in Greenhouse Gardening

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.

Previously, I put out a request for stories and projects that helped to shape the BC Greenhouse that we are today. Rick visited my office and mentioned the WindSong Cohousing project.  I had never heard of this project and ironically Cody found newspaper articles and stories about WindSong and left them on my desk this morning. I love how the universe works.

Do all greenhouses require foundation?

The simple answer is YES

Over the years we have had hundreds of greenhouse-related questions and many of them are related to foundations.

Is patience a virtue?

Some gardeners wait for the sun to gently warm the soil before they start their garden. Others are impatient.

Soil Primer

If you are new to growing and subscribe to the "just add water" school of thought, then this is going to come as a shock to you. With terms like super soil, triple mix, natural soil and soil with no soil, it is certainly confusing for new gardeners to start growing in their greenhouse! How do you know what to use for successful, continuous growth? How do you get the best flavor in your food and the brightest colour in your flowers?

Its never too early to get a head start

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.

The Benefits of a Home-Attached Greenhouse

With convenient access to water and power and designed to maximize the heating benefits of your home, the attached greenhouse is a must for those wanting to extend the season and enjoy the view into the garden. BC Greenhouse Builders offers a lean to greenhouse kit and a gable design for home-attached greenhouses. A lean-to is a roof that has a single slope with its upper edge adjoining a wall or building. A gable-attached greenhouse is a typical freestanding greenhouse with the gable end removed and attached to a wall.

What is Fivewall Polycarbonate Glazing?

BC Greenhouses has been working with this glazing product for a few years. It was so impressive in terms of its energy efficiency that we built a new aluminum framing system to accommodate the wider profile. For example, a typical single glass greenhouse glazing is 3mm in thickness whereas the Fivewall polycarbonate is an impressive 16mm.

Surprisingly, Summer is the perfect time to prep for winterization

Managing your winter greenhouse with crops coming and going is a bit of an art form, so please bear with me. It involves starting seeds directly in greenhouse soil and also starting seeds in flats on shelves or potting benches.

Watering Problems?

Hand watering is fun for gardeners. If you are around to get the job done. But a wilted plant is a stressed plant and stressed plants get buggy. I would love to stay home all summer watering my
greenhouse at exactly the right minute but that’s just wishful thinking. The truth is, life gets in the way and instead of tending my tomatoes and pacifying my pak choi with hand watering I seem to travel just when my babies need me.