Greenhouse Gardening Tips

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Read our customer's story about moving his beloved greenhouse five times

Thank you once again, Kyle, for taking the time to look after me yesterday. I did, again, appreciate so much your thoughtfulness in assisting me with my own reconstruction dilemma of a few weeks ago. As with everyone there, you showed such warmth and kindness, and as always, I am away with such a good feeling of support and confidence about my maintenance of my beloved little greenhouse.

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.

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?