Quick Answer:

What Are the Tips to Maximize a Bumper Harvest?
To maximize your fall greenhouse harvest, start fast-growing crops like radishes, spinach, and mustard in late summer, and experiment with resilient plants like sesame for high yield with minimal water. A greenhouse extends the growing season beyond outdoor limits, especially in northern climates, allowing gardeners to produce fresh food well into fall. By donating excess produce, greenhouse growers can also support food security and uphold the human right to access fresh, healthy food.

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What would Donna do?

New Crops and Bumper Harvests

I’m flying home through Calgary into Comox on my way back from a speaking gig. It’s late August and the pilot warns us: it is snowing close to Calgary. In August.

Quality, Strength, Longevity, Service, and Warranty: The 5 Principles Behind BC Greenhouses

Quick Answer:

Why Should I Start My Fall Crops Now?
Starting fall crops in August maximizes your greenhouse space by replacing summer plants like zucchini or lettuce with fast-growing cool-season crops such as radish, kale, peas, and spinach. This strategic transition extends your harvest into fall and winter while allowing you to propagate strawberries, collect seeds, and prepare transplants. By planning now, you create a continuous cycle of fresh food, making your greenhouse more productive year-round.

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August Plants

August crops are growing so fast that I should have a time-lapse camera to record the speedy growth. It’s a good thing I’m home all month to watch the changes and get the next crops planted and growing.  Check out my tips to grow your own food too!

Quick Answer:

What are the tips for managing and double cropping in a greenhouse to prepare for winter? Effective greenhouse management in summer involves double cropping fast-growing plants like radishes between slower growers such as peppers, using trap crops like beans to monitor pests, and starting winter-hardy crops early to maximize space and season length. Planning ahead by maintaining seedlings in flats and supplementing nutrients ensures continuous, healthy growth, allowing gardeners to transition smoothly from summer to fall and winter crops. This strategic approach optimizes greenhouse productivity year-round and helps prevent common pest issues.

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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.

Where can I find a used BC Greenhouse?

We are asked this question quite a bit. Typically people pass their used greenhouses down through family members or they are moved to the next house with our customer because you can disassemble and move them.  Occasionally, you will see a Cross Country Greenhouse on Craigslist.

Quick Answer:

Installing a UV-stabilized shade cloth over your greenhouse in late spring reduces heat buildup, lowers pest pressure, saves water, and protects plants—especially in polycarbonate or glass structures—while offering seasonal flexibility to match changing light and temperature needs.

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Benefits of Shade Cloth

I’m sitting in my greenhouse sipping a cool drink as I look outside. With the current heatwave this is positively the coolest spot in the garden right now. But it didn’t use to be that way. Scorched leaves, dry soil and wilted, bolting lettuce used to be the norm.

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Quick Answer:

Should I Buy Shade Cloth This Summer?
Yes—installing shade cloth is a game-changing upgrade that instantly lowers greenhouse temperatures, prevents plant stress, and transforms your space into a productive and enjoyable retreat during hot weather. Shade cloth improves plant health, reduces cooling system strain, and can make your greenhouse a cool midday escape—even at 30°C. Choose 47–70% shade depending on your glazing and exposure, and install before summer heat peaks for optimal results.

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Hot Summer Gardening

I had to take a break in the shade. It was over 30 C, the sun was beating down and I was thinking I might be getting heat stroke. So I stepped into my greenhouse to cool down.

If you have dealt with BC Greenhouses in the past, you might have been asked about your door drop.   And you even may have wondered what we were talking about.  Here is a quick explanation to the door drop and why it is important for your hobby greenhouse plans.

Customize Your Hobby Greenhouse with a Door Drop

A door drop is a custom modification that lowers the greenhouse door into the foundation (or allows the door to be flush with the ground). Prior to manufacturing the greenhouse, BC Greenhouse Builders will ask for the dimensions of the “drop” which is the total height of the greenhouse foundation (which could be a concrete footing, one row of 4x4’s, or a custom rock wall for example). We will place an order for a custom piece of glass to install above the door for a perfect fit!

Drop Door Walkthrough

How BCG Stands Out

BC Greenhouse Builders has taken great strides to ensure the best weather-sealed greenhouse on the market today. We have designed a system without the use of glazing clips as they create air (draft) gaps. Our greenhouse system utilizes a continuous exterior capping to fasten the glazing in the frame against an adhesive gasket for a weather-tight fit. Additionally, we incorporated weather stripping into our doors, windows and vents to ensure a draft-free greenhouse.

We were so excited to receive the photos of this greenhouse from the early 1970s after it was cleaned up and reinstalled at its new location.  There is great value in buying a quality product that stands the test of time.