Skip to content
Announcement Bar/Update or Announcement   Learn More
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Posts about:

garden preparation (3)

How Do You Grow Plants Successfully in Pots in Your Greenhouse?

Quick Answer:

To grow healthy plants in greenhouse pots, select the right pot size and material—using breathable options like terra cotta or fabric pots for moisture-sensitive plants—choose nutrient-rich soil suited to your crop, and refresh or repot plants seasonally to prevent root crowding and nutrient depletion, ensuring optimal growth and flexibility.


How do you grow?

Essentially there are two ways to grow in soil in your greenhouse. You can grow in pots or you can grow in planting beds. We look now at growing in posts, and we will consider the positives and negatives growing directly in the ground.

What Are the 5 Tips for Keeping My Greenhouse Toasty this Winter?

Quick Answer:

What Are the 5 Tips for Keeping My Greenhouse Toasty This Winter?
To keep your greenhouse warm and your plants thriving in winter, start by growing cold-tolerant crops and installing an electric plug with a thermostat to control supplemental heat from soil cables or space heaters. Add frost protection by layering Agribon fabric, build mini-insulated zones for tender plants, and use old-school lights or warming tools for targeted heat. Finally, keep air circulating year-round with fans to prevent cold pockets and strengthen plant growth.


Keeping Your Plants Cozy This Holiday Season

Imagine my surprise when a small hole we drilled through our greenhouse foundation became a runway for mice. We pulled an extension cord into my greenhouse through that hole and the tiny gap became a neon sign for rodents.

snowy greenhouse

What Are the Best Tactics to Keep Your Plants Alive? Winter Greenhouse Gardening

Quick Answer:

What are the best tactics to keep your plants alive in a winter greenhouse? Protecting plants in winter requires matching their cold tolerance to the right strategies, such as using row covers, fabric shelters, thermostatic heaters, and airflow management to create microclimates within your greenhouse. Tropical plants should be moved indoors before the first frost, while semi-tropical species like citrus and bananas can thrive under floating row covers and supplemental heat. Temperate and hardy plants—like kale, arugula, and geraniums—often survive with less protection, but benefit from insulation, moisture, and bottom heat for propagation; overall success depends on segmenting your space, monitoring temperatures, and applying targeted heating only where needed.


Row Cover, Fleece and Heaters 

All these items will help your winter greenhouse

The inside of Donna's Greenhouse

What Are the 6 Tips for Cleaning a Greenhouse Before Winter Sets In?

Quick Answer:

What are the 6 essential tips for cleaning a greenhouse before winter sets in? The best time to clean your greenhouse is in late fall when plant growth slows, focusing on removing dead plants, reducing watering, clearing cobwebs, washing overwintering plants, and cleaning row covers to prevent pests and diseases. A thorough fall cleaning deters common greenhouse problems like mold, fungus gnats, and spider mites, ensuring a healthier growing environment for the upcoming season. Starting early and cleaning on a sunny day optimizes results and prepares your greenhouse for a productive spring restart.


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.

Greenhouse surrounded by autumn leaves

What Are Some Fall Tips to Prepare My Greenhouse?

Quick Answer:

Preparing your greenhouse for fall involves maintaining appropriate night temperatures for different plants, thorough cleaning to prevent pests and diseases, and proactive pest management using safe insecticidal soaps, sterilized soils, and yellow sticky traps to ensure a healthy growing environment.


There are many plant varieties and they all require different night temperatures to sustain their growth.

Greenhouse night temperatures

How does a Greenhouse Save Your Garden from Climate Challenges?

Quick Answer: 

How Does a Greenhouse Save Your Garden from Climate Challenges?
A greenhouse protects your garden from unpredictable weather, extends the growing season by one to two months, and shields crops from pests like slugs and marmots through controlled heat, water, and shelter. Unlike outdoor gardens affected by heavy rains, cold snaps, or short seasons, a greenhouse offers consistent conditions that support reliable growth and higher yields. Whether you're overwintering perennials, growing year-round vegetables, or simply avoiding climate chaos, a greenhouse provides a practical, long-term solution.


In late September, I asked Facebook followers to share their biggest gardening challenges this summer.

What Are Some Tips for Growing Prize-Winning Tomatoes for Fall Fairs?

Quick Answer:

Growing prize-winning tomatoes requires a greenhouse for earlier ripening and protection, careful late-summer pruning and low-nitrogen fertilization with calcium, consistent watering, and good air circulation to produce healthy, blemish-free fruit ready for competition.


My tomatoes are sitting beside me in the front seat of my shiny black station wagon. We are on our way to the fair! 

greenhouse in garden

What Are the 5 Easy Steps to Start My Greenhouse Garden Today?

Quick Answer:

What are the 5 easy steps to start my greenhouse garden today? To kickstart your greenhouse garden, begin by buying ready-to-plant vegetables, adding quality soil or potting mix, and growing in nursery pots if beds aren’t built yet. How do I quickly set up a productive greenhouse space with minimal effort? Install shelves for vertical growing, personalize your space for comfort (yes, even a chandelier!), and remember: starting small today means thriving plants tomorrow.


Setting Up Your Greenhouse: The box has finally arrived - the greenhouse is assembled. Now what?

I called Rodney a year after his greenhouse was installed. I expected him to brag about the size of his tomatoes or the hours he spends sitting and enjoying the beautiful space he created.

Winter vegetables growing

What Are the Tips for Managing & Double Cropping? Summer Prep for Winter Greenhouse

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.


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.

Strawberries in a persons hands

How Do I Grow Pesticide-Free Strawberries in My Greenhouse?

Quick Answer:

How Do I Grow Pesticide-Free Strawberries in My Greenhouse?
You can grow clean, delicious strawberries year-round in your greenhouse by planting day-neutral varieties in rain gutters filled with soilless mix, spaced for airflow and watered consistently. Start with bare-root plants, trim roots before planting, and fertilize with natural options like alfalfa pellets. Growing in a controlled greenhouse environment lets you avoid pesticides entirely, beat the commercial “Dirty Dozen,” and harvest berries earlier and longer than outdoor growers.


I was just reading about how over-sprayed commercial strawberries area. I was reading this on the same day I was planting up my own greenhouse strawberries!