Quick Answer: 

What are the best tips for a successful late summer greenhouse harvest? As the season transitions, focus on four essential strategies: switch to a low-nitrogen fertilizer (like a 2-8-4 mix with kelp and micronutrients) to build plant strength without promoting excessive growth; maintain strong air circulation with fans to prevent fungal issues as nights cool; start fresh crops like lettuce and arugula to extend your harvest into fall; and apply targeted shading using aluminet or shade cloth to protect plants from intense late-summer sun. These greenhouse gardening tips will help you maximize yields and enjoy a longer, more productive harvest season.

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Late Summer Gardening Tips

It is late August and I am chatting with my daughter who lives in Northern Alberta, Canada. Her outside garden has never looked so good because of the heat and regular rains. But she is wishing she could get another month on either end of the growing season.

The peak of summer brings the best of all worlds for the greenhouse gardener. Early tomatoes, the first zucchini and loads of strawberries. But there is another thing summer brings. The chance to start winter vegetables in your greenhouse.

Growing Soil with Hügelkultur

When I moved homes and built a new greenhouse, I was in for quite a surprise. The natural soil on my new lot is sand. Pure, yellow sand. This means it drains really well. It also means it does not hold nutrients to feed my plants.

Quick Answer:

What are the tips for greenhouse gardening in March and April? Early spring greenhouse gardening involves starting fruit cuttings like raspberries over heat mats to encourage rooting, transplanting hardy crops such as peas for early harvests, and directly sowing cold-tolerant seeds like radishes, spinach, and arugula in unheated soil. By managing space, timing crops carefully, and using seasonally appropriate strategies, gardeners can extend their growing season and enjoy fresh produce well before outdoor gardens mature. This approach maximizes greenhouse productivity while creating a rewarding, year-round gardening experience.

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Sunshine on Your Face in the Greenhouse Garden

I close my eyes as I bask in the sun, heat on my face. I take off my jacket and then my hat. My neighbors, friends and family have gone away to Martinique, Belize and Spain but I am experiencing the best holiday. I am sitting in the sun at home – in my Greenhouse Garden.

Greenhouse Growing is Planning for the Future

I am eating a lot of Kale and Bok Choi from my cool Greenhouse Garden right now.  The winter-sown spinach is suddenly starting to explode as the days get longer too. There are still a few beets and carrots in the greenhouse and the season of overlapping crops is about to begin.  This is a normal life with a greenhouse growing.

Quick Answer:

How Can Warming Soil Help You Rush the Growing Season and Speed Up Crop Growth? Warming soil with electric heating cables prevents freezing, creates a heat reservoir that radiates warmth to plants, and accelerates seed germination and crop growth, enabling gardeners to start hardy and heat-loving crops earlier in the season for faster, more productive harvests.

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Is patience a virtue?

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

Quick Answer:

How Do I Grow Arugula in My Greenhouse From Seed to Salad?
Arugula is an easy, hardy winter green that thrives in cool greenhouse conditions, reseeds itself naturally, and requires minimal pest control with simple mesh covers in spring. Growing your own arugula lets you enjoy fresh, flavorful leaves and edible flowers all winter long, perfect for salads or toppings. Understanding its growth cycle helps you maximize harvests and incorporate this nutritious green into your seasonal meals confidently.

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My go-to recipe

My potluck arugula salad is sprinkled with jewel-toned tropical pomegranate seeds. My neighbour Barbara is excited and quickly tells me how much she loves the bitter taste of arugula. So I tell her I grow arugula as a winter crop and now she is all ears.

What is the Best Soil for Greenhouse Growing?

Quick Answer:

What is the best soil for greenhouse gardening? The ideal soil for greenhouse growing balances drainage, nutrient retention, and microbial activity—making custom blends like loam, triple mix, or super soil more effective than natural or bagged top soils. Should you use bagged soil or soil-less mixes in a greenhouse? While convenient, most bagged top soils and soil-less mixes lack essential nutrients and structure for long-term crops, so combining them with compost or organic amendments is key. How can you create high-performance soil for greenhouse plants? Blending your own triple mix (one-third soil, compost, and peat) or upgrading to a nutrient-rich super soil with worm castings, biochar, and trace minerals provides a strong foundation for healthier plants, richer flavors, and vibrant blooms.

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If you are new to gardening and think growing is just a matter of adding water, you're in for a surprise. With terms like super soil, triple mix, natural soil, and even soil with no soil—it's no wonder new gardeners feel overwhelemed. So how do you choose the right soil for strong, healthy growth? And how do you get the most flavorful food and the brightest blooms?

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

Greenhouse night temperatures

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