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Lennie tracked me down at a party. “It’s my cauliflowers,” she sighed. “They are small and button-like instead of big like at the store.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
When 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.
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.
Some gardeners wait for the sun to gently warm the soil before they start their garden. Others are impatient.
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.
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?
