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BC Greenhouse Builders' Greenhouse Gardening School is an exclusive resource for BC Greenhouse customers, designed to help you get more from your greenhouse from day one. Hosted by Jordan Mara of Mind & Soil and horticulturalist Donna Balzer, the school covers everything from layout and design to soil, propagation, and plant care, with real customer gardens featured along the way.
Jordan Mara, Canadian gardener, mental health advocate, and founder of Mind & Soil, has spent five years building one of Canada's most trusted gardening channels. This season, a lifelong dream came true: his very own BC Greenhouse is installed and growing. He's documented every honest moment across three YouTube episodes, from a snowy install day to the first tomatoes in the ground in March.
Designing your ideal greenhouse involves selecting a color that complements your garden and reflects light effectively, building a raised foundation for better headroom and airflow, and choosing durable glazing like twinwall polycarbonate for energy efficiency—ensuring both aesthetic appeal and optimal plant growth.
When buying a new greenhouse, the big news is that whatever you choose, it is never big enough because as gardeners we know how to expand our production to fill our space. That is when my last greenhouse was 16' x 20' and I grew citrus trees in central beds, trays and trays of starter plants on suspended shelves, strawberries in rain troughs sitting on brackets attached to the walls, tomatoes in beds along the inside walls and cucumbers climbing a trellis to the really high roof.
How do you grow cauliflower in a greenhouse for perfect results year-round? Growing cauliflower in a greenhouse ensures consistent conditions—steady temperature, even moisture, and protection from extreme heat—leading to larger, sweeter, and more reliable harvests than outdoor crops. Start seeds indoors, stagger plantings to avoid a glut, and choose self-wrapping or colorful varieties like Veronica or Susanna for visual appeal and flavor. With drip irrigation, airflow, and soil amendments, your greenhouse can produce A+ cauliflower from spring through winter.
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.”
What Are the 5 Proven Ways to Boost Your Flower and Food Greenhouse Garden?
To maximize your greenhouse garden, start by seeding early, transplanting strong seedlings, dividing mature plants, and taking cuttings to multiply your crops—all under ideal indoor conditions. These techniques help you grow more flowers, food, and even potatoes or grapes with better success and less risk than outdoor planting. Most importantly, enjoy the space—your greenhouse is not just a garden, but a peaceful, productive retreat that brings warmth, growth, and joy year-round.
Nature hates a gap. That’s why weeds fill in every nook and cranny available to them outdoors. Sprinkling desirable seeds outside as the snow thaws on the south side of your home or Greenhouse Garden this spring lets you copy nature’s best efforts. Inside your greenhouse, scatter seeds on top of pots or flats. A light dusting of soil and a sheet of glass laid flat over trays keeps the humidity high until the seeds grow.
To keep your plants safe in winter, use your greenhouse as a controlled environment by insulating with materials like bubble wrap, using energy-efficient methods such as partitioned zones or under-bench heating, and bringing more delicate plants indoors. Cold-hardy crops can thrive with minimal heating, and creative techniques like milk jug gardening or covered trays can extend your growing season. Personalize your setup to balance energy use, plant needs, and available space, turning setbacks—like a fallen Christmas cactus—into opportunities for propagation and resilience
It’s 7 AM and I’m having coffee in my cozy rocking chair waiting for the sun to come up so I can walk the dogs.
Strategically rotate crops by seeding quick growers like radishes and greens alongside longer-season vegetables, using every opening in your greenhouse to maintain continuous harvests from early spring through late fall—without needing a rigid chart, just readiness and smart succession planting.
Corle ran ahead of me on the beach and stuck her head right into a dead seal. And then she took a big bite.
