Quick Answer:

What should you know before building a new greenhouse? Start by identifying your space, climate, and goals—whether it’s year-round food production, a plant haven, or a cozy garden retreat. Choose between freestanding or home-attached structures, and consider features like polycarbonate for insulation, drop doors for height, and automatic vents for heat control. From concrete foundations to seating areas and self-watering beds, thoughtful planning ensures your greenhouse meets your specific needs. Whether you're downsizing or adapting to a colder climate, the right design and features will transform your growing space into a functional and relaxing extension of your home.

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Building a New Greenhouse: Best Features and Design Ideas

What is the best feature of your existing greenhouse? And what would you change if you could do it all over again and build a new greenhouse from scratch?

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.

Kevin Stanyer, Custom Fabrication Manager, talks about his role at BC Greenhouses.

When it comes to custom greenhouses, Kevin is an amazing resource for the team at BCG.  The custom projects that are designed and manufactured from his department are unique, complex and quite frankly cool.  But let’s go back to the beginning for a moment.

Backyard Greenhouses are Growing on Homeowners

BC Greenhouse Builders Limited, North America’s leading builder of hobby and estate greenhouses, is proud to announce the recent article "Backyard Greenhouses are Growing on Homeowners" by Melissa Feldman.  The publication comes at a great time while we are celebrating our 70th anniversary.  This article featured two of our greenhouses and greenhouse customers.

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.

Quick Answer:

What Are the Tips for Growing Greenhouse Tomatoes in the Heat?
To prevent heat stress and flower drop in greenhouse tomatoes, use 40-70% shade cloth to reduce temperature and light intensity, maintain good air circulation with fans and open screen doors, and regularly water soil and paths to cool the environment and increase humidity. Selecting heat-tolerant tomato varieties, like smaller-fruited types or proven heirlooms such as Juliet and Cherokee Purple, helps ensure fruit set during hot spells. Combining these strategies allows growers to maximize tomato yields and extend the harvest season even in extreme summer heat.

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The Trouble with Greenhouse Tomatoes

Do your greenhouse tomatoes have heat stroke?

If your tomato blooms are bending and falling off, flower and all, they are having a heatstroke. When extreme heat hits, greenhouse tomatoes fail to set fruit even as the leaves keep growing and new blooms appear.

 

Big Idea:

Build the best greenhouse for you, forever. Listen to this greenhouse podcast and learn more about BC greenhouse Builders and their 70 Years of building high-quality greenhouses.

Mike Brouwer, the owner of Clear Choice Glass Construction, is the exclusive representative for BC Greenhouse Builders in the Fraser Valley.

Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with Mike Brouwer, owner of Clear Choice Glass Construction, about his history with BC Greenhouse Builders. Mike is what we would call a "legacy employee." Legacy to us means someone who has been with the company for an extraordinary amount of time, adds value and improves the company over the years through their dedication and hard work.

Quick Answer:

Start tomato seeds in mid to late March with bottom heat, provide strong light and nutrients early, and move them into your greenhouse once temperatures consistently stay above 10°C (50°F); maintain airflow and prune lower leaves as fruit sets to optimize harvest into fall.

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So Many Tomatoes, So Little Space

Greenhouse tomato growers are rightfully confused when they see so many kinds of greenhouse tomatoes for sale. Karen Olivier, an independent tomato breeder from the Secret Seed Cartel, estimates there are 20,000 kinds of tomatoes listed right now and she is adding to that number by breeding new tomatoes every year.

 

A Testament to the Durability of BC Greenhouse Builders Products

Big thanks to Larry Clarkson for telling us the story of his two used Traditional Greenhouses

Larry won the greenhouse lottery and found two used BC Greenhouse Traditional model greenhouses on, of all places, Craigslist. It's worth saying that we do not sell used greenhouses. After this story broke, our email blew up with requests from customers wanting to buy refurbished greenhouses.