Many of us are cracking open our greenhouses with big dreams of what we’re going to do this year. Perhaps some of us have bought their first greenhouse and they’re looking to start out, and wonder how to best proceed.
It can be easy to think that all you need to do is put your plants in a plot and then shut them into a greenhouse, but there’s a little bit more to it than that. For instance, most of any sort of success with using a greenhouse to
garden is planning, planning, and even more planning. It's worthwhile, though - and very difficult to go back to buying your plants from garden
For the beginner greenhouse gardener, we have created a series of tutorials for their reference, in order to get the best out of your greenhouse for spring and summer.
You’ll want to start by measuring out your greenhouse and floor space for greenhouse staging (there are multiple varieties of these available. For instance, folding greenhouse staging
is a very popular choice, as is greenhouse staging
. Should you lack the space for either, there’s also an option – potting benches
Greenhouse staging of all varieties, of course, are mostly used for seedlings – to give them a good start before they’re eventually moved outside (and when you need the space for something else!) and as such, can be rather invaluable to any gardener which chooses to utilise greenhouses to ensure their plants and vegetables succeed. As you’re growing your seedlings, you should follow the instructions on the seedling packet to the letter. Your seeds should then germinate freely on a sunny windowsill, and as they continue to grow will directly benefit from the greenhouse environment, for its light and also for the fact that within the greenhouse, it’s frost free.
However, please be advised that unheated greenhouses generally aren’t advised until at least April. There’s always the option, of course, of fleecing and heating a partitioned section of the greenhouse to make a suitable environment for growing on tender plants.
You’ll find that in this perilous stage you’ll find that you’re watching the weather more than ever before! With so much time and effort, you’ll likely be rather attached to your seedlings by now. As your seedlings eventually gain strength and become well rooted and sturdy, your greenhouse can be used for your next crops. It’s very much a matter of rinsing and repeating, and do remember you can use your greenhouse to store your plants in the case of freak weather and storms.