How to Garden in a Small Greenhouse
A small greenhouse can be useful for protecting tender plants in cold months, propagating cuttings and seeds or housing delicate plants year-round. It can also be the only place to grow your garden. Follow these tips to get the most out of your greenhouse. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Pots
- Soil
- Bleach
- Rubber gloves
- Safety glasses
- Plastic scrub brush
- Shade cloth
- Watering can
- Spray bottle
- Christmas lights (optional)
Instructions
-
Preparation
-
1
Sterilize your greenhouse twice per year. A greenhouse creates a moist, warm environment that is ideal for germinating seeds and nurturing sprouts. But it also creates an environment in which molds and fungi thrive. Mix 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water. Use this solution and a plastic brush to scrub down the entire greenhouse. Pay particular attention to the shelves and any exposed wood. Because of the porosity of wood, molds and fungi can cling to those surfaces.
-
2
Create shade. Depending on the type of plants you are growing and the climate where you live, you may want to create shade in your greenhouse. Fastening a piece of shade-cloth over the roof of the greenhouse is a simple, effective way to protect your delicate plants and shade-lovers from the sunlight.
In some climates, you may want to place the shade cloth over the roof during the hottest summer months and then remove it during the winter, when the sunlight is less harsh.
-
-
3
Heat your greenhouse when it's cold outside. There are greenhouse heaters available for this specific purpose, but an effective and inexpensive solution to heating your greenhouse is to string outdoor Christmas lights inside the structure. These lights will generate a low level of heat that should keep the greenhouse temperature high enough that plants won't freeze. Make sure to use blue lightbulbs. Plants are very sensitive to light, and the light spectrum generated by the blue light bulbs will not effect their growth cycle.
Organization
-
4
Organize the space. In a small greenhouse, organization is critical. Generally you will want to put larger plants on the ground where they will have more room to grow upward. Put medium-sized plants on the middle shelf and seedlings and sprouts on higher shelves. Place sensitive plants in the shadier areas of the greenhouse.
-
5
Establish a watering system. In greenhouses specifically for starting seeds, gardeners often install misting systems. For established plants, watering with a hose or watering can works fine. You can hose down the entire greenhouse in order to create the moist environment that greenhouse plants love.
-
6
Perform periodic maintenance. Keep your eyes open for cracked plastic. If too many gaps are allowed to form, the greenhouse will not maintain a warm, moist climate. Replace any broken plastic.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Bleach is caustic. Wear long sleeves, rubber gloves, and eye protection when using bleach.
