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Growing plants within a greenhouse garden can be very beneficial. The benefits of greenhouse gardening can be far better than conventional gardening. It does not matter whether you set up a huge or small greenhouse; you can enjoy all the advantages. With these greenhouse tips for beginners, you can successfully set up your own greenhouse and enjoy a longer growing season.
The temperature in a greenhouse garden is controlled and does not vary as the sunlight is trapped in the greenhouse. The growing season for plants can be extended even in unfavorable climatic conditions. With a greenhouse, you never have to worry about uncertain weather situations. Your garden is safe from rainfall or storms.
Moreover, if you set up a greenhouse garden, it will allow you to grow a wider variety of plants. In addition, you can grow exotic plants that may not be suitable to grow in the local area.
If you have decided to set up a greenhouse, this article will provide you with some useful greenhouse tips for beginners. You might also enjoy reading: Best Tips For Speeding Up Pepper Seeds Germination.
What Is Greenhouse Gardening?
A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse) is particularly designed to grow and protect tender or out-of-season plants against unfavorable and harsh weather conditions (frost or excessive heat).
A greenhouse is a small building or structure in which plants are grown. Depending on your needs, these buildings can be small (also called cold frames) structures or quite large commercial-sized (also called hothouses).
The idea behind greenhouses started back in Roman times when Emperor Tiberius demanded to consume an Armenian cucumber every day. Hence, gardeners had to use a system identical to modern greenhouses to ensure Emperor had cucumber day.
A modern greenhouse garden is generally made of glass or plastic with a minimalist frame and designed to maximize natural light.
The natural light allows the plants to photosynthesize and grow, which keeps the greenhouse garden a few degrees warmer than outside.
In addition, the glass or plastic walls and roof capture the sunlight’s warmth and energy; this is particularly important during cold winter weather and overnight.
According to research conducted by Leslie Forero from Utah State University, issued in Frontiers in Environmental Science, the way plants and soils behave inside a greenhouse may differ from how plants and soils behave outdoors.
What Can You Grow in a Greenhouse Garden?
You do not know where to start? You find yourself constantly thinking, what to grow in the greenhouse? You can grow literally anything. However, start with these simple plants so you may have a smooth experience at the very start.
These are just a few of the plants that are quite simple to grow in a greenhouse with controlled temperatures. A great greenhouse tip for beginners is to start simply so that they may not have to face difficulties while maintaining the growth of some complex plants. Once you learn how to manage a greenhouse properly, you can start growing other plants as well.
The table below will help optimize the use of your greenhouse in planting crops year around.
| Growing Seasons | Homemade Greenhouse Gardening Activities |
| Late winter season to early spring | Use a heated propagator to jump-start the following vegetables. However, ensure that you correctly time your planting well so you can move them outside once the weather gets warmer: The following plants thrive in heated greenhouses: – Peppers – Tomatoes – Lettuce – Cucumbers – Onions – Cabbage – Leeks |
| During Mid-Spring Season | – Start tomato and pepper seedlings in unheated greenhouses. – Plant basil seeds and then either move them indoors or plant them outside in the summer. – Plant the following seeds in your greenhouse (AKA cold frame). And then move them to a bigger indoor area in late spring or transplant them outside early summer. – Courgettes – Pumpkins – Squashes |
| Late Spring Season to Early Summer Season | – Start tomato and pepper seedlings in unheated greenhouses. – Plant basil seeds and then either move them indoors or plant them outside in the summer. – Plant the following seeds in your greenhouse (AKA cold frame). And then move them to a bigger indoor area in late spring or transplant them outside in early summer. – Courgettes – Pumpkins – Squashes |
| During Mid-Summer Season | – Time to harvest your summer vegetables. – Begin your green broccoli, beans, and parsley seeds outdoors. Then replace them with your summer fruits and vegetables after they are ready. – Remove finished cucumber, green bean, and melon. |
| – Have your young vegetables for outdoor weather conditions by gradually hardening them off. Before planting the young veggies outside, ensure that any risk of damage from the frost has passed. – Gradually transfer summer greenhouse fruits and vegetables into their final growing sites. | – Start new potatoes in heated conditions to allow them to mature for a winter harvest. – Plant baby carrots, lettuce, and spicy salad leave for a late harvest. |
| During Fall Season | – Plant hardy lettuce for a possible spring harvest. – Plant green beans, broccoli, and parsley seedlings, and then allow them to mature in the covered environment. |
Benefits of Greenhouse Gardening
Greenhouse gardening offers tremendous benefits, and here are the advantages of greenhouse gardening.
1- Greenhouse Gardening Helps Control Environmental Climate
Greenhouse help control the environmental climate. Depending on your plants’ needs, you can make the climate as arid as the desert or humid as the rainforest.
You can even trick your plants into believing it’s spring while in the dead of winter, as did researchers from Williams Hall Greenhouse.
2- Greenhouse Garden Can Be Use For Multiple Purposes
One of the advantages of using a greenhouse garden is growing fresh organic vegetables, flowers, bulb plants, house plants, exotic plants, and seedlings.
In addition, starting a greenhouse garden gives you the freedom to choose what crops you want to produce year-round. You can grow different plants simultaneously or produce a mix of things.
3- Starting a Greenhouse Garden Can Help You Save Money And Keep Healthy
Gardening, in general, help save money ( here is an article that discusses how gardening will save you money.)
Starting a greenhouse garden can help you grow as many seeds as you want all year round. With your greenhouse, you can keep yourself healthy and active. Being outdoors with nature is a beautiful and healthy way to escape from your daily busy and stressful life.
4- Greenhouse Garden Can Help Protect The Environment
Too many weather changes or temperature shifts can put your delicate plants off balance and threaten their survival.
Garden greenhouses help create an all-year warm climate for warm weather for your plants to help them thrive no matter the temperature outside.
In addition, they also shelter your plants from other weather conditions, including harsh weather conditions.
5- Garden Greenhouse Can Help Prevent Pest
As a gardener, you might notice the devastating consequences of pests on your crops. Planting crops in an open garden allows easier access to your plants to plant pests like animals, insects, and other bugs.
One of the most significant benefits of greenhouse growing is that pests have a more challenging time getting to your garden.
It is also easier and simpler to manage pests and pest prevention with a garden greenhouse. One of the best ways to do this is to keep your greenhouse neat and clean.
Growing in a greenhouse makes pest management more manageable without harmful pesticides or chemicals.
Trying organic and pesticide-free gardening practices can be fun with a greenhouse, from simple solutions like planting beneficial crops alongside each other to using non-chemical and natural alternatives.
See also: Why Your Zucchini Is Turning Yellow and Rotting?
Types of Greenhouse Gardens
Depending on the type of crops you want to grow and the available space, there are a few different options for choosing a garden greenhouse.
1- Cold Frame Greenhouses (also called Small Garden Greenhouses)
This type of greenhouse relies on natural heat from the sun to create a microclimate for your plants that is warmer than outside.
Cold-frame greenhouses are suitable for extending your growing seasons, particularly in the transitional weeks from one season to the next season when the weather can be unpredictable.
2- Portable Greenhouses
Portable greenhouses are generally mini compact greenhouses that you can easily fit on a balcony.
Portable greenhouses can also be easy-to-assemble and disassemble garden greenhouses that you can use to grow crops want without limiting you to one place.
3- Raised Bed Greenhouses
Raised-bed greenhouses are excellent if your space is limited or you don’t need a lot of growing space.
These small and portable greenhouses are a great way to start your garden. Ensure you choose one with roll-up covers for better temperature control.
What Should You Not Put In a Greenhouse Garden?
Plants are complicated living things that constantly require attention and love. They cannot be neglected and must be grown in a balanced manner. Hence, if you want to be careful and learn what you should not put in a greenhouse, then your key focus must be to control and regulate the temperature of the greenhouse.
Another major greenhouse tip for beginners is that there should not be too much humidity. Excess moisture can lead to the growth of molds. Moreover, too little humidity may hamper their growth process as well.
In addition to this, always have a proper arrangement of shade for your plants. They even require shade in cold climatic conditions. Look for various shading systems for your greenhouse to ensure proper growth.
Heaters are also important for a greenhouse, although using a house heater will be of no use; thus, purchase a good heater that is designed especially for greenhouses.
Does A Greenhouse Need Sun All Day?
Greenhouses need as much sunlight as possible. Usually, plants require at least 6 to 8 hours of good sunlight in a single day. It is important for a smooth photosynthesis process.
Although it really depends on the needs of your plants as well. Various plants require various amounts of sunlight and shade. The orientation of your greenhouse will also determine the amount of sunlight that your plants will get.
Ensure you place your greenhouse garden in an area where it can get adequate sunlight for the growth of different plants.
How Can I Make My Greenhouse Successful?
Making your greenhouse successful may require a lot of patience and time, but it is all worth it. You will create an environment that will not only blossom your passion but also serve as a beneficial act for nature. Here are a few greenhouse tips to make your life easy.
1- Keep Your Greenhouse Tidy and Clean
It may seem like a hectic task, but this is what you need to do to have a great greenhouse. You will get some free space for your equipment and space for new pot plants.
2- Make Sure to Keep the Pest Stay Away
The key to a good greenhouse is to keep your plantation away from infestation. Take all the necessary steps to protect your plants and prevent pest attacks
3- Get A Thermometer
This may be the most important equipment for your greenhouse. Never neglect to control the temperatures. A thermometer will inform you when to ventilate or when to heat and cool.
What Do You Need to Start a Greenhouse?
The greenhouse tips for beginners include proper knowledge of what you need to start a greenhouse. Here are some things that you need:
1- Location
Before deciding where to place your greenhouse, consider what you plan to grow in the greenhouse. Sun exposure is usually of critical importance, but afternoon shade may also factor in greenhouse placement depending on the plants you are planning to grow.
- First choice: In general, the best location for a greenhouse garden is the southeast side (on the south part) of the house in a sunny spot that gets the most sun from fall through winter (in most places, it is typically from November to February)
- Second choice: If you don’t have a southeast side location, the following best location for the greenhouse is the east side.
- Third choice: The southwest or west side is the third-best option for a greenhouse.
- Fourth choice: If you don’t have any of the above options, the north side is your last resort and the least optimal location for your greenhouse.
2- Seeds
To start a greenhouse, be seed smart.
- Make a comprehensive list of all the seeds that you need to grow in your greenhouse.
- Add fertilizer to your soil for nourished growth.
- Water all these seeds as per their requirement. You can also label the seeds for your convenience.
3- Watering
You should understand the water needs of your plants in a greenhouse. Learn what is required to ensure the smooth growth of plants. Do not overwater or underwater them.
4- Good Equipment
A great set of equipment and accessories will make it easier for you to maintain a greenhouse. The greenhouse tip for beginners is to invest in good-quality accessories and equipment when starting a greenhouse.
See also: The Must-Have Gardening Tools To Take Your Gardening Experience to The Next Level.
Wrapping Up
Small greenhouses are the perfect addition to growing your passion for gardening. They are far easier to maintain and do not require a huge area. Small greenhouses are great places to grow tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines in the summer season.
In the winter season, you can grow bulbs, cabbage, radishes, and salad crops such as lettuce can be grown in your small greenhouse. These are just a few greenhouse tips for beginners to get you started.
