Greenhouse Gardening: Pots verses Planting in the Soil

Greenhouse Gardening is awesome, I will say that much. Everyone with a greenhouse says so, they rave over their crops, and all use them differently, which actually makes is super hard to get good advice.

In a previous post I talked about choosing a greenhouse. This post is all about deciding how to use your greenhouse.



Basically there are three main ways of using a greenhouse:
1- For seed raising and germinating young plants.
2- With pots for extending growing seasons
3- in-ground planting

Each has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

Using a greenhouse for seed raising is brilliant... The seeds germinate quickly and grow in a warm, protected environment. Plants can then be transferred into an outside garden when their true leaves have sprouted. However, this does mean having a lot of shelving, and being super careful not to under or over water the seeds. Also, you have to be really good at labelling plant trays and making sure you don't germinate too many seedlings at once.

Growing in pots is a low maintenance solution. Plants grow quickly and weeding is not an issue. The greenhouse can even have a wooden or concrete floor to reduce workload even more. However, you have to be careful to monitor soil quality in the pots, and watering as there are no natural methods for the plants to gain moisture.

Planting in-ground has the advantage of using the soil, and gaining nutrients and worm activity. It does however mean weeding and having to monitor the condition of the soil. You also have to build a pathway in your greenhouse or some sections can't be easily reached, and no one wants a well trodden veggie patch the ground is also susceptible to cooling over winter and reducing growing periods.

So it's a lot to weigh up. Firstly, decide how you are going to user he greenhouse. We decided we wanted to grow a wider range of crops, and for a longer period (eg, all year). To this end, we opted for planting in-ground. We did how ever decide to build a raised garden inside the greenhouse to try and limit the cooling of the soil over winter. Time will tell if we are right.



We do need to water daily, and keep an eye on the temperature inside the greenhouse. Often the doors and windows are all left open, and he temperature is still over 30 degrees Celsius inside. We bought a thermometer... And in winter we may invest in a heat pad to keep the temperature up, as we have planted subtropical tamarillo and a taro inside.



We are also planning on installing a seed raising shelf soon. This will attach to he interior wall, rather than stand on the ground. We have chosen low lying crops for below the shelf and the taller crops on the opposite side.


Hopefully this post will give you some ideas about how to use your greenhouse.

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Greenhouse Gardening - Making a start

We bought a greenhouse! It was one of those, "I've always wanted a greenhouse".... Followed by a "hey look, this one is for sale".... Then some googling alternatives, and picking one.



It's awesome. However, I have noted that the internet is limited about advice on actually greenhouse gardening, so I will be making a series based on our experiences, and hopefully helping others to learn from where we went right and wrong....

To start we picked a polycarbonate greenhouse. These are basically like a super strong, UV treated, plastic paneled greenhouse. We have dogs and high winds... So the idea of glass or a plastic tunnel house was out right away. This one is concreted into the ground using the 6 feet on the structure... It is also about 2 1/2m wide and 3m long... So it's pretty big.



Then assembling the damn thing... My husband described it as a divorce inducing process. The instructions were..... Lacking. So I ended up in tears, the husband frustrated, the mother and father both called in, and eventually, a greenhouse set up.


Divorce averted. Today.

Then I decided we would grow things in slightly raised beds inside the greenhouse. I build a 6x2 raised edge, bolted together, (like my tutorial on building a small raised bed). This was filled with mushroom compost, though any compost will do. This means that we get the benefit of planting in the ground from worms, water etc, as well as the benefit of increased temperature by raising it off the ground within the greenhouse.

I also put in a pathway... Mainly to be pretty....



So far we have planted a tamarillo tree which we hope will fruit... And some lettuce and watermelon. Mainly, as it is summer, and it's too hot in there to grow many things. Everything I have read indicates that summer is the time to replace compost, to clean the greenhouse, and to prepare for autumn plantings. We however want to get something going, so we are trying subtropicals. I will be buying taro and a banana plant to attempt that. I am a huge believer in companion planting, so I'll be carrying that on in here. So far I have marigolds to keep out bad bugs, and lobelia and alyssum to attract the bees.



The greenhouse still needs a lot of water at this point, mainly because the compost is still decomposing into soil, and the ground below the greenhouse was super dry when we erected the structure.

Hopefully I'll have another update soon on how we are reworking it to our needs.


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Raised Garden Bed - Tutorial

I built a garden! Okay, I was super pleased with this and how it all worked out, and it was relatively inexpensive. Now I am going to make a doubled layered one and some for inside the greenhouse we just ordered.... But those can wait.





You will need:
4 lengths of 6x2 dressed timber. I used 1200mm lengths (as that fit in my car easily)
8 coach bolts
4 L shaped brackets. (I used 10mm ones as my electric drill could drill 10mm)
Drill
Hammer
Spanner
Wood stain (optional)
Compost and plants (otherwise you just made a square)

1. Get the timber cut to size. Measure the space you want, and ask the timber guys to cut it. Or use a saw.... But our home supply store does cutting for free, and it is easier to transport to do it there.

2. Lay out the shape of the square. This also means you can put any imperfections in the timber on the inside. Trace around the brackets including the holes with a pencil. Label the sides as to their location and which side is up, and the inside..... This will make assembly so much better.









3. Drill holes right through the timber in the spots marked.



4. Stain timber (clearly an optional step)

5. Bolt the ends of the timber to the brackets. Using a level, make sure the sides and top are even... Or when you water the garden, your soil will run off. I built this around a tree because... Ummm... I could. When building around a tree build in place rather than transporting to the location. I banged the bolts in with the hammer, then tightened with a pair of spanners and a lot of patience.... In the rain. Use a level to keep checking the accuracy of your construction.

6. Fill with compost or container potting mix and plant. Show off to all your family and friends.




I built mine in the rain, so their are no images of actually constructing it around the tree.



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What's Growing: January 2014

It's already 2014, and the year is flying by. Basically the whole year has been in the garden. Last year my trip to China left my husband and the dogs at home, doing their best to maintain the garden. Now it is all back in action. Actually, our old dog, Spice, died after a stroke while I was away... And now we have a new set of trouble with a beagle boy currently named Solo.



In 2013 I set myself the goal of growing year round, and it worked. Admittedly over winter all we really had was spinach, chard, spring onions and leeks... But it did keep us in fresh greens over those hard-to-eat-fresh months.

This year my goal is to grow year round, as well as keep the blog updated with the garden. Last year I didn't want to commit too many goals to the internet in case I didn't get there.... And often the garden has weeds....



We have plenty of fruit and citrus trees planted around the place now, and they are slowly producing. Still not enough to cater to our supreme citrus needs, we use a lot of lemons... But getting there. We also planted extra fruits, like cranberries, this year. I bought a coffee plant, which the new beagle did eat, but I am determined to have a flourishing coffee plant on my back deck where I drink my morning java. In fact, it has a coffee-rail. It's basically the top of the hand rail... But I insisted that the handrail was large enough to lean on and safely hold a cuppa.






We have been doing well with the corn, and the passion fruit, though neither are quite up to harvesting yet. Yesterday I fertilized the passion fruit, tomatoes and strawberries, and I may through sulfate of potash on them today to encourage their fruiting.







The peas are now growing up a make-shift obelisk like the cucumbers, and I am impressed with how they are doing there.

We had our first chilli harvest yesterday, at least a month earlier than last year. Also, the back composting gardens are being converted to actual gardens... So I'm looking forward to seeing how they hold up with plants in them.

Lastly, I had my first go at building a garden bed.... Now I will try to build a 2 layer one next. I'll put a tutorial up at some point... So others can copy.... And so that I can remember how I did it!



My garden has so far been a haven of solace this year, and I have enjoyed working it, even with the scratches, bruises and broken fingernails.


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What's Growing in the Garden...

After a long hot summer, with almost no rain whatsoever, critical water shortages and over 30 degree heat, I was pleased for a little respite in the weather.

Until it got hot again.

Then we saw the forecast for rain this weekend... hence... time to plant for autumn and early winter crops.  As I have never successfully kept the garden growing all winter, this is a challenge!

So all the beds were composted again and turned over.  The strawberries are all producing runners, so they just got weeded and a little tlc.  I planted some comfrey in their bed... but mainly as I got all confused... My grandfather always swore by having borage in a strawberry patch, except in my moment of panic at the garden store, I picked up comfrey instead.

The tomato patch is on it's last legs, and the chillies are doing great, so they just got a light weeding.  I hope to coax a few more cucumbers out of the vine, but we shall see, and the pumpkin and silver beet have been going gangbusters.

So what did I do?

Planted cabbages, remembering to leave heaps of space between, broccoli and perpetual spinach.  Also added lettuce, but we shall see the success rate there.  Added lavender to the silver beet patch, as it is supposed to help, and planted foxgloves in each bed as they are meant to aid all growing plants.  I also planted pale blue lobelias and pansies, though I actually forget what they are supposed to do.  Companion planting is genius, but other than remembering to plant basil with tomatoes, I always forget the benefits.

I planted spring onions and leeks, but I have never had much success with these in the past.  I hope for good things.  I also added more parsley and attempted to reign in the mint.

I wanted to plant radishes and alysum, but that was a failure as my cart was full.....

I still have a load of apples to harvest and preserve, and I made a wad of pasta sauce last Sunday... so even with a droughted summer, the garden hasn't been a total let down.

The weeded strawberries

Cabbages well spaced this year...

My tended patches

The pumpkin and silver beet patch

Leeks and Spring Onions in with the tomato patch

Garden from the berry patch

Still plenty of passionfruit

For those also interested in more gardening, here is superwoman Janet's blog - she is attempting to grow ALL her families vegetables this year. 

What's Growing?

With spring having sprung and summer just around the corner, the garden is finally looking half decent.  After a shocking last year, where very little actual care went into the garden, there were so many other things to do... this year is different.  I hope.

Our best crops last year were easily the chilies and strawberries, with a disappointing show from tomatoes and lettuce.  Honourable mention to cucumbers though, as they did okay.

What you can see in front is the strawberry/dog-relaxation-area patch.  This year I finally have pea-strawed the area, and I'll see how this goes.  Behind is the lettuce patch, with cucumbers and zucchini set to climb the obelisk.  This worked so well last year that I decided to do it again.  At the back is corn, a new crop for us, and tomatoes with basil.  What you can see at the back on the left is the boysenberries and raspberries, and a naughty beagle- who likes to sit on my strawberry patch!

In the 2 beds you cannot see we have the herbs, with parsley and mint doing well, silver beet, pumpkin and peas.  We also have the chilies and coriander in the 'curry' garden.

So far we have only been eating the herbs.  I hope to have lettuce shortly, and if I remember to get a new bird net, some strawberries.