How To Make The Most Of A Greenhouse
This time of year there are usually a lot of tips going around for how to bring a garden back to its full, vibrant life. As the warm weather blows in it’s a time for managing the soil, tidying up, getting new plants in the ground, and enjoying the fruits of your labour. But just as it’s a good time of year to do some work in the ground, it’s also a perfect time to build a greenhouse too. Below we’ll get into a few tips on how exactly to go about this.
Choose The Kind For You
To begin with, it’s important to recognise that greenhouses actually come in all shapes and sizes. You may have a standard image in mind of a shack-like structure with clear walls and that may be exactly what you end up with but you have many other options available. Depending on your level of expertise you might want to start with a smaller house that allows you to fit in the corner of your outdoor space and can add a new area of your garden with how taking up too much room.
Arrange Your Square Footage
Choosing a style of greenhouse is a good first step, but you’ll also want to figure out how you’re going to use the space within the one you choose. The first thing you need to decide is how much growing space you will need. That means getting a feel for what you want to plant (keeping in mind things can grow year-round in your greenhouse) and mapping out the space accordingly. This involves a few questions like whether want a path through or around the interior of if you want plants right up against the walls. You might also want to consider setting some space aside where you can relax with your plants.
Decide On Your Planting Options
Then it’s time to start thinking about what you’d like to grow. A greenhouse is a great place to produce good crops of a wide range of vegetables including hearty greens like spinach, kale and arugula as well as broad beans, asparagus, and peas. Others fill these spaces with brilliant flowers including impatiens, pansies, primrose, hyacinth, and much more. It’s entirely up to you! Just make sure that you give your plants the proper space to grow and flourish and you’ll be amazed by how productive your garden can be during the winter.
Prepare For Daily Care
Finally, once you’re all set with plants ready to grow, you’ll need to prepare for day-to-day care. Like with any garden you’ll need to water your plants and check on them daily but there are other unique challenges that come with a greenhouse. When the weather gets warmer your greenhouse can become unbearable hot, which can bake your plants. That’s why ensuring proper ventilation is key to allowing your plants to breathe. You might also want to apply a solution of shading paint to help prevent some of the sun’s intense rays or you can also hang up some curtains as well. There’s a lot of maintenance and upkeep involved, just as with an ordinary garden, but if you stay on top of it there are just as many rewards.
Aside from these basic steps, the details are all up to you! You can decide how much to use your greenhouse or how much time to spend there and see how it works for you. We bet that by the time you bring in your first harvest before the start of spring you’ll be pleased with your investment.
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