Guide to Greenhouse Gardening for Beginners

But before we begin, let’s understand the reason behind gardeners’ inclination towards having a greenhouse.

Benefits of Greenhouse Gardening

• Controls the environment inside the greenhouse so rare plants can be grown.
• Allows the annual growth of plants that grow only in a particular climate or season.
• Provides a protected place for seedlings and other tender plants.
• Accelerates the growth of plants, leading to increased production. 
• Protects the seedlings and plants from pests.

Vegetables to Grow in Greenhouses

With so many choices, it’s often hard to decide which veggies to go ahead with while growing in a greenhouse. For ease, we have divided the vegetables into two categories -

Vegetables that are easy to grow in greenhouses

• Tomatoes
• Beans
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Leafy Greens  - Spinach, Kale, etc
• Herbs
• Artichoke

Vegetables that are high-producing in greenhouses

• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Beans
• Rocket

What all do you Need for a Greenhouse Garden?

Space

Locating the greenhouse is a crucial step. When installing one, ensure the place around it doesn’t have too many trees. Else, the shade from them can cause a lot of debris. A broken limb from the same can damage the greenhouse greatly. Beside all this, you must know what plants to grow so you understand how big a greenhouse garden is needed.

Shelves & Benches

One way to maximise the limited space of a greenhouse garden under budget is to have plenty of shelves and benches that can promote vertical gardening. Some greenhouse kits (ready-to-assemble greenhouse gardens) already come equipped with shelves. However, if you are building one from scratch, you can add these for convenience.

Ventilation & Coolers

The greenhouse effect happens when the environment’s temperature rises because of the trapped solar radiation. Having said that, it is a known fact that too much heat can degrade the growth of plants. To avoid the weakening of plants and to promote their optimal growth, proper ventilation and doors are pre-requisite. They must be installed for seamless plant growth.

Shade Cloths

The greenhouse can overheat during scorching hot days. To avoid this, shade cloths are used. They can either be placed inside the greenhouse (just like curtains are) or hung over the entire garden like a blanket. This minimises solar radiation and keeps the garden cooler. Shade clothes come in various colours. While the darker ones absorb the heat, the lighter ones reflect the sun’s warmth.

Watering Systems

Plants can’t live without water. They also die if overwatered. Thus, one major greenhouse gardening tip is to ensure that you have a resource nearby to water them easily. If you are short on time and energy, you can invest in a programmable watering system. The whole idea behind a greenhouse garden is to control the different elements; thus, water can be tackled this way.

Other Things that can Help your Greenhouse Garden

Grow lights

Grow lights are designed to prevent the seedlings from going pale and leggy. Considering greenhouse gardening in winters can become simple with this as installing the same keeps the plants warm. Among the many kinds of grow lights, fluorescent bulbs and LEDs are two great options. While fluorescent bulbs are more cost-efficient, LEDs are a great choice if a large plant population is to be catered to.

Heaters

The insulation inside the greenhouse garden doesn’t help if the temperatures outside drop significantly. In freezing temperatures, the environment inside the garden needs to be such that the plants can grow well. For this, installing heaters will help significantly. You could choose from the many heaters - paraffin, fan, and likewise.

Ground & Floor Covering

If you don’t have a wooden or concrete platform, weeds might sprout inside your greenhouse. To prevent this from happening, ground and floor covering is a must. You can consider this as one of the most important greenhouse gardening tips. Just ensure the material of the covering is durable and easy to manage, as this garden is already a big investment.

Controlling Pests in Greenhouse Garden

1. Greenhouse Design: Construct the greenhouse to minimise wetness and humidity, so the pest growth is under control. This can be done by keeping the height, heating, ventilation, and irrigation system of the greenhouse in mind. 
2. Plant Selection: Choose pest-resistant varieties of plants and seedlings to avoid the growth of plant pathogens, nematodes, and insects. 
3. Monitoring: Monitor the plants for diseases. Detect them early and treat them timely during the growing season. 
4. Sanitation: Follow sanitation practices to avoid the pest movement from diseased to healthy plants. 
5. Harvesting: The harvesting should be done in an appropriate manner to maximise future produce.

Common Greenhouse Gardening Mistakes

Neglecting to Control the Temperature

One of the major gardening mistakes in a greenhouse is not paying too much attention to control the temperature regularly. The best ways to control the temperature is via shade cloths, heaters, and ventilation. You can install a hanging thermometer or a digital thermometer to evaluate the heat inside the greenhouse.

Growing the Wrong Plants Inside

When starting a greenhouse garden, one common mistake by gardeners is that they start growing everything, thinking that warmer weather is good for every plant. However, that’s not the case. You will have to do the research and look out for weathers before choosing to go ahead with plants growing for extended seasons or seedlings.

Watering Too Much or Not Enough

Because of the humidity levels, you can end up watering the plants more or less. When temperatures are high, you will have to water the plants more, especially when they are in the growing stage. During cool weather, less water is the key because if you water them daily, it will clog the plant.

If you are a beginner, this information should open new avenues for you to discover in the world of greenhouse gardening.

In case of doubts, do let us know and we’ll love to help you out!