5 Steps to Getting Started With Greenhouse Gardening

If you’re a newcomer to greenhouse horticulture, you may be wondering where to start. There’s a vast amount of information available about greenhouse gardening, and it can be a little bit overwhelming to find trustworthy sources of information. Well, we all know your pain and have listed here in five steps the essential info you really need to get started.

How to Get Started in the Greenhouse


 

  1. Gather Some Supplies

    You’ll need a few crucial supplies to get started in your new greenhouse gardening hobby, including a greenhouse, yard hose, some plants, planting medium and planting pots. A pair of gardening gloves, a hand trowel and a cooling fan may also be beneficial in the garden greenhouse, but aren’t essential. You may opt to gather fertilizers (compost is ideal), insecticides, gardening books and gravel to help with drainage problems you may encounter in the greenhouse.

  2. Pick Your Crops

    When you have gathered all supplies, you’ll need to decide on what you want to grow. Will you decide on fresh vegetables, fruit trees and bushes, flowering plants, beautiful plants, or exotics? The selection is nearly limitless and is strictly a matter of individual choice. If you’re a true gardening rookie, consider growing tomatoes, lettuce or berries, because they are often simple choices. Flowers like begonias, petunias, bush roses, and daylilies also make great choices for the beginning greenhouse gardener.

  3. Ready Yourself to Plant

    Before starting to plant your seeds or seedlings, you must make certain your pots, equipment and soil are sterilized adequately. A blend of diluted bleach water, sprayed on tools and pots then washed with water and permitted to air dry should be sufficient. Potting soil purchased from a gardening supply store is already sterilized and should be put in the original bags and sealed after each use. If you’ve planned to make your own potting soil, you should definitely follow directions meticulously when baking your soil to make certain bacteria and pests are eliminated before use.

  4. Begin Planting!

    Start by filling your pot roughly halfway with potting soil. Before pulling your seedling from the container softly squeeze the sides first before removing. Gently remove excess dirt from the root ball and place the seedling upright in the new pot. With one hand holding the seedling in place, carefully place planting medium around the plant until the roots are covered and the plant is stabilized enough to stand vertical without your support. Water carefully and extensively and move the pot straight into its new house in your garden greenhouse.

  5. Other Tips

    You’ll need to be sure your garden greenhouse panels are clean enough to let sunlight in, and that the temperature in the greenhouse is managed. Adhere to the planting ideas furnished with your seeds or seedlings to formulate a set temperature (tropical plants do best between 60 and 85 degrees, most vegetables and fruits like temperatures between 45 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit) and watering routine for your plants. Always keep in mind that it’s best to water your flowers early in the morning or later on in the evening. Be sure not to over water your plants! If the soil is damp to touch, leave them alone. If necessary, you can add fertilizer to your plants and flowers or use fresh compost every 6 to 8 weeks.

To help make the most of your greenhouse adventure, it’s wise to get together with other gardeners to exchange tips and tricks. You can even keep a gardening journal detailed with snapshots of your progress to help you learn from your mistakes and successes in the greenhouse. Starting off a greenhouse gardening hobby can be extremely fulfilling, so you’ll want to enjoy your experience fully!

[ background=”#b6c4b3″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px solid #cccccc” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #eeeeee”]Republished from Greenhouse Gardening[/]

image: Colin McDermott (Creative Commons BY-NC-SA)

2 thoughts on “5 Steps to Getting Started With Greenhouse Gardening”

  1. Interesting, but not enough information. I am looking to place raised beds in the greenhouse and will need to know how deep they should be and about drainage in the beds. I plan to put pallets in for flooring.

    Reply

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