Prepare your greenhouse by disinfecting it scrupulously in order to rid it of pests and diseases. Choose a calm, sunny day so that you can throw open doors, windows and vents to allow the air to circulate. From February onwards busy lizzies can be sown; as a rule the smaller seed, the earlier it should be sown.
Ground vegetables such as broad, runner and French beans, leeks, corn on the cob, courgettes and melons can all be planted in a greenhouse to give them the best start. These vegetables should not sown outside until at least mid-May once there is no longer any danger of frost. As small they can be transferred outside.
Bulbs are essential for Spring colour to lift the spirits. Crocuses, snowdrops, narcissi, daffodils and tulips can be grown in containers in your greenhouse ready to bring into the house. For snowdrops in the house at Christmas, plants bulbs in September; when finished flowering, plant outside for next year’s display.
The most popular greenhouse vegetable to grow is the tomato. Sow the seeds on Valentines Day in seed or sowing compost. They take around ten days to germinate, and then at the end of February pinch the seedlings out. Your tomatoes will be ready to harvest from June to October.
Cucumbers grow like a tomato plant. After the first two side shoots have flowered, pinch out the growth tip to encourage the plant to grow up a cane. Each plant can produce up to forty-eight cucumbers and will fruit between July and September. Melons can be grown in exactly the same way as cucumbers.
Create a pathway along the centre of your greenhouse using concrete, stone slabs or bricks. Leave one bed either side for growing vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and aubergines. Prepare the beds using garden soil and adding manure and fertiliser.
After all that work you’ve put into creating a spectacular garden, you also need time to sit back and appreciate it. No matter the weather, you and your friends can unwind and admire the view – and what could be a more stunning, inspiring view that your own peaceful lawn and colourful floral borders?
A greenhouse offers families the perfect opportunity to get young children involved in practical gardening and develop a healthy life-long interest. They will be love helping to pot up, and tending to their own seedling. There’s no better incentive to get children to eat their greens than by encouraging them to grow their own.
Remember to keep your greenhouse doors and windows open on sunny, windless days to encourage bees to enter. This is essential for pollination. Use curtain shading to protect your greenhouse plants from scorching and water loss. Damp down the greenhouse floor during the heat of the day to retain moisture – use recycled water to preserve dwindling water supplies.
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