Greenhouse Calamities: Thoughts from a Novice Gardener

Greenhouses are a great addition to anyone's garden. They come in all different sizes and you can place them just where you want them and with smaller greenhouse versions you can move them around quite easily. That being said, as good as they look and of course smell, there should be some kind of manual to buy when you first install there. There are many things that nobody bothers to tell you and if you don't know, don't ask.

Here are five things I learned from walking on my own:

growing tomato

1. Never assume your seeds are not growing and then buy plants instead. I started growing tomato seeds, in the proper seed tray, and in a month nothing had happened. However, I used quite expensive potting soil and didn't want to waste it so I threw it on the greenhouse floor and handed it over. Then I planted 6 tomato plants in the ground and had homemade salsa recipes salivating in my head. . A month later, I had more than 30 tomato plants falling on top of each other. The worst part was that I didn't label the plants and wasn't sure which ones to dilute. I downgraded and ended up with the mostly orange pixie variety and they were the size of a mutant cherry tomato.

2. Never assume that just because your yard is now "indoors" it won't have an insect infestation. If you're afraid of insects, greenhouse gardening isn't much better than being in nature. After planting your garden, whether it's in grow bags, on tables, or directly in the ground, look up. There he is ... Sammy the Slug looking at you with a slight smile on his face. If you are allergic to bee stings, every year at least one enters your greenhouse and seems to be hanging around there for what seems like forever.

water your plants

3. Never think of yourself as a pack mule and you can water your plants enough with a garden can or bucket. You can not! With the heat and the sun shining through the glass, the plants need more water than the outdoor plants. You need a man, some kind of irrigation system, ideally, and at the very least a hose. This means that you will need a source of water. Think about it when you are setting up the greenhouse. If your water source is close to the house, you should put the greenhouse within easy reach. Or you can be like me ... carry around 20 buckets of water each night and only water ¼ of the plants before giving up. (That said, the curse involved in the greenhouse creates more carbon dioxide and makes plants grow better.)

4. Always read or know how big your plants grow. Picture this ... newbie to gardening and new, proud owner of a great greenhouse. "Oooh, what can I grow?", It immediately pops into the head. Plant dill, (accidentally) 30 tomato plants, aubergines and zucchini among other things. Every day the novice goes out to water her plants and she gets very excited. Until slowly the vegetation is 12 inches tall, then two feet tall and, well, then these plants are incredibly out of control. Have you ever seen the size of the leaves on a zucchini plant ... they are twice the size of your head! Zucchini sucks the life out of the plants planted under and around it. So as for the planted garlic cloves ... she was forced to make sauce without garlic. A word to the wise, find out how big the material gets and plan accordingly.

Without Care Greenhouse

5. Never buy a greenhouse if you don't have someone to take care of it during your vacation. Greenhouse plants are labor intensive because the soil generally dries faster. Therefore, you need to water every day at least once. Irrigation systems can help with this, but it is still recommended that someone check it regularly to make sure it is working. I went on vacation for 2 weeks and yes, I had a friend taking care of the glassy greatness, but the following things happened:

• Left the door open one night and a strange animal went into a frenzy cutting down all the plants, probably eating a couple as well.

• Leaving the door open also helped some of my plants to get infested and also wreaked havoc on internal temperatures.

• Some of the tomato plants had to be pinched and after 2 weeks I had deformed and undersized tomatoes.

• Cats. Cat urine in a warm, humid environment smells good, like cat urine.

There are also many, many good things. It is advisable to ask your friends, garden centers, and online resources for advice before setting up a greenhouse and plant plants indoors. Now that I have had my greenhouse for five years, I have tried and wrong to the death of the plant and have a general idea of what is correct. After all, gardening is 90% trial and error and 10% knowledge.