Pleasures of greenhouse gardening throughout the year

Today I thought I would cover a more in-depth article about the simple gardening tips I do during the winter. I already have various garden seeds planted (for winter) and some are already blooming. So, if you're wondering if you can grow vegetables inside in the winter, this is one example to show that you can.

Greenhouse gardening allows gardeners to have a consistent garden environment regardless of what the season is, which means you can keep growing vegetables and fruit even throughout the coldest months of the year without extreme limitations (in most cases). 

There are numerous advantages to having indoor greenhouses. Since I added my greenhouses to the interior of my home, I have actually used less wood and less electricity to heat my home in the winter. The quality of air has become much better. Plus, I don't have to worry about bugs and wildlife eating my vegetable and fruit plants, nor do I have to worry about the weather creating havoc on my garden. 

Most any vegetable plant will grow successfully with a little heat and ingenuity in the winter. During the winter, greenhouse temperatures should be around 65-70 Degrees F during the days and 45 Degrees F during the nights. Different plants do have variable needs, but these temperatures are suitable for most greenhouse plants. During the summer, the greenhouse temperature should stay around 75-85 Degrees F during the day and 60-75 Degrees F during the nighttime hours.

Steps to help keep your plants warm in the winter

Through trial and error, I have found during the coldest weeks of winter it's best to keep your plants up higher off the floor. I do this by using plant stands at ground level. I utilize my space also by using large vertical garden tower planters and hanging planters. 

On really cold nights, you can also use garden cloches, clear tall plastic plant domes, clear plastic tote containers, or clear milk jugs to cover your vegetation. Doing this will hold the heat in around the plants that you can't move to higher levels. This method is actually like having miniature greenhouses. So, even if you don't have a greenhouse or greenroom, these methods work both inside and outside just as well. Cool season vegetables can be grown easily in zones 7 and 8 throughout the winter outside using this method.

If you use plastic domes without vents, plastic totes, or plastic milk jugs, be sure to lift them up (off of your plants) during the daytime so that your plants receive adequate light and get the air ventilation that they need. You can also use boards or bricks to prop up one side of the containers if needed. These methods work with or without having a greenhouse. 

How does a garden cloche work? 

An actual garden cloche has vents that can be opened and closed. While the vents are closed, warm air heats up the soil. When the cloche vents are closed, it keeps the warm air inside, and the inside air will continue to heat up until you open the vents. Plants can live inside vented garden cloches usually just fine and you can use them to garden with or without owning a greenhouse. 

Other ways to keep your plants and greenhouse warmer 

To save money and to make use of large clear plastic bottles, you can cut the bottoms off the bottles and use the top lid to create a simple, cheap, but effective garden cloche. With the lid screwed on, it will hold the heat in at night. Removing the cap creates a vent so that you can open it for needed air ventilation. 

You can also make vents in plastic clear tote containers, clear plastic milk jugs, etc. by poking holes in them. On cold nights, you'll want to cover the holes up with some type of cloth to help retain heat inside.

I also use thermal reflective emergency blankets inside the walls and on the ceiling of my indoor greenhouses. Using these not only helps to reflect light from the grow lights but also adds a layer of insulation to help protect my plants from getting too cold during cold winter nights. The silver foil reflective emergency blankets reduce heat loss, reflect light, and they block out winter drafts. This is a simple, cost, effective way to help keep your plants warm in the winter.

You can also attach bubble wrap to the inside walls and ceiling of your greenhouse to reduce heat loss and to block out cold winter drafts. You can use traditional bubble wrap, or purchase specific horticultural bubble wrap insulation. The bubble wrap that has larger bubbles works the best, and the horticultural bubble wrap does have the larger bubbles. If you don't have a greenhouse, but have a designated greenroom, placing bubble wrap inside your windows will still make a huge difference. 

Another cost effective way to help heat your greenhouse and greenroom is having a compost bucket inside. This method can also help heat the area inside naturally. If you're interested in this method, you'll want to add a layer of coarse sticks at the bottom of your compost container to improve aeration at the bottom. Just be aware that if you do use a compost bucket inside, it can attract rodents.

I have tried a few of the candle methods and I know that many people have claimed that they work, but they weren't that successful for me. Plus, I wasn't too stoked on leaving them alone while burning, nor was it worth it for the length of time that they lasted. So, not only is this method unsafe, I also found that it wasn't that cost effective either. In case you're wondering, I live in zone 7b and it took about sixty candles to heat up a 10x10 area during the last ice storm that we had. Theoretically, the candle method helped when I was in a pinch and lost power, but it isn't feasible to use sixty plus candles every day during the coldest temperatures (I say sixty plus because candles only last x number of hours).

To conclude, I have covered several ways to help add warmth to your greenhouse and greenroom, but it's also key to remember that your plants need to have good air circulation as well, to keep them from overheating and getting diseases. You can do this simply by using fans to help control the humidity.

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Keeping an indoor garden alive

Keeping an indoor garden alive

If you have an indoor garden, or want to have one, and need some gardening tips, such as how to keep vegetable plants alive indoors, when to water your plants, what to do if your plants are dying, then today's article is just for you! 

Most of the edible plants that can be grown outside can also be grown inside in containers, hydroponic systems, and greenhouses and really do well under the right conditions. As we go into fall, your gardening doesn't have to end!

If you're a beginner, there are several basic vegetable plants that are fairly easy to grow inside. These plants can be picked all throughout their growing season and, with some TLC, you can keep growing them all year long inside. 

• Micro-greens include a mix of greens and herbs, and can also include beets, radishes, kale, Swiss chard, basil, and arugula. Grow your micro greens in a large container and cut them as seedling plants. 

To stay ahead of the game, sow new seeds every couple of weeks to have an ample supply of fresh food. 

Micro-greens do extremely well when placed close to a south-facing window (if it's sunny). However, if you don't have a south-facing window in your home, your micro-greens will need to be placed underneath LED grow lights for about twelve hours daily.

• Lettuce, any variety. I find that leaf lettuce and Romaine grows best for me inside. I never pull the entire plant by its roots, instead I clip only the leaves off, allowing the lettuce to continue to grow back.

• Kale, spinach, collards, and turnip greens. The majority of leafy greens will do quite well indoors in containers. As for my greens, I tend to do them the same as I do with my lettuce (clipping only the leaves).

• Root vegetables such as radishes, potatoes, and carrots. 

Plant your root vegetables in a large, deep containers so that they can establish their roots properly. 

Potatoes can be easily grown inside in grow bags and other containers indoors year-round.

• Herbs, such as thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, lemon balm, and various mints, grow really well inside kitchen window sills. If you don't have a window inside your kitchen, any windowsill will work, as well as inside indoor greenhouses. Just make sure that you have adequate lighting for them.

• Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to start growing indoors. Choose a good soil that drains well, and a planter with good drainage.

Strawberries need close to seventeen hours of daylight and they need to be in complete darkness for the other seven hours. Why is this? Different varieties of strawberries need various amounts of light, and this rule of thumb typically works well for different strawberry varieties.

Avoid allowing the soil in your strawberry planters from getting both too dry and too wet. The trick is to water the strawberry plants numerous times daily on extremely hot days. You'll need the soil to stay damp, but never allow the plant's soil to be over-watered or dry.

• Mulberry trees are another fruit tree that grows very well inside. Plant the saplings in large five gallon containers, with adequate drainage, and good soil. Water them as needed. I honestly don't do anything overly special to grow mulberry trees indoors, or outdoors other than that, and pruning them often.

You'll need to prune the trees to get them to grow smaller and bush-like. Prune always after the tree has finished bearing its fruit and never prune limbs that are two inches or thicker around. Doing so can harm the tree. Pruning will help the tree's fruit production.

You may also want to try growing a dwarf everbearing mulberry tree, as well as other dwarf-sized citrus trees.

• Peppers, any type. I grow pepper plants all year long and have peppers throughout the winter. I believe that pepper plants are quite possibly one of the easiest vegetable plants to grow indoors.

• Tomato plants require a lot of light indoors or outside. The best location to grow tomato plants inside is a south-facing window, but if you don't have a south window, then you'll need to place the tomato plants under full spectrum lighting.

• Cucumbers, any variety.

• Onions and garlic, any variety. Both onions and garlic can be grown very well indoors. I usually root my onions in water inside the refrigerator before planting them.

For beginners, I would suggest that you start out growing the more basic vegetables and herbs such as micro greens, lettuce, kale, herbs, and root vegetables, such as carrots and radishes. After you get a hang of indoor gardening, then work on planting more advanced fruit and vegetable plants. There are a lot more vegetables and fruit plants that can be grown inside with great success, but starting out with simple things such as greens will maximize your chances of growing some of your food successfully from the start.

At the present time, I am working on planting new vegetable seeds and have dwarf okra seedlings already growing inside my greenhouse.

More indoor gardening tips

Always use top quality organic potting soil for planting your seeds and plants in containers and always make sure your containers have good drainage. Use drip trays, or sit plates underneath the containers to catch excess water in.

I keep large pitchers filled with water in my greenhouses, as well as my green room. This makes watering my plants less time-consuming. Once I have used the water, then I refill the pitchers and place them back in their designated space.

Never over-water, nor allow your plants' soil to become completely dry. Doing either of these things will cause multitudes of problems, usually resulting in the plants dying.

Always choose an indoor space with good lighting or add additional grow lights to your space.

Avoid placing your plants in locations where it's overly cold and drafty. Try to keep the temperature from at least sixty degrees F to seventy-five degrees F.

Avoid placing your plants too close to heat sources and woodstoves, or fireplaces.

Keep the humidity levels in the fifty percent range.

Use fans to circulate air flow around your plants. This is extremely important to aid in pollinating your plants and fungus/mold prevention.

Fertilize your plants' soil regularly.

Watering indoor plants

Use containers that are around twelve inches deep. Water your plants until you see water run out from the bottom of the planters. Water your vegetables and fruit plants every morning, checking the soil around midday in the heat of summer, and again late in the evening. Some plants will not need daily watering. Instead, water deeply but less frequently. This encourages the roots to grow downward.

Plant solutions

If a plant is over-watered, it will more than likely develop yellowish brown leaves. A sign of over-watering a plant is wilting leaves combined with soggy soil. This generally means that root rot has happened or is going to happen. So if you can catch it in time, repot your plants in a different container, with fresh dry soil, then lightly sprinkle with a sugar and water solution. (I will tell you how to make the solution in a minute.)

If you happen to forget to water your plants for a few days, it's quite possible that the roots will dry up, which in turn will mean there's a high chance that the plants won't survive. Sometimes they can be brought back to life with an apple cider vinegar and water solution, or by watering them with an aspirin and water solution, and another solution for dying plants is making a sugar water solution (read below to learn how to make it).

Sugar water plant solution

Why sugar? There are nutrients in sugar that help plants build back their energy. However, you don't want to water them too much with the solution. 

To make the sugar water solution, use only white granulated sugar. You'll need to add two teaspoons of white granulated sugar with two cups of water. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Then use the solution to water your distressed plants. Do this absolutely sparingly and only give them a small sip of it.

Note:

There's one other trick that I have used with success for distressed, wilting plants, and that's club soda. When given to my plants, they perked up fast. Club soda contains phosphate and other nutrients that help plants grow.

If you'd like to know how I grow potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and greens, etc. you can go back and read those separate articles.