blog
tips and tricks for greenhouse gardening success
Seed shop after asking these 6 questions
Here are six questions to consider when you go seed shopping: 1. Are you a veggie or flower grower? I’m veggie annuals and mostly perennial flowers so I walk right past the flower seed aisle and focus on my vegetable seeds. 2. How much room do you have for growing...
The Problem with Spider Mites
Evidence of a two-spotted spider mite infestation in a hobby greenhouse in Alberta, Canada. Recorded Saturday, August 27, 2022.
Gray Mold Botrytis on Tomatoes
Your greenhouse is a glorious place for tomatoes to grow. It's warmer than outdoors. Plants are protected from wind damage. The heat of the greenhouse warms the soil so the roots are happier and the plant grows faster and more lush. There is a challenge we have to...
How to Buy Healthy Plants
Your best protection against a weak or diseased garden is prevention in the form of smart shopping. Start with healthy plants to give your garden the greatest chance for success. Plants that have been allowed to wilt frequently in the hot sun are never a bargain, no...
Buying a Greenhouse: 5 Things to Consider
Five considerations when deciding which greenhouse to invest in for yourself: 1. Cost: start with $/sqft but make sure you are comparing apples to apples here. What benefit does the cost bring you? Pleasure in producing your own food, improving your food access and...
Blossom end rot
There is no shortage of Old Wives Tales and myths around prevention of blossom end rot (BER), that disappointing disease that turns the bottom (blossom) end of the tomato fruit black and rotten. The basic issue at the heart of BER is a lack of calcium getting to the...
5 Favourite Hobby Greenhouse Tools
Remote Weather Sensor - put a sensor in the greenhouse so you can monitor from the comfort of your home. This is clutch when the weather starts to warm in spring so you can go out and adjust the temperature using manual vents, opening the top of the dutch door, and...
How to Set Up your Hobby Greenhouse
You finally took the plunge! If you're like me, you dreamed of a greenhouse for years (decades?) and tried out a bunch of flimsy ones before finally investing in something that will last you for a few years. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of it....
Don’t Waste Greenhouse Space on These 10 Plants
Your hobby greenhouse can do a few things really well: It can protect your fragile (and expensive) crops from getting destroyed by those prairie hail storm. It can give you a head start on growing early in the season (harvesting your own lettuce and spinach in April?...
12’ or 16’ Greenhouse Assembly (with video)
Caution: Some parts of the greenhouse can be extremely sharp so please use caution - and gloves - when handling the sheet metal. Tools Needed: Step Ladder (can be done with one but two will make it easier) Drill - electric or cordless #2 Phillips and #2 Robertson...
7×8′ Greenhouse Assembly (with video)
Caution: Some parts of the greenhouse can be extremely sharp so please use caution - and gloves - when handling the sheet metal. Tools Needed: Step Ladder (can be done with one but two will make it easier) Drill - electric or cordless #2 Phillips and #2 Robertson...
Heat-activated Vent Opener (video tutorial)
Your heat-activated vent opener requires no external power source, just the physics of thermal expansion. In this video, Loren explains how to set the opener and provides advice on how to protect it over the winter months. NOTE: the screws holding the barrel are...
Beat the heat
Beat the Heat Prairie summers are notorious for extreme heat (and loooooong days). It's not unusual for temperatures to rise above +30 degrees Celsius. [Editor's Note: the summer of 2019 was unseasonably cool and wet so we'll call that an exception!] Average...
Snow Load Test
Q: How does the greenhouse handle snow load? A: Beautifully. Here’s Loren standing directly over what would be the weakest point, namely where the ridge beams connect on a 7x16’. All (ahem) 200lbs of my delightful partner are concentrated here on this one spot and the...
Challenges of Year-round Greenhouse Gardening
There are some simple ways to get enough heat to extend the growing season by about a month on either side of summer. In Alberta, Canada (latitude 53 North) this means growing from April to October. For us, that means we have 50-gallon dark rainwater barrels in our greenhouse and paving stones on the ground.
6 Factors Affecting Seed Germination
Seeding season is about a month away in Alberta. 6 factors will affect seed germination: Oxygen Disease Light Dormancy Viability and Longevity Hardening Off For best success, read the seed packet!
Planning for a New Gardening Season
Every year at this time I reflect on last year’s garden and consider what improvements I can make to my Canadian prairie garden and greenhouse. What will I plant? What did I grow last year that I loved? That I didn’t love? What changes can I make to my landscape or...
Dealing with Aphid Bugs
Pests: these green aphids and I are in battle for my African Violet this year. NEVER take a house plant into your greenhouse without being 100% it is bug free. A single aphid can produce 6 billion offspring in a season. Yes, BILLION! The strategy is to prevent getting...
Mid-October Greenhouse Tasks
Clear out leaf litter and any hide-away spider mites, remove dead plant material, sink overwintering pots. Keep the frost off with black barrel of water, insulation against the north wall and a small heater for frosty overnights. And I *meant* to say PESTICIDE, not...
Leaves for Compost
HEY LOOK!!! The free compost has arrived!!! These leaves are a gift from nature for the “frugal” gardener. I don’t bag up leaves, I let them accumulate on my garden beds and provide a blanket of protection for perennial roots, bulbs and bugs. Mixed with moisture from...
