Choosing to carry out your gardening projects in a greenhouse over the garden or an allotment is a really good decision, especially for those hoping to continue growing throughout the winter season. There are a number of benefits to gardening in a greenhouse, from being able to keep your plants away from unwanted pests, to the ability to monitoring the conditions your plants are growing in. Here are some key tips to help you make sure your greenhouse is going to be the right place for your plants to flourish.
Air Circulation
In order to keep your plants healthy, you need to have good circulation in your greenhouse. When your plants have access to plenty of air circulation, they are able to grow to the best of their ability, with strong stems and healthy soil. It’s important to position your plants close to each other, but with enough space to allow them to grow to their full potential with no disruptions. To ensure your greenhouse has a good amount of air circulation, you can add vents, fans and use the windows to let the air flow properly.
Correct Lighting
Dependant on the style of your greenhouse, the lighting levels will change throughout the day. Take a good look at the natural lighting that your greenhouse has at each point of the day, then figure out where you need to introduce additional lighting features to keep the greenhouse well lit. It’s really important to asses just how much lighting filters through your greenhouse, as there are always going to be shaded areas that need to be addressed to ensure your plants are receiving the right balance of lighting throughout the day. When growing items such a spring seeds, you want to look at introducing some fluorescent lighting to the greenhouse. For items like tomatoes and orchids, you can look at high intensity discharge lighting, as these have specific bulbs that are ideal for this type of plant.
Heat & Temperature Control
One of the most important elements to keep track of throughout your gardening projects is the temperature of your greenhouse. Greenhouses are designed to keep the heat inside, helping your plants to grow properly, but once the cold weather kicks in you can struggle to keep the right temperature to keep your plants healthy and happy. It’s important to control your greenhouse temperature, however, as it’s all down to the plants that you’re growing. You’ll find that different plants all require different temperature conditions, so your greenhouse needs to be controlled to suit their preferred growing environment. Introducing greenhouse heaters, fans and passive vents to your growing space will really help you to maintain and control the temperatures, giving your plants the best environment for their growth.
Humidity Levels
It’s a common misconception that a humid greenhouse is a negative sign, as the truth is that greenhouses actually do require certain levels of humidity for their plants. You do, however, want to avoid creating a rainforest feel, as this will stunt your plants growth and make it difficult for them to grow at all. You want your levels to be around 70, as this will provide the perfect environment for your plants to grow healthy and strong.
