Setting Up a Spring Garden Greenhouse: Set-up, Securing, and Passive Heat Sources

Setting Up a Spring Garden Greenhouse: 

Set-up, Securing, and Passive Heat Sources

This is my new model greenhouse that is made by Stafford. It is a collapsible greenhouse that retails for about $170. I got mine on sale for $130. It is my second collapsible greenhouse. With the first one, I tried to do some fall and winter gardening in it.  While I got lots of greens, it was destroyed by the wind, the plastic tore, the seams tore and the zipper broke. While it was bigger than this model.... don't by the large size Village Green greenhouse. It is made cheaply.

A collapsible greenhouse, now that I have some experience is best used in the spring for about a 60 day period. Enough time to start seedlings, mature transplants and harden off any indoor vegetables you may have started. I don't recommend them for the fall. They aren't really meant to be outside for more than 2-3 months at a time.  I am in Maryland Zone 7. The late December, January and early February temperatures and weather are too brutal for collapsible greenhouses.

What is the difference between spring and fall... spring is a winning battle. The temperature and day light hours are on the rise. In the fall you are in a losing battle to cold and shorter days.

This model was very easy to put together. It is a better quality plastic. The seams are better stitched, the zipper is stronger and the plastic shell is supported by a tent like fabric. Inside the frame is not built with insert Tube A into Corner Joint B. It actually has a solid single piece frame that rises and collapses.  There are extra internal places to secure the plastic shell to the frame. A huge benefit!

The most important thing you can do for a collapsible greenhouse is to secure it to the ground, or deck in my case. The greenhouse plastic shell will act like a parachute to wind and it can be flipped with winds that get over 25 miles per hour. The second video talks about ways to secure greenhouses and some basic passive heat sources that double as weights.

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2 Ways to Grow Basil and Cilantro on Your Windowsills: They Like Water!

2 Ways to Grow Basil and Cilantro on Your Windowsills: 

They Like Water!

You are primarily growing indoor herbs for their leaves and not worrying if a plant gets to full size as it would in the garden. Indoor windowsill herb containers are best planted a bit over crowded... more leaves. The key to the windowsill plants is getting them established nicely at germination and then moving them to the windowsill. My herbs are grown under grow lights for 14 hours a day until established as in the video.

Once they make it to the windowsill you want to water them as needed or planned with 1/2 strength liquid fertilizer at each watering. You want to keep them fed on the windowsill. In this case I don't recommend organic products, as I think the smell indoors and the man made fertilizers tend to have a higher nitrogen component as well as many micro-nutrients. I believe micro nutrients help with indoor herbs and vegetable flavor.

You can go solely organic but remember plants can not tell the difference. I've made indoor organic solutions before with a beet product and kelp extract (as you will see). It works but I found  Miracle Gro to be effective and easier. I also understand we all don't have large selections of fertilizer at our finger tips. Use what is available in your area and don't stress. Gardening is meant to be fun.



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Thank You For Visiting My Blog and Spreading the Word on Your Social Media

Thank You for Visiting My First Vegetable Garden! 
and Spreading the Word

I really enjoy gardening and have several garden YouTube Channels and blogs. This blog and associated channel are for new and relatively new gardeners. The videos are shot with more detail and explanation of each step. I plan to video my entire vegetable garden for 2014. Seed starting is now. Soon it will be setting up the  greenhouse.

Today, I noticed 1700 page visits. I typically only get 75. So that means people are kindly helping me out by spreading my blog existence through their social media. I thank you greatly!

I really enjoy making the video and answering questions about gardening. Feel free to ask questions about anything related to gardening. The hardest part about gardening is just getting started. Seeds want to grow and people want the help you learn.

THANK YOU! for sharing

Gary

Visit my YouTube Site dedicated to New Gardeners:
My First Vegetable Garden

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Great Herbs! How to Start Cilantro Indoors: Keep It Sowing!

Great Herbs! How to Start Cilantro Indoors: Keep It Sowing!

Cilantro is an outstanding garden herb. It loves cool weather and it grows tasty leaves, tasty seeds (coriander) and great flowers for attracting bees and predatory wasps. Although many people suggest not starting cilantro indoors because it won't mature to a full sized plant... I say you will still get leaves even if the transplant doesn't fully mature to a 2 foot plant.

You can start it indoors to get some quick early leaves in the spring. When you plant your transplants also drops some seeds into your vegetable garden beds. I recommend seeding cilantro every 3 weeks for a continued harvest.

Visit my YouTube Site dedicated to New Gardeners:
My First Vegetable Garden

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