Greenhouse Growing: Tips for Basic Greenhouse Cultivation

Enlarge Image Image Gallery A gardener of any age can try greenhouse growing using our simple tips. PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

A lot of folks are confused by the complexities of greenhouse growing. Well, if an unsure understanding of the many published "rules and regulations" is keeping you from trying greenhouse cultivation, just forget them! All you really have to do to turn your plant palace into a dynamic package of productivity is to put real soil in the pots and benches; give your greenery plenty of light, air, and space; administer water wisely; and feed your hungry charges with nourishing manure "tea."

Besides — by doing without the often-recommended chemical fertilizers, sterile soil mixes, sprays, fumigants, systemics, and such — you'll find that you have a good bit of spare cash left for more essential items ... such as plants and pots. You'll also discover that disease and insect infestations, weak growth, and subnormal performance are (more likely than not) merely symptoms of improper culture, which shouldn't trouble the greenhouse gardener who zeroes in on the basics!

The Soil, Air, Light and Space in Your Greenhouse 

First of all, grow only those plants that are proven stalwarts or have been bred for vigor, productivity, and resistance to disease (in many cases you'll have to do some experimenting to find such varieties, but other greenhouse growers can often give you "best bet" advice). Species that don't do well unless they're constantly fed — or plants that tend to succumb to aphids in spite of good growing conditions — should be classified as "unfit" and removed from your list.

In order to provide your chosen vegetables and flowers with good soil, make up a half-and-half mixture of rich garden loam and compost, or one consisting of one-third each of loam, compost, and peat moss. Then, to each prepared bushel, add a six-inch potful of well-aged manure and a four-inch potful of bone meal or wood ashes. If there's clay in your loam, put some sand in the mixture, too. (Cacti like a soil composed of one part loam, one part organic compost, and two parts sand.)

Next, be sure to give your greenhouse tenants a breath of fresh air . . . often! Insect pests — as well as fungi, mildew, and diseases — just love to attack plants that suffer from a close atmosphere, so make sure that your greenhouse is well ventilated (while, of course, maintaining the desired temperature) and you'll keep trouble at bay.