Growing plants in the best small greenhouses could be the answer to all-season cultivation. This option for gardeners allows them to grow any plant they want. Larger, more extensive greenhouses could provide space for more plants. On the other hand, tinier ones are ideal for beginner gardeners who are still learning the ropes.
If you want to start your greenhouse gardening journey, you may want to do so by carefully choosing the flowers and crops you’ll cultivate. This will save you time, money, and effort as you’ll be able to plant what will likely thrive in your area. Keep reading for some valuable information that’ll help you in that regard.
Small Lean To Greenhouses
The best advantage of small greenhouses is that they could maximize tiny or limited yard spaces on properties. What’s more, they enable homeowners to grow crops and flowers all year long without worrying about seasonal changes. Apart from being easy to build and dismantle, small greenhouses have lower operational and maintenance costs.
You could build a tiny greenhouse based on the available space on your property. If you plan to have one, you can pick the least used area in your yard for it. When you have a narrower space, you should choose a small lean to greenhouse, like this 4×8 Elite Greenhouse. Afterward, you can slowly fill it with the flowers and edibles you’d like to grow.
4×8 Elite Windsor Lean To from swgreenhouses.co.uk
Recommended Flowers
Greenhouses could help you accomplish your gardening goals more efficiently than with your flower growing skills alone. If you’re just starting this as a hobby or career, you may jump-start the endeavor by planting any of the following flowers:
1. Orchids
Orchids’ temperature sensitivity makes them ideal for growing in greenhouses. They thrive in environments that are at least 75° Fahrenheit during daytime and 65°F during nighttime. With greenhouses, gardeners could make the indoor climate suitable to the orchid’s needs regardless of the time of year.
2. Roses
Setting up a greenhouse would allow you to achieve the 60-70° Fahrenheit temperature required by roses. The structure could provide a perfect climate for roses in all seasons, most especially during winter.
To prevent frosting and similar types of damage, you may need to consider planting roses directly in the ground as those in containers tend to be more affected by the cold weather.
3. Poinsettias
These flowers require specific plant care and have particular needs such as temperature and water conditions. In many cases, they thrive during the holiday season. However, they could grow all year in greenhouses as long as they’re kept in a semi-cool environment, given adequate light, and watered thoroughly.
4. Petunias
Petunias come in several varieties. Most of them grow better when provided with enough sunlight. In addition, they require a particular watering pattern, such as weekly drizzling.
In seasons with full sun, they’re likely to produce their best blooms. Greenhouses allow petunias to have the right amount of sunlight and the temperature they need.
5. Chinese Hibiscus
The growth of this multicolored type of hibiscus relies on soil quality, watering patterns, and sustained temperature. Greenhouses provide the humidity level that gives supplemental moisture to these flowers to prevent them from wilting quickly.
6. Amazon Lilies
Since these are considered tropical flowers, they need a warm and humid environment to bloom. Greenhouses can have a minimum temperature of 70° Fahrenheit for most of the day, making them ideal for Amazon lilies. For best results, you can grow them in containers.
7. African Violets
Choose among the options of purples, whites, and pinks of African violets. They require an above-average humidity that only natural and greenhouse environments can provide. If you want to grow them, you better avoid getting their leaves wet too often as it could affect their general appearance.
Recommended Edibles
Aside from flowers, greenhouses could help you cultivate plants you can consume or use as ingredients in preparing meals. Below are some of the common edible plants you can start with:
1. Tomatoes
The humid climate in greenhouses makes tomatoes thrive in such spaces. You could choose between the types that bear tiny fruits or pulpy ones.
If you want to maximize your greenhouse space, you can plant the tomatoes in hanging baskets or apply some reliable tomato growing techniques.
2. Carrots
Carrots grow in any temperature setting. With these, you may just need to focus on their water and fertilizer needs. They’re challenging to grow in some cases, so you may need to check the soil depth as this is the usual issue. Lengthy varieties need deeper pots and containers, while the shorter types are suitable in shallow pots.
3. Peppers
Peppers are generally summer plants, so growing them in greenhouses resolves their need for warm weather. In addition, the structure could provide the humidity level they require. You may place chili peppers in higher temperatures and the other varieties in cooler settings for better results.
4. Eggplants
When grown indoors, eggplants require long hours of heat and sunlight. Greenhouses could provide those growth essentials. These veggies have a fair chance of bearing fruit in a 70-80° Fahrenheit temperature setting.
5. Bok Choy
Bok choy can flourish even with the frost dates in your area. You may sow their seeds in pots for anywhere from four to five weeks and let them grow up to 20 inches over time. For healthy bok choy, replace your regular garden soil with a mix of compost and finely chopped bark.
6. Beans
These veggies thrive both in the ground and containers. They fare better in spring- or summer-like temperatures and moderate to high humidity. In many cases, they need loose and high-nutrient soil to produce above-average crops.
7. Cucumber
Greenhouses provide the vast amount of sunlight cucumbers need. To have the best crops, you may need to ensure that your soil is loose and organic. In addition, see to it that there’s a moderate to high humidity setting.
Wrapping Up
With the improvements that have been done to modern greenhouses, first-time gardeners could easily start their plant growing journey without much hassle. These buildings are often easy to install and maintain. And even if you have limited space in your yard, building a greenhouse could still be a suitable option for you. Once you’ve set yours up, you may start cultivating any of the flowers and edible plants mentioned in this article.