In three seasons, a four-tier plastic mini greenhouse on the patio of a terraced house in Bristol has produced more salad leaves, herbs, tomatoes, and seedlings than its owner can possibly count. It weighed about sixty pounds. It occupies about the same amount of space as an armchair. Despite the chilly February morning, the seedling trays inside are already two weeks ahead of anything in the open garden. With a hint of disbelief, the owner says it’s the best garden purchase he’s ever made. A person who has used one correctly often experiences this feeling: a quiet surprise at how…
Author: Hannah
A certain kind of plant is often overlooked by garden writers because it never fails, not because it is difficult. As a low-growing evergreen perennial, London Pride is also known as Saxifraga urbium. There are very few requests it makes. The plant sends up wiry stems tipped with tiny white flowers in spring, each petal adorned with a pink eye and a scattering of red spots, covering corners in dense rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves before quietly withdrawing into its green mat in fall. It isn’t too demanding. Reliable. A little taken for granted until recently. This plant’s story is truly…
You can’t help but notice how little cucumbers smell when you pick them up at the grocery store. Mostly water with a hint of vegetables, the texture is predictable, the skin is waxy, and the flavor is mostly water. A cucumber designed for logistics and shelf life, it can withstand a week in a produce section and a refrigerated truck without softening. You can eat it. In a nutshell, it’s not very memorable. When you grow your own cucumber in a greenhouse and pick it the morning you intend to eat it, you’ll notice the difference right away: the crunch…
There is no clear reason why the plants appear incorrect. The foliage is dense and green, and the leaves are large. There is noticeable growth occurring. When you brush against the stems, they feel soft. There is a faint brown scorch on the edges of the leaves, as if something came too close to a heat source. The grower has been feeding regularly – perhaps even liberally – for weeks. It is obvious, instinctive to conclude that something is missing. Plants need something more. Consequently, the feed rate increases, the issue persists, and a season that should have been productive…
The wood in the back of most gardens has been waiting for a purpose for longer than anyone can remember. A couple of 2x4s from a decking project. The salvaged door was replaced, but it never quite reached the skip. Someone upgraded to double glazing and couldn’t bear to discard some old windows that were leaning against the fence. It appears as if the garden is assembling the components of something and is just waiting for the owner to notice it.Christian, an architect, noticed something during lockdown. As part of his time and little else, he built a greenhouse against…
Titchmarsh has spent fifty years discussing April for a reason. He has written over fifty books and hosted more television shows than most people can remember, so he’s not running out of ideas. It is April that truly sets the tone for everything that takes place in the garden. Summer will reward you if you do it correctly. During the warmer months, you can try to catch up. It’s impossible to disagree with Titchmarsh’s gentle but tenacious argument after all this time. The 76-year-old former apprentice gardener started his career in Ilkley before receiving training at the Royal Botanic Gardens…
When you pull back the cover of your mini greenhouse in late January, expecting progress, and find a tray of seedlings that have turned pale and stretched sideways, looking for light that doesn’t exist, it can be particularly disheartening. Stems are as thin as a thread. There are tiny leaves that appear somewhat desperate. This was not disclosed to you. In other words, no one clarified that the dark rather than the cold was the real issue.Winter light is not limited to fewer hours in the northern hemisphere. If you’re lucky, it lasts for seven or eight hours because it’s…
You can find flat-packed mini greenhouses leaning against the wall in any garden center in the spring, marked with bold prices and promising year-round growing. Most of them have similar features, such as a metal frame, a transparent cover, a zipper, or a latch. Your mini greenhouse will function as a true growing environment or as an expensive plastic tent depending on the material of those panels. Packaging rarely makes this clear.Two options are available. Single-skin polycarbonate, which is a single layer of plastic and can be flat or corrugated, and double-wall polycarbonate, which is two sheets joined by internal…
As with many bizarre historical chapters, it begins with an irrational desire and a strong man. Around 30 CE, Tiberius, an elderly, suspicious, and apparently ill Roman Emperor, was prescribed a vegetable that resembled a cucumber every day by his doctors. Eventually, his gardeners discovered that the plant was not available year-round in Rome. Furthermore, crop seasonality cannot simply be explained to an emperor. Due to this, they had to improvise. Wheeled garden carts. An oiled cloth was used to cover the plants. The structures were moved into heated rooms at night and into sunlight during the day. According to…
I’ve been reporting on a greenhouse that grows tomatoes in January. In July, you can expect red, fat, and structurally flawless tomatoes. For the past two seasons, a different grower with a similar setup and climate has struggled with root rot and yellowing leaves. They are not separated by money. It doesn’t even require effort. It’s harder to see and quieter.Most greenhouse builders believe they are building a shelter. A bit of heat, some glass, and a roof. After losing one or two crops, the successful ones realize they are creating a climate. A living, adjustable system must maintain a…