Gardening Inside - Greenhouse Gardening

One of the best things about a greenhouse is that you can "get away from things" in your own company, whatever the weather and the time of year. The other benefit of a greenhouse is that it also extends your growing season in a protective environment and allows you to grow plants at different times of the year to when they would naturally do so.

Greenhouses may be maintained as: Cold (no heating); Cool (4-5°C to prevent frost) or Hot (13°C to provide growing conditions). The cheapest form of fuel for greenhouse heating is electricity and because there is no combustion process involved it does not produce fumes or condensation.

In Winter ‘Bubble-wrap’ may be used to add additional insulation and this is best achieved by allowing at least one inch of airspace between the glass and the bubble wrap itself. In summer greenhouses can become too hot on very sunny days and require a white wash on the glass (this is simply wiped off in Autumn) or fleece sheets can be used (most easily installed over the outside of the glass) in order to reduce the heat from the sun.

Geoff showed various heating appliances from blow heaters, heating mats/blankets and elements that can be coiled within a growing tray area along with an array of watering gadgetry. In the picture above Geoff is demonstrating a gravitational water storage receptacle which is fixed to a tube which terminates in a liquid diffuser allowing surgeon like precision when watering small areas. It is made from a “Dripper Kit” which requires your own plastic bottle.

Geoff very generously donated some his research products to the evening’s raffle.