Indoor Gardening
Indoor gardening can take place in a traditional outdoor greenhouse, a window greenhouse, or in your basement. Greenhouses come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials…making greenhouses a good fit for nearly any space.

Indoor gardening calls for a special set of indoor gardening supplies.

Winter Nursery Supplies Checklist
Winter nursery supplies differ from summer nursery supplies in many ways. Winter sunlight hours are reduced, and temperatures plummet, making sunlight and warmth two of the most difficult variables to control when growing plants during the winter.  Winter gardening supplies you may need are:

• Grow lights
• Heating system
• Winter work gloves
• Plastic sheeting for protection against strong winds and cooler temperatures
• Timers for grow lights
• Benches and shelving to keep plants up and away from the frigid ground
• Gentle ventilation to inhibit heat loss but encourage air movement
• Cold frames
• Portable or pop-up greenhouses
• Extra thermometers to spot check temperatures near planting areas
• Irrigation supplies to make up reduced water consumption in cooler temperatures
• Guide books for growing winter plants

Specific gardening supplies vary from gardener to gardener, but this list will provide a framework for creating your own winter nursery supplies checklist.

Winter Gardening Tips
Even if you don’t have access to a greenhouse, you can extend your gardening hobby well into the winter months with the use of cold frames and pop-up or portable greenhouses.  These items can be placed directly over plants in your backyard garden, extending your growing season beyond the first frost and even into the weeks of early snowfall.

Experimenting with winter gardening is nearly risk free since your plants would ordinarily die with the coming of the first frost. Trial and error tests that result in the death of a plant are only knowledge gleaning experiences since even a few extra days of extended growing are better than nothing.

Most plants will continue to grow as long as air temperatures remain above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the soil remains unfrozen. Frequent temperature checks of your cold frames and portable greenhouses will help you better monitor the growing conditions of your winter nursery. A little common sense troubleshooting and imagination will help you become a successful winter gardener.

Winter nursery supplies and gardening supplies can easily be adapted to help you enjoy your love of gardening all year long.

Pumpkins have a two-fold purpose for gardeners. They are great for fall decorations and quite tasty as well.

Directions for Storing Pumpkins
Pumpkins can be pressure canned like most other low-acid vegetables and stored for the winter months. Canned pumpkin is good for 3-6 months. To prepare the pumpkin:
1. Cut open pumpkin and de-seed the shell, including removing any stringy portions of the pulp.
2. Cut pumpkin up into strips or chunks.
3. Place strips on a cookie tray, rind side up.
4. Add 1 cup of water to the tray and bake at 200 degrees for an hour. (The rind should peel off easily by hand or with a spoon or dull knife, but the pumpkin should not be mushy)
5. You can also cook the pumpkin in a covered dish in the microwave for 20 minutes, if you prefer. (Don’t’ forget to add the water.)
6. Remove from oven/microwave and allow to cool.
7. Remove rinds and cut the flesh into 1-2 inch cubes. (discard the rind)
8. Clean and heat canning jars and rings.
9. Place cubes into hot jars
10. Fill jar with hot water, leaving 1 inch of headspace
11. Clean and dry jar rims
12. Screw warm lids and rings on jars
13. Place jars in pressure canner and bring to 10 lbs. pressure
14. Time jars for 65 minutes for pints, and 75 minutes for quart jars.
15. Allow to cool and seal before moving jars

Freezing Pumpkin
Alternately, you can also freeze your pumpkin for up to 4-6 months. Follow steps 1 through 7 above, then place cubes into a food processor and puree the pumpkin. Pour the puree into freezer jars, seal and store.

Please note: It is not considered safe to can pumpkin puree at home, nor can you freeze pumpkin chunks. http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/pumpkinprecautions.php
Pumpkin Recipes
Putting all that pumpkin-y goodness to use if the best part of growing your own pumpkins! Here are a few tasty pumpkin recipes to try out. (My favorite is the pumpkin roll!)
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/pumpkincreamcheese.htm
Libby’s Pumpkin Pie (just substitute your fresh pumpkin puree for the canned): http://www.verybestbaking.com/products/libbys/
Pumpkin Chip Muffins: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/recipe34.htm
Honey Pumpkin Pie: http://www.pumpkinrecipes.us/honey-pumpkin-pie.html
Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=32364
Pumpkin Stew: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/recipe35.htm
Pumpkin Roll: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=32372
Quick Pumpkin Pudding: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=28454
Pumpkin Tomato Basil Soup: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/recipe30.htm
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, in various flavors: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/recipe03.htm
Pumpkin Chili: http://www.pumpkinrecipes.us/pumpkin-chili.html
Pumpkin Chili #2: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/recipe11.htm
Pumpkin Pancakes: http://www.pumpkinrecipes.us/pumpkin-pancakes.html
Iced Pumpkin Cookies: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=5243
Stuffed Pumpkin (cooks in the pumpkin!): http://www.pumpkinrecipes.us/stuffed-pumpkin.html
Pumpkin Roll Out Cookies: http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookbook/recipe24.htm

How to make a milk gallon portable greenhouse:

1. Take an empty milk gallon or 2 liter bottle of soda and rinse it well with clean water and soap or a small amount of bleach.
2. Cut the container on the long axis from the lip to the other end so that it folds open like a brief case (make sure you cut above center as we will put soil in the bottom portion and want to make sure the soil doesn’t spill). Poke some small holes in the bottom part of the container for drainage.
3. Fill the larger bottom portion of the container with soil and moisten.
4. Plant the seeds at recommended intervals
5. Close the top part of the bottle and tape or rubber band shut. (Make sure air can still get in for ventilation)

Once you have done this, you have created your very own portable greenhouse. This portable greenhouse can be left outside without fear of heavy rains washing away the freshly planted seeds. Since the seeds are in an enclosed container, animals will not be able to get to them to eat or to dig up.

Take a look around your house and find other items that can be used; the only requirements are that it must conform to the basic principles of how a greenhouse works. Do you have a Tupperware container that you no longer use? This would be another great innovative portable greenhouse, not to mention it has a lid that can easily be removed to plant seeds and to water the sprouting plants.

An opaque storage container could also be used, providing more space than a milk gallon. There are so many household items that can be adapted to become a portable greenhouse. Use your imagination, have fun and get dirty, after all, that is what gardening is all about.

NOTE: While this does work if conditions are right, don’t expect to grow prized plants in these containers. For one, your plants will need fresh air. So make sure your container is not air tight. Secondly, clear plastic is not the ideal greenhouse covering. If you have a lot of sun your plants will get overheated and stressed. This is really best suited to just protect your seedlings during their early development. So if you are growing seedlings that are hard to transplant, plant those into seeling inserts or a biodegradable pot instead.

If you are a serious greenhouse gardener, you are likely to have a few tried and true garden tools that you can’t do without. For beginning greenhouse gardeners, the choice of greenhouse gardening tools and accessories can often be overwhelming.  However, there are a few trusted garden tools that will make your greenhouse gardening hours easier and more enjoyable. Sharing your experiences with beginning gardeners can save them time, aggravation…and money.

Tools of the Trade
• Pots: garden pots come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and materials.  When you’re growing in a greenhouse, you will need to consider if your plant will be transplanted into the garden or if it will find its permanent home in a container. Seedlings you wish to transplant can be grown in a wide variety of containers. Make sure the pot has room for root development and that it has good drainage. You can find pots made of naturally decomposing materials, like Cow Pots, that you can plant directly into your garden to prevent transplant shock. If you are planning to keep the plant in a container, look for a pot that allows root development, like the Smart Pot, to save you from having to transplant often.

• Insecticide: While weeds are not usually much of a concern for the greenhouse gardener, insect infestations can be a different story. Keeping a good multipurpose insecticide on hand is always a good idea. A good organic choices Veggie Pharm Insecticidal spray. Yellow sticky traps and beneficial bugs are also great ways to rid your greenhouse of pests.

• Benches: Gardening benches help save your back and make greenhouse gardening more enjoyable. They also provide extra working space so you can fit in twice as many plants and pots. Greenhouse benches can be made of a wide variety of materials, and selecting one is mostly a matter of personal preference. Look for a bench that is sturdy, water resistant and has slats for good air ventilation.

• Heating/Cooling: Every greenhouse needs some way to control heating and cooling for the budding plants inside. Shade cloths, basic fans, a small greenhouse heater and thermometer are often all that is required to control the temperature of your greenhouse unless your area experiences very hot summers or well below freezing winters.

As your greenhouse gardening hobby progresses, you are likely to collect more and more gardening paraphernalia, but knowing what the essentials are can help you keep your storage shed from overflowing and your piggy bank from growing lean.

Green House Compost: the Ultimate Green Fertilizer
Compost: it looks great on your soil and smells better than your trash can. Composting is the ultimate recycling project. With a simple compost heap, you can transform your kitchen scraps, yard waste, and even those discarded newspapers into nutrient-rich fertilizer.
Purchase a prefabricated Compost Bin or to make a compost heap, cordon off a small area, and alternate layers of green leafy waste with brown waste (such as manure, dried leaves, or coffee grounds). Water it well and turn it over once a week with a pitchfork to allow air to penetrate the deeper layers and aid in decomposition. Worms, manure, and even old coffee can help make your fertilizer nutrient rich and healthy.
For quick and easy composting directions, visit http://compostinstructions.com/in-a-hurry-heres-the-ultimate-one-page-guide-to-composting/ to read an easy guide to composting. You can also view a few videos on composting on YouTube as well as this one, http://www.5min.com/Video/Learning-How-To-Compost-11225, from GrowingWisdom.com.

Banning Pesticides
Instead of using harsh chemical pesticides, Green House growers opt for a gentler solution. Introducing beneficial insects and nematodes into the greenhouse can help control most infestation problems. You can also try making your own insecticidal soap with a recipe of one gallon water, 2 t baking soda, 2 t dish detergent, and 2 t white vinegar. Spray the pest treatment under the leaves of your plants where the white fly eggs, scale and adults reside. This can be time consuming as the bugs will die only when they come in direct contact with the spray. Each leaf needs to be sprayed. You must be diligent and apply the spray every 3 to 5 days to maintain control over the white files. Use soaps when plants are not drought-stressed and when temperatures are under 80°F to prevent possible damage to plants. Test the insecticidal soap first on your plants to make sure it will not burn the leaves. Spray the soap on a few leaves and wait two days to see if there is any burning. If burning occurs, try diluting the spray with more water and test again. Insecticidal soap is very effective on controlling white flies and many other greenhouse pests. The drawbacks are it can also kill the good bugs and it is generally a big time commitment.

Shade Cloths
Using shade cloths in the Green House is an eco-friendly solution to heating and cooling your greenhouse. Installing a basic temperature thermometer in the greenhouse will help you determine when to block strong sunlight or let the sunshine in to help heat your greenhouse.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Green House growers are natural experts at reducing consumption, reusing materials, and recycling waste. Potting oil can be baked in the oven to sterilize it and reused again the next year. Clay pots and plastic growing trays can be cleaned with bleach and water, reducing waste. Broken pots, old newspapers, and kitchen waste are recycled for use in other areas of the greenhouse.

Going green in the Green House is a great way to help the environment and reap the benefits of lush, healthy fruit sand vegetables in the process. With a few easy changes, your greenhouse can truly become a Greener House, too.

1. Tool caddy and seat– These devises are basically pockets that can be hung from your waist or from your wheelbarrow. They are useful for carrying seeds and other tools to keep you from loosing them. A comfortable garden seat can make working in your yard much easier on your knees and back to avoid possible aches and pains later in the day.

2. Fertilizer– A good fertilizer has a proper mix of ingredients, including nitrogen, for the plants you are growing. Pay close attention to the composition in the fertilizer or even try starting your own compost pile, it will cut down on garbage and provide a great source of nutrients for your plants and help keep toxins out of our water supply. I add a couple inches of compost to my gardening beds yearly (instead of a mulch or bark dust) and have incredible soil. I buy it by the yard at my local bark dust or landscape supply store.

3. Watering can – Few people know that the watering cans with longer necks provide a more gentle flow and are better to use on seedlings or plants that are just beginning to sprout. If you can pick out one with a detachable head, it will be even better to help get closer to the plant without disturbing it. A good watering wand is even better if your hose reaches your garden. Better yet, the Garden Caddy, lets you take roll 2 gallons of water with you.

4. Garden shears – A good pair of garden shears can make all the difference when it comes time to prune. Getting ergonomic shears will help out in preventing cramps and blisters. Hint: I lose my shears more than any other tool I own when I inadvertently set them somewhere in my flower beds. Tie a bright ribbon to the handle to make them easier to spot if you leave them behind.

5. Spading fork – This bent-edged pitchfork is a handy little tool to begin breaking up the ground in preparation for plating. The hand-held aeration tool is a must-have when it comes to breaking up the ground and getting it ready for the stages of planting.

 6. Round head shovel – A solid round head shovel is a giant help when it comes to giant plants, such as trees or shrubs. Being able to dig deep holes will help in ensuring the root system of the bigger plants get deep enough to avoid external conditions.

 7. Gardening spade – This smaller version of the round head shovel is better suited for smaller work on plants and vegetables, which are still immature. Be sure to choose a spade that is comfortable in your hand so that you reduce the risk of blisters. The radius garden tools are my favorite. They work great and are easy on your wrists.

 8. Hoe – A good strong hoe is perfect for weeding and cultivating.

 9. Bow rake – This is not your typical long bladed rake. This heavy-duty rake has short teeth, which are attached to a metal bow. This is perfect for breaking up clumps of soil and can be flipped over to help smooth out the soil in preparation for planting.

 10. Wheelbarrow – Moving soil by the shovel full can be a bit tiring. A sturdy wheelbarrow can make transporting soil and plants around your yard much easier on your back and your sanity. Look for one with a big pneumatic wheel for ease of use.

 These top 10 gardening must haves will have your fairy tale garden up and growing in no time.

It is now September – last chance to harvest – and while you may have the proper tools to harvest your prized crops, there are some other gardening supplies and accessories that you may not have considered to help keep and store your hard work for later use.

Canning
Canning is a great way to store fruits and veggies from your garden for later use. Canning works because it heats foods to kill bacteria while sealing them in a glass or metal container, preventing them from spoiling. All air that would allow bacteria to grow is forced out of the jars during the canning process.

Having canning supplies handy during harvest time means that you can keep more of your food fresh for use during the off-season. Here is a list of supplies that you will need to install an outdoor canning kitchen in your greenhouse – if you don’t have a greenhouse, you can use these same items indoors on your stove, as well.
• Boiling-water canner – Basically just a big pot with a tight fitting lid, mainly used for canning fruits or high-acid vegetables.
• Pressure canner – Similar to a pressure cooker, the lid locks down to keep steam in. This canner is great for vegetables and low-acid foods.
• Canning jars – Commonly called Mason Jars, these are the glass jars that come with metal screw on lids. They create very tight seals and are perfect for canning just about anything. You can choose from pints, or quart-sizes, and regular or wide-mouthed varieties.
• Lids and bands – Lids, sometimes known as “flats,” should be new and never reused because they may not seal properly the second time. Bands thread onto the jars to hold the lids in place during the canning process. These can be removed after a pressure seal has formed and the jars cool for 12-24 hours.

Dehydrator
A Dehydrator is another useful gardening accessory. The ability to dry herbs and fruits can come in handy for use during the winter season. Dried herbs go much further than fresh herbs and can last for many months without going bad. Dried fruits make for great snacks by themselves or can be used in cooking, cereal, oatmeal, or even smoothies. Once dried, you always have the option of partially dehydrating your fruit by putting them in a bath of warm water for a few minutes. A good dehydrator will have several large racks and a temperature dial that ranges from about 80F to around 150F.

Canning supplies and a good dehydrator are essential elements to your gardening tool kit. They will help you preserve and store your hard work for later use and not to mention, the use of both gardening accessories will fill your house with the wonderful smell of your garden. Bon Appetite.

For some greenhouse gardeners, greenhouse heaters are merely a way to keep early morning frost from damaging still-blooming plants during the fall growing season. For others, greenhouse heaters are a year-round production used for carefully controlling the environment for delicate plants like tropical’s and exotics. If you are one extreme or somewhere in between, greenhouse heaters are likely to be on your necessity list once you get into serious greenhouse gardening.

Greenhouse Heaters

Greenhouse heaters can range from the simple to expensively elaborate set ups. While thermostat controlled automated greenhouse heaters are certainly available, not every greenhouse gardener has the budget or the desire to own one. Instead, many greenhouse gardeners put on their green thinking caps and come up with a few ideas to create an eco-friendly greenhouse heater.

Eco-Friendly Greenhouse Heaters: Going Green
For an eco-friendly greenhouse gardener, harnessing the power of nature is the ideal way to heat and cool a greenhouse. Windmills, solar panels, and geothermal heating systems are all great options for taking advantage of nature’s gifts in the greenhouse.
Running geothermal pipes into your home and greenhouse is an excellent eco-friendly heating option. You can learn more about geothermal heating from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heating. YouTube also has a short, informational video about how geothermal heating works. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ajqiPe_9Ko.

Getting Innovative
For the more adventurous greenhouse gardener, installing a greenhouse heater may be as simple as rerouting the ventilation system for your household dryer to heat a smaller greenhouse space.

You can also play around with physics a bit to come up with your own eco-friendly greenhouse heater idea. Water holds heat longer than the air, so many greenhouse gardeners choose to expend energy to heat standing water in barrels, pipes, or storage containers to allow for slower heat loss and longer temperature controlling periods. Even used bath water can be recycled to help heat an eco-friendly greenhouse. Some farmers have even been known to route the warmth from composting cow manure and collecting warm urine to help heat greenhouse spaces!

In short, for an innovative eco-friendly greenhouse gardener: If it’s warm, it can heat the greenhouse!

Good Ol’ American Ingenuity

Joanna Guzzetta, principal at Four Seasons Container Gardens investigated all the old so called “remedies” – packing peanuts, broken clay shards, empty plastic bottles, nursery pots, and coffee filters – with little success.

Broken shards, rocks and soil and other fillers clog and only cover the drainage hole and could be hard to lower into larger containers, plus a large quantity is required. Cardboard disintegrates over time. All of the conventional options do not provide plants an optimal drainage environment. And for customers requesting fruiting and vegetable container gardens, Four Seasons Containers could not guarantee what chemicals might be leached into the soil when these materials started breaking down.

Did you know packing peanuts are flammable? Local Metro recycling locations will not recycle packing peanuts. Peanuts are not environmentally friendly and roots tangle themselves throughout. This renders saving the plants and repurposing them almost impossible.

A Pearl of an Idea
Frustrated with not being able to find a prepackaged, environmentally friendly, lightweight and easy to use product, Guzzetta also desired something that would give the pot stability and support and fit all shapes and sizes of containers. Guzzetta created Packing Pearls to fill a need for her company. After a year of testing and proven results, Four Seasons Container Gardens, decided to share their creation with container gardeners nationwide.

Packing Pearls was formally introduced to the gardening public in February 2009 at the NW Seattle Flower & Garden Show and the Yard, Garden & Patio Show in Portland, OR. The reception by attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Multiple show attendees commented: “Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for something like this!”

Stringing it All Together

Packing Pearls fits the bill. The light-weight polystyrene spheres balls that are made from 35% recycled materials which can be reused over again. The large balls when placed in the container create air spaces providing better air circulation to the roots resulting in strong, healthy plants.

Manufactured in the USA, Packing Pearls is helping the local economy as well. They reduce the amount of soil needed to fill the pot saving time, money and back breaking labor.

Pre-packaged kits come with pearls, a drain shield and fabric pot liner. Packing Pearls comes in kits or you can purchase parts individually.
Kits are available in two sizes small and large on The Greenhouse Catalog website.

Snappy Installation
Step 1
The drain shield should be positioned over the drainage hole which allows for excess water to be released and keeps soil in.

•Make sure the pot hole is clean and dry
•Remove paper tape from bottom of shield exposing the sticky tape
•Place drain shield down over hole and press lightly

Step 2
•Add layers of lightweight pearls to fill 1/3 the pot depth.
•Note: When planting annuals, you can increase the depth to 1/2 the height of the pot.

Step 3
The liner allows water to flow through to the bottom of the pot as well as provides a resting spot for the root zone.

•After placing pearls in pot, cover with the durable fabric liner.
•The easy to cut pot liner should be 2″-3″ wider than the pot width to cover all the pearls and container sides.
•Place the brown side up and black side down.

Step 4
Add soil, fertilizer and plants.

I mixed a variegated New Zealand flax Phormium cookianum ‘Tricolor’ from Xera Plants (thriller), Sizzling Pink Fringe Flower Loropetalum chinense ‘Sizzling Pink’ from Monrovia (filler) and Proven Winners ILLUSION™ Midnight Lace Ipomoea batatas (spiller).

Step 5
Step back and enjoy the results!

The entire procedure to fill and plant a tall pot 3’ x 1’ took a total of fifteen minutes to complete.

Feedback
Have you had any experience using Packing Pearls? I would love to hear your experience and comments!
Photos taken by Dawn Hummel.

Greenhouse Frame Materials

Most greenhouse frames are constructed of either metal, such as aluminum or steel, or wood. However, newer composite materials are also available that suit a wider variety of construction needs. These new greenhouse materials are a combination of plastics, and are extremely durable and weather resistant. Let’s take a look at the high points of each type of greenhouse frame.

Wood
Traditional wood greenhouse frames are affordable and easy to work with. Most people with even limited carpentry skills can construct a greenhouse frame from wood with the help of a greenhouse blueprint and a few tools. However, wood has a limited lifetime, and even treated wood rots eventually.

Another consideration when choosing a wood greenhouse frame is termites. These little critters can eat their way through a structure rendering it uninhabitable before you even know there is an infestation. If you live in termite territory and want a wooden greenhouse frame, you should consult an exterminator or install termite detection spikes around your new greenhouse.

Metal
Many pre-fabricated greenhouse kits include a metal greenhouse frame. These types of frames are somewhat flexible, lightweight, and durable. A lightweight greenhouse frame is ideal for gardeners who need a portable greenhouse for seasonal use, and many metal greenhouse frames are constructed for quick and easy set-up and tear-down.

However, since greenhouses are moist environments, rusting of metal supports is always a constant concern. Keeping the metal frame thoroughly coated with paint and in good repair will help extend the life of your metal greenhouse frame significantly.

Metal frames also let in more cold air in the winter and more hot air in the summer. The metal conducts hot and cold. As a test, if you put a metal spoon into a ice cold bucket, the spoon handle will quickly get ice cold too. Now try putting a PVC pipe into an ice cold bucket. Notice how the pipe does not change temperature? Plastic does not conduct heat or cold. Just think what would happen to your plant if it’s leaves were touching the metal frame on a frigid day.

Composite
New composite building materials are expanding into all areas of construction; greenhouse gardening included. Composite greenhouse frames are lightweight, strong, somewhat flexible, and very, very durable. These plastic-based materials last much longer than the other frame options, even when exposed to harsh environments. If this sounds like one of those “too good to be true” deals, be aware that there is one serious drawback to composite greenhouse frames: price. Any process that involves recycling plastic into useable materials is very costly, and the production of composite building materials is pricey. For consumers looking for high quality, low-maintenance, and durability, composite greenhouse frames are the winner hands-down as long as you can afford the luxury. One last thing, remember that all plastic is not equal. Plastic must be UV treated to keep it from getting brittle in the sun.

Weather, nature, insects, location, gardening goals, and price all factor into choosing the right greenhouse frame material for your new greenhouse project. No matter what your gardening conditions entail, selecting the perfect greenhouse frame requires a little planning, research, and thoughtful consideration to ensure years and years of gardening enjoyment with your greenhouse.