While the controlled environment in the greenhouse is favorable for many reasons, nutrient depletion is a definite drawback. To help keep your greenhouse plants green and healthy, fertilizers and food additives are essential.

Fertilizers and Foods for Greenhouse Plants

Plants require essential elements for proper growth. These elements are boron, carbon, calcium, chlorine, copper, hydrogen, iron, oxygen, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, sulfur, and zinc. Plants extract carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the air, and the remaining nutrients are obtained from water and soil. A depletion in any of these essential elements can inhibit plant growth.
Fertilizers and plant foods supplement these essential elements and allow the plants to thrive under optimal growing conditions. Some common supplements are peat moss, compost, and water-based fertilizers.

Serious greenhouse gardeners are known to fertilize varieties of plants according to professional recommendations. Certain greenhouse plants often suffer from common element deficiencies. For example, geraniums cannot tolerate high soluble salts. This calls for a water-soluble fertilizer containing calcium and magnesium, often referred to as a geranium special.

Most greenhouse gardeners keep a reference book on hand or consult their favorite greenhouse gardening website for specific recommendations on fertilizers and plant foods. This plant-by-plant look up method ensures proper feeding of plants by pinpointing common problems and solutions.

Some greenhouse gardeners choose to select only organic fertilizers. The backyard compost pile is the most common source of plant food for organic greenhouse gardeners. Other sources include powdered milk, coffee grounds, powdered lime, and aged manure.

If you are interested in learning about the specifics involved in selecting the best fertilizers and foods for your greenhouse plants, your local library holds a wealth of fertilizer knowledge. The specific may become complicated at times making you wish you had a degree in chemistry to better understand the complex processes. Overall, understanding the basic of fertilization in the greenhouse is well within the grasp of the everyday greenhouse gardener.

• Don’t transplant seedlings until they have 4-5 full leaves. This ensures that your delicate seedlings are big enough to survive outside of the greenhouse.

• Some crops need to be transplanted while the weather is still cooler. You should wait until the risk of frost has passed, but these crops prefer cooler temps and may wilt if transplanted during warmer temperatures. Some cool weather crops are lettuce, spinach, carrots, and beets.

• Leave the root ball intact when transplanting seedlings. Dig a tapered hole similar in size to the plant’s previous container and water the cavity well prior to planting.

• Tomato plants can be burried deeply in the soil during transplantation. Up to 2/3 of the current plant height can be buried beneath the soil to ensure a strong root base and a healthy plant.

• Use the bottom portion of the soil from the old container as fill in the new transplant area (without disturbing the root ball). Water this soil well before placing the seedling in the earth to provide an immediate water source for the delicate plant.

• Give your seedling a taste of the outdoors for an hour or two in the early morning or late evening for several days prior to transplantation. If the plants respond to this outside exposure by wilting, bring them back inside the greenhouse and try again another day. You should also slightly reduce the amount of water and fertilizer the seedlings receive to help them adjust to their new outdoor living environment more easily.

• Set up a fan in the greenhouse for a week or two prior to transplantation to help simulate wind. This will help stimulate your plants to grow stronger stems that will be better equipped to withstand the elements.

Transplanting your starts from the greenhouse involves preparation and additional work for about two weeks prior to the transplantation date, but the added effort results in vigorous crops and better yields. These transplanting tips can help you get the most from your greenhouse efforts.

Soil tampers can be used before or after sowing seeds. They evenly push tiny seeds into soil easier than a fist or fingers. I tried sourcing pre-fabricated tampers locally and on the internet. Available from the UK, tampers range about $10 – $25 online not including shipping. I wasn’t ready to shell out funds allocated for plants and seeds, so I created yet another carpentry project for my husband.

Materials and Time Required
Total project cost averaged $5.00 using scrap wood and materials on hand.
It took one person and two hours to build four soil tampers.

Tools Used
• Black sharpie marker
• Broom and dust pan
• Dust mask
• Ear muffs (hearing protection)
• Extension cord
• Eye goggles (eye protection)
• Jigsaw
• Metal angle
• Power drill
• Quick grip clamps
• Ruler
• Screwdriver
• Straight edge
• Tape measure
• Wood glue
• Workmate table

Materials Needed
• Container templates
• Wood screws
• Scrap 1/8” – ½” plywood

Prep Work
Step 1. Clear and clean working area.
Step 2. Prior to beginning project, charge all cordless tools.
Step 3. Pick a clear, cool and dry day to work.

Cutting Corners
Anything that can save a tremendous amount of time on repetitive tasks always catches my attention. Since I plan on using the same size containers for seed propagation repeatedly, I selected four template containers.

Square and Round Container Templates
• Copy outline of container onto plywood in pencil.
• Secure wood snuggly with quick grip clamps to stabilize template on workmate table.
• Screw blade into the jigsaw tool facing out.
• Cut ‘inside’ the template line so the tamper will fit inside the pot snuggly.
• Create a long handle out of scrap wood.
• Dab a spot of wood glue, center the long handle on wood base.
• Using a wood screw or nail, turn base upside down and attach handle.

Seed Tray Template
The seed tray template took the longest to construct, but provides the most time savings when starting large flats.
• Copy outline of tray pack cell onto plywood in pencil.
• Measure the center of each of the cells. Using a black sharpie marker and straight edge or metal angle, create crosshairs on the underside of tamper template.
• Secure wood snuggly with quick grip clamps to stabilize template on workmate table.
• Create nine small block tampers and one long handle out of scrap wood.
• Center each individual tamper onto base. Attach using a spot of wood glue for added strength.
• Using a power drill and wood screws, turn base upside down and attach each block tamper to the cross hair lines.
• Invert and attach long handle to middle of tamper.

Saving Time and Money
Martha actually had a project that was as simple and easy to create as shown on the video. Save time sowing seed flats in the greenhouse and money by using materials around the garage. Have fun and get growing!

Photos taken by Dawn Hummel.

Why would I use a Smart Pot?
Container gardeners who are trying to get the best roots structure possible most often use a Smart Pot. The pot itself can promote better root structures.

Why should I use a Smart Pot instead of other containers?
Most containers gardeners use are plastic, which does not aerate. The process of aerating stops the roots from circling and releases heat. Therfore, your plant is able to grow better roots which ultimately lead to a better plant overall.

Do I need to water my Smart Pot often?
Just as you’d water another container full of plants, you water the Smart Pot depending on the various factors of the plant it contains. Factors for watering frequency include the type of plant, the potting mix and any weather conditions. You may need to water a Smart Pot just a small amount more since it allows for evaporation through the porous fabric and aeration process. Of course, since it releases heat you may not need to water it as much in hot weather.

Does the Smart Pot require special potting mix?
No. Any potting mix should work fine in the Smart Pot. Due to the aerating ability of the Smart Pot, heavier mixes are just as appropriate as lighter ones. Of course, lighter mixes are less able to retain water and will need to be watered more frequently.

Why do I need to worry about root system growth?
Master gardeners know a plant is only as strong as its root system. The goal is to get a fibrous root system that can allow the plant to easily maximize water and nutrients it takes in. A better root system will provide a longer lasting plant.

Can I use a Smart Pot for years?
Sure! You can use a Smart Pot for years as the pot can often accommodate a plant for two to three growing years. Smart Pots are made to last for years at a time.

Smart Pots are great options for gardeners who’d like to see better root structures on their plants. They are made from custom, non-woven polypropylene material. The material has unique horticultural capabilities, which prevent circular root growing.

Buy Smart Pots

Potting Benches
The right potting bench can add comfort and personality to your greenhouse. Potting benches offer the benefit of having a place to get your hands dirty while you dig in to your gardening adventures, as well as a place to lay your many gardening tools, such as gardening gloves and growing aids. Potting benches come in wood or metal styles, most often cedar and aluminum. Finding the style that is the best fit is as easy as weighing your needs against the dollars in your pocket.

Plant Stands
Plant stands can help to maximize the space inside even the smallest greenhouse. Multi-layered plant stands can nestle neatly in a corner, often displaying three or more rows of plants- from those that were just recently planted, to those that are blooming into their prime. When you put both of your green thumbs into the hard work of making your greenhouse garden beautiful, it’s nice to have a spot to display them all so proudly.

Decorative Containers
If you want to take your gardening from engaging hobby to wonderful escape, it is a good idea to have the right greenhouse supplies on hand. A nice selection of decorative containers is nice because they can take that simple perennial and turn it into a decorative arrangement.

Assorted Accessories
Gloves, the right garden shears, an apron; these are all things that give gardening the green light. Working in our greenhouse gives us time away from the world, and a spot to call our own. Gardening gloves that fit us like a handshake, garden shears that feel as natural in our hand as a favorite book, and an apron still scented with the previous season- these are all assorted accessories to make your greenhouse gardening more enjoyable.

Accents
Don’t forget the accents! The right accents in your greenhouse will turn your greenhouse from outdoor annex to second home. A small garden stone or tool shelf, or a fountain figurine may be choices that help you find the accents that make you feel like your greenhouse belongs to you.
Maybe you already spend a lot of time in your greenhouse, and maybe you would like to spend more. Either way, the right greenhouse supplies will make your greenhouse a more pleasant place to plant.

Greenhouse Gardening Essentials

Greenhouse Education
Some of the most basic supplies you will need for greenhouse gardening are educational materials. Unless you attended an agricultural college, chances are you could benefit from learning about greenhouse gardening. A few books on greenhouse gardening, for example, can save you all sorts of time and frustration in the long run. The Greenhouse Gardeners Companion is one of the most comprehensive and highly recommended.

Gardening Containers
Some of the supplies that you should obtain for your garden include containers for your plants. Whether you choose pots for your plants to grow in, or trays that allow room to grow multiple plants, because you’re not planting directly into the ground, you must purchase containers. There are even elaborate tray systems that interlock and are designed to be used together for certain types of plants.

Quality Soil
Good, healthy soil is also necessary for greenhouse gardening. One of the advantages of gardening in a greenhouse over a traditional garden is you can hand-pick the type of soil you are going to use. You can pick soil based on the consistency, types of nutrients, or suitability for specific types of plants. You can match your soil to the type of plant you will be growing. Any given greenhouse might use several kinds of soil.

Tools of the Trade
You will also need a supply of tools for successful greenhouse gardening. This would include things like garden hand tools. It might be a small shovel, a trowel, a digger, spading forks, and pruning tools. (All of these tools are the same kinds of tools you might use with a regular garden.) In addition, you will want to have a system for delivering water to your plants, whether that is a simple watering can or an elaborate sprinkler system.

Protect Your Skin
You will also need personal supplies for greenhouse gardening. This will include a good pair of gardening gloves, or preferably, several pairs of good gardening gloves. Not only do gloves keep your hands and nails clean, they help protect your plants from germs you carry into the greenhouse. You will also want to have clothes that you can get dirty if you need to, and you may want to have a hat. Even though a greenhouse is enclosed, the sun’s rays can still get affect your skin.

Feed the Need
Plant foods and fertilizer are also important supplies to have in a greenhouse. You need to be able to provide your greenhouse plants with the kinds of nutrients they need. Greenhouse plants must be supplemented with nutrients that they can’t get otherwise because they aren’t out in the ground.

Greenhouse gardening can be a rewarding hobby or even a profitable business if you know what kinds of supplies are necessary and how to use them. Successful greenhouse gardeners utilize gardening supplies to yield bountiful crops year after year.

Soil Drainage Tips

The natural drainage tendencies of any garden soil can be tested by digging a hole the size of a gallon jug. Fill the hole with water and check back at intervals to see how much water remains after one, two and four hours. Ideally, complete drainage should occur within two to four hours. This is the guideline to strive for after altering your garden soil for better drainage.

Treating Sandy Garden Soil

Soil that drains too quickly contains a higher concentration of sand. The addition of organic materials, such as compost, will help slow the drainage rate and allow the soil to retain nutrients longer. Plants that grow well in fast-draining, sandy soils are onions, carrots, apples, tomatoes and salad greens. Sandy soil will need more frequent watering and fertilizing. It’s also a good idea to put a 3″ layer of mulch around your plants to help retain water and minimize weeds.

Treating Clay Garden Soil

Slow-draining soil contains a large amount of clay that traps water. This type of soil holds nutrients well, but does not allow for adequate drainage and aeration. Sand, coir, peat, and vermiculite can all be added to clay garden soils to fix drainage and aeration problems. Plants that are well suited for clay soils are roses, squash, parsley, and dogwoods. 

Altering Garden Soil Texture

A good combination to strive for when altering your garden soil texture is 25% clay, 25% organic material, and 50% sand. This provides a nice loamy textured soil with adequate drainage, aeration, and nutrients for optimal plant growth.

Landscaping for Optimal Drainage

Landscaping can help promote proper drainage in garden soil. Grading the soil to provide a gentle slope encourages excess water to drain through the soil without washing soil and nutrients from the plant’s root systems. If your topsoil is washing away after a heavy rain, landscaping timbers can be utilized to raise the garden bed and add adequate soil support. If your garden is developing puddles of standing water after a rainfall, grading the soil into a gentle slope can help your plants retain the proper amount of moisture.

Timing Your Tilling

Tilling in the spring is a common garden practice. The smell of freshly turned earth in the spring is a tradition and source of great joy for many gardeners. If your garden requires treatment for improved drainage, plowing in the fall may be the answer to your problems.

Why Plow in the Fall?

Fall plowing exposes the deeper soil to the repeated freezing and thawing that takes place during winter and spring. This process breaks up heavy clays, kills off excessive bacteria and pests, and leaves the garden soil porous and in better draining condition than the previous growing season.

Soil drainage management is an ongoing process for gardeners. Proper soil drainage is one of the most important maintenance tasks of any gardener. Try these drainage tips to give your plants the moisture they long for. The perfect soil may be elusive, but the process of improving soil drainage benefits both the vegetation and the gardener.