Thursday, March 4, 2010

Spring cleaning time


Even though a lot of snow is remains on the ground I have been able to gain access to the greenhouse to begin preparing it for spring. Several days ago I placed the remote temperature sensor back in the greenhouse, and I have been monitoring the temperature daily. Today, with only a slight amount of sunshine, the temperature in the greenhouse was about seventy degrees, so I began preparing it for the coming growing season.


The tomatoes and cucumbers I will be growing this season are greenhouse varieties, and I will be using vine clips with poly cord to support the plants vs. cages or a trellis. The seeds have been started under the 90 watt LED and so far they are doing great. Weather permitting I will place the seedlings in the greenhouse for a few hours daily, gradually exposing them to natural light, and heat. Additionally, I have suspended a fluorescent fixture to apply supplemental lighting as needed.

Since I was a child I have been fascinated by greenhouses, even though gardening does not run in my family, so perhaps it is a genetic trait. In any event, I knew little or nothing about growing plants under glass when I built my greenhouse. Over the past winter I have purchased several books devoted to greenhouse horticulture, and this season I intend to apply what I have learned. Sadly though, for the most part, the books on growing under glass are mostly devoted to soil gardening, so I will still be exploring to some extent.

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