Greenhouses are one of the garden’s biggest investments. Often an investment that has been a long time in the dreaming, planning and saving. So when your dreams are finally fulfilled and a gleaming new greenhouse stands in your garden, it seems almost criminal not to put it to good use all year round. These buildings definitely aren’t just for summer crops of tomatoes, delicious as they are. There’s plenty of potential to grow flowers and edibles in every season, so here’s our guide to making the most of your glass, over every month of the year.
SPRING
Spring is the busiest time in the garden, full of exciting new beginnings. This is particularly the case in the greenhouse, where there’ll be lots of seeds to sow, bulbs to pot up and plants to pot on.
If you grow your own crops, this will be a season of frantic activity. Hardy vegetable crops can be started off first, usually around March unless it’s an unseasonably cold month. This is when you can sow broad beans in the greenhouse, in modules or pots – but the moment their young shoots have broken through the surface, move them outside to prevent them from becoming leggy. Start off sets of onions and shallots in modular trays and sow the seed of brassicas for summer cropping. Harden them off and plant them out once their roots have filled their pots.
Don’t forget to start off the seed of greenhouse crops such as those all-important tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, aubergines and peppers. The end of March is about the right time to sow tomatoes in a heated propagator, but bear in mind that they’ll need a temperature of at
