In the Northeast Gardening Forum we start off each year with a new forum topic about what folks are doing and growing in their gardens for the year, so I thought I would start one off for the Greenhouses Forum and see if there is any interest.

So what are you doing with and in your greenhouse this year? Same as always, or are you making changes in your greenhouse, trying new methods and or plants?

This will be my 5th year with my Sunshine Gardenhouse Mt. Rainier 8′ x 16′.



The first 3 years I really only used it to start my seeds, but it stayed empty most of the summer. Then, I would use it to extend the season mostly with all types of salad greens.

Last year, because of the short season of warm nights here in the Pocono Mountains, I decided to keep my pepper plants in the greenhouse all summer, and I had a bumper crop of bell, shishito, corbacci, and ajvarski peepers, probably more peppers in one season then all other seasons combined. I believe it was due to keeping them warmer at night. I also planted them in pots up off the ground which helped to keep the roots warmer and eliminated many pests.

It got me to thinking, and this year I am going to try and plant more vegetables in my greenhouse and see how they do (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.). To give me some more greenhouse room, I purchased a Weatherguard 8 x 12 greenhouse.



If my "theory" is correct, and my vegetables do better in the greenhouses and up off the ground, I am thinking of investing in a much larger greenhouse for next season.

Having a severe case of cabin fever, I have already purchased all my seeds, pots and trays for this season. Now, I only need Winter to pass!

So, what are you doing in your greenhouse for 2020?

Hi Jim,
I wish I could say I was actively using my dome greenhouse, but my health has prevented a lot of what I'd like to do. For about a year my greenhouse has been on auto pilot with watering and heating.

Everything is now messy with fallen leaves and overgrown plants, but I still enjoy going in there to sit and admire the flowers that just keep on coming. I have plants up to the 8 ft ceiling. Lots of plumerias, hibiscus, Ficus, Geraniums, Begonias, cacti, succulents, plus radishes, lettuce and cilantro.

I just had a neck surgery to remove 3 disks and do fusion and plating. I'm waiting for an appointment to do a lumbar surgery that will be the same thing. After healing up from these surgeries I'm hoping to be able to get back to the greenhouse and fun stuff. I'm just happy it's winter, so I don't have to worry about the outdoor plants!

I always love seeing pics of your greenhouse. It's lovely! The new one looks like a good addition too. I need one of those to keep excess sun off of my succulents and shade loving cacti.

Hi Karen,

So sorry to hear about your health issues. Hopefully, after your lumbar surgery you can return to some kind of normalcy. It is always so nice to hear from you!

Jim

We are really hoping that's the case!

right now i'm using my 6x8 green house to house my hibiscus plants , using a older metal heater connected to a heavy duty timer . i'm in zone 8b and so far our weather has gone below 32 three nights only . with February coming i'm thinking it will start to warm a bit but will have a few cool nights .

I will be removing some plants and planting them in the yard to make way for some new things!

I am glad to see this thread as the greenhouse has been on my mind. I have never used mine for anything beyond overwintering tropicals and succulents. It stays too hot in summer for vegetable growth.

Jim, I am not surprised the peppers did quite well. I have noticed they really take off when the summer heat kicks in here so the heat would improve your growing season for peppers. BTW, I may be in the south but cabin fever strikes here too.

Our climate is mild enough that I start seedlings outdoors so don't use it for that either. My current passion in greenhouse is rooting Epis.

A friend walked through it the other day when I wasn't home. (Certainly glad I had it orderly. ) Later he asked what I did with all those plants and I was stumped. Other than work them, what do I do with them?

Cuzzx ~ I am in a similar zone and find I've not used the heat this winter at all. Greenhouse temps have dipped so I am cautious on watering. Do your Hibiscus bloom through winter in the greenhouse?

Gina1960 ~ love your jungle. I always think how fortunate you Floridians are to plant tropicals outdoors.

Karen, glad to hear from you. I am glad also that you are able to at least go sit and enjoy the greenhouse. Lucky you that it is self sustaining with water and heat. Wishing I was closer to be of some help. Best wishes for recovery and a successful second procedure. Your plants can be replaced, you need to get better!

I'm in the process of reorganizing my greenhouse for the upcoming growing season...always a good time to wash and disinfect. I want to wash all the polycarbonate panels (mild soap and water with microfiber cloth) and disinfect the greenhouse with Physan 20 (first time I am using Physan).

Question: Should I clean the poly panels first and then spray down the entire greenhouse with Physan, or should I spray down the entire greenhouse with Physan and then wash the panels?

I am doing my Physan cleaning now. I spray with Physan, let it rest 24+ hours, then pressure wash the gunk off, then respray again with a coat of Physan that stays on. I have one more wall to do.

Gina1960 said:I am doing my Physan cleaning now. I spray with Physan, let it rest 24+ hours, then pressure wash the gunk off, then respray again with a coat of Physan that stays on. I have one more wall to do.

Thanks, Gina. It doesn't leave any type of film on the glass that would cut down on light transmission?

Not that I can tell. And it really helps cut down on reoccurrence of algae (for a while....after summer heat and humidity hit here, all bets are off)

Thanks for the feedback, Gina.

My jiffy pots came in from Greenhouse Megastore yesterday. Good thing I opened the box rather than waiting until I needed them. I ordered 240 and only got 150. After contacting them, they said they would send the other 90 ASAP.

Its been so gloomy here the past few days I can;t get into the mood to work outside. Our weather is moderating though, it will be close to 80F next week, that should help! I don;t usually grow things from seed but I decided to give it a shot this spring. I ordered some seeds of some cool tropicals and am going to give it a shot!

Today's high is supposed to be 38 and cloudy, so the greenhouse will not be warm enough for me to work out there. Monday is supposed to be sunny and 53, so I'm hoping for that day.

Ever since I got my greenhouse, I grow everything from seed. There is something magical and awe inspiring about putting a seed in the soil, nurturing it, and watching it grow until it flowers or bears fruit. I never felt that way when I used to buy starts from the nursery. It must be akin to what an artist feels.

These are what I ordered:
Bauhinia retusa
Cananga odorata (Ylang ylang....I used to have a tree but sacrificed it and now go figure I want it again)

Delonix regia, Royal Poinciana see Cananga O

Hedychium elatum

Macaranga grandiflora...I really want this to grow, its one of the coolest things

Mucuna holtonii, a white Jade Vine

Reihardtia simplex, a rather rare little palm tree

Strelitzia juncea, the leafless Orange bird of paradise.

As long as the sun is up, over 50 I can work out there. But I leave the heater on to maintain the GH at a constant 60F day and night. If its above 60 outside and sunny even without supplemental heat the GH will be 70 easy or more

Love Ylang ylang. We used to make a shower gel and a lotion with the scent of Ylang ylang, but it didn't sell as well as our others, so we dropped it. I was sorry to see it go.

I'm with you. I don't like to work in the greenhouse if I have to wear something to stay warm.

Its nice out there right now, but not hot enough to continue with the pressure washing ha ha. I got an Ylang years ago as a trade, I planted it (silly me) on the 'shore' beside my GH stream. It took LESS than 2 seasons to have a full sized small tree with a crown of 8-9 feet. It bloomed too! But in the end I had to ax it. I hope if I can get these seeds to sprout I may be able to keep in containerized. Maybe trial one out in the ground here if I get a wild hare

I grew the Ylang in the Marshall Islands. It was a strong, very fast grower. I loved it. It was in the ground, which wasn't soil, but mostly just crushed shells and coral.

Yeah it took to the sand here real well LOL. But I loved it too.