Spring to Summer in the Greenhouse

The greenhouse, put up in autumn last year, was the focus of my attention this spring, along with the newly set out vegetable garden.

There was – and still is – much to learn!

Lesson number one was to consider the extremes of temperature between day and night. We had a very dry and sunny spring, which meant the temperatures in the greenhouse were consistently over 20° C during the daytime, but I was having to keep the frost watch on the heater until the end of May. I think that I will sow annual and perennial flowers, cucumbers, zucchini etc a little later next year. And try growing lettuce much earlier. This photo was  May 3rd, with my tomato plants near the door on the left.

And by May 15th a peep into the greenhouse would have shown that the tomatoes and aubergines were in their final pots in there, and annuals sown…

Everything I sowed in there in 9 or 11 cm pots thrived! The amount of light played an enormous role – much more so than warmth I think. My tomatoes are much healthier and stronger plants than those I have always grown on my patio in the past.

End of May and getting crowded

Some have been moved to the patio as it got so cramped in the greenhouse by mid June, and they are coping exceptionally well with the heat and strong sun and have loads of green tomatoes forming. Let’s hope they come through the next few days of heat. Fingers crossed. I’d like to make lots of tomato sauces and salads!

Mid June in the greenhouse… those chairs are gathering dust as it’s too hot to sit in there most of the time…

I started aubergines off in the greenhouse too, but moved them onto my patio once well established. They are very susceptible to greenfly and other aphids, but still form fruit, so I just keep them away from other plants. (I have tried all sorts of tricks with neem, soapy water, spraying with the hosepipe etc and gave up as it just stresses the plants even more.)

I am also trying to grow melons, both some small charentais, and a small watermelon called ‘Mini Love’. Well, fruits have formed early on, albeit not many. I am hopeful for a few of each though and can’t wait for them to ripen!

Another success is the basil. We eat a LOT of pesto in the summer months, and basil from the supermarket is expensive and not always available, so I have always grown my own. In past years I have learned that it is pointless sowing it outside before early or mid June due to our cool nights. Well this year I was actually harvesting it in May! So two full months ahead. The lesson I learned here is to use larger containers to make watering easier, and not sow as much; I am not losing any to pests or the cool nights so what I have is just growing and growing!

In May our first heatwave made me panic about shading etc, and I worried my tomatoes wouldn’t pollinate. But with no singed leaves and no blossom drop, my fears were unfounded. The glass has a special filter in it that protects plants from burning. And since I would not be able to reduce the temperature with shading it probably isn’t necessary. I have taken cuttings of pelargoniums and tender salvias and for the first time ever I have had success – I am also attributing that to the climate in the greenhouse. And due to its structure and the placing of plants and containers, I can find shady spots for pots too.

Pelargonium and Salvia cuttings, and a viola seedling

When I realized how much my Pelargoniums enjoy the heat in there as well, I made a trip to a rare plants nursery in the Bavarian Forest to buy some more. The weather that day was drab and very cloudy, so I am afraid I haven’t got any pictures of the lovely countryside this time, but this is what I ended up with. (Along with a few other nice herbs and scented plants such as Calamintha, Cumin, Sweet Cicely to name a few).

One of the biggest lessons has been to sow fewer tomatoes next year. I ended up with 28 pots, even after giving quite a few seedlings away. If any do not germinate or don’t do well, I now know that I have plenty of time to sow more for a later crop.

Hope you enjoyed the update on the greenhouse. And if you like the sound of homemade vegan pesto, take a look at my recipe here: Vegan Pesto. It is really good!