What's essential for your greenhouse journey? Must you splurge on pricey tools and gear to kickstart your gardening adventure?
What you need to grow
So, let's be honest – there are a few things you need to successfully grow plants. Plants have specific needs that must be met for them to thrive. I've grouped these essentials into categories, sharing both what I've used in the past and what I currently use to cultivate my greenhouse garden.
Containers
So lets define what a container is, it is an object that can be used to hold something. Plain and simple it is anything can can have drain holes and hold a soil medium.
When I first started I grew herbs in baby formula containers. I have started seedlings in k-cups, and egg cartons, and any other plastic reusable container that I was able to find. The only bit of advice I will give you if you want to recycle and reuse is to make sure you sanitize these containers before you use them.
I have since then moved up to purchasing different seed starting trays. I first started with the Jiffy seed starting trays with the dome. They worked great but you have to be careful to remove the dome when you have the seedlings pop up or you will get diseases like dampening off because of the excess moisture.
I have now started buying from the Greenhouse mega store because I have started selling at market. They have durable trays, flats and pots. There are so many to choose from but the ones that I like the best are:
Heavy duty tray with no drainage holes (for bottom watering)
This will all depend on what you are intending on growing, but I have successfully grown everything for my garden with these listed above.
Soil
When you are starting your seeds the seed itself has enough energy to pop out of the soil if properly planted. So what is the best soil medium to use?
The soil that I use is a seed starting mix it is very loamy and light and holds on to moisture, but it doesn't have any added fertilisers. It is unnecessary to use a potting mix until you up top or transplant the seedling. I have even heard of people using sand to start seeds. I won't suggest doing this because I have yet to test it out myself.
There are recipes that you can make your own seed starting mix but I usually wait until the end of the season and stock up when it goes on sale. The Jiffy organic seed starting mix is what I have always used and it works great for me. Eventually I would like to start making my own seed starting mix with home make vermicompost. But that will be for a later date.
Seeds
Selecting the right seeds or the right seed company was something that I never really thought about until I became a certified Master Gardener. I then realised that seed selection is very important and the type of seeds you buy is equally important.
You should know what you are wanting to grow, how long your growing season is and the best varieties for you area. Certain varieties thrive better in their native area. So do your research and find what grows best in your area and which cultivars are best for you and your family.
Watering and other tools to assist
Here is the fun part the actual tools. There are so many to choose from but which tools are you really in need of to grow in your greenhouse?
Here is what I use:
Watering can
Water bottle for misting
Toothpicks
Alcohol (the rubbing kind)
Scissors
Marking stakes / stickers
I go through all of the different tools that I use everything from household items to gardening kits in the video below.
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