Titivating tomatoes and other tasks
Now that greenhouse tomatoes are growing well, remove the side shoots of âcordonâ varieties, as they appear, using your finger and thumb, this will create a single productive stem. Keep the compost constantly moist, particularly if you are using growing bags, as the compost dries out rapidly; twice a day is ideal, depending on the […]
Potting adventures
Quality peat-free compost doesnât need to come out of a bag, and it certainly isnât sterile and sanitised. Itâs time to rip up the rule book. My idea of an adventure doesnât require me to jet off on some adrenaline-fuelled, round-the-planet jaunt. Although Iâm inherently curious â I love exploring new places â I donât […]
How Green is Your Valley?
Water conservation and water-saving garden solutions have a creative edge in the Coachella Valley of south California, and in Palm Springs sheets of glass reflecting sheets of water give a refreshing fresh sparkle to arid gardens. Three months and two trips to California, from one destination south, to one north (which you can read about […]
English Garden
Itâs an important summer season for Hartley Botanic! They have been regular exhibitors at the most important flower show in the world, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, for decades, but 2016 will be their very 1st foray onto Main Avenue with a full show garden. The garden has been designed by the very talented Catherine […]
Tips for potting with less mess
Sometimes I imagine the perfect potting bench. Itâs inside a conservatory, of course, so I can pot up my imaginary rare orchids all year round. It has ample space to work, a bin for my own special blend of potting mixâoh, wait, Iâll need a separate bin for orchid mix too. Thereâs a handy faucet […]
Attract Pollinators to your GardenâEd Hume tells what the good bugs need
When it comes to fruit and flower production, pollinating insects are major players. The act of pollination inside a greenhouse may require the introduction of bumble bees or the use of equipment that mimics the beesâ wing vibrations. However, outside in your garden you can attract pollinating insects by simply growing the plants that will […]
Out-of-Season Potatoes! In Your Greenhouse
Growing potatoes in your greenhouse may not seem very exciting or even particularly worthwhile. After all, you can buy a bag of spuds for a few dollars. But imagine growing high-value fingerlings such as Russian Banana, Rose Finn, or Blossom. These can be hard to find in a grocery store, especially during winter. And they […]
Salad Days
I recently wrote that for a glasshouse watercress was the most nutritious crop you could grow, and that still stands. However the huge productive capacity under cover can be more efficiently harnessed to produce even more healthy nutrition. And a very succulent, delicious and tasty increase this is; from growing baby salad leaves. You see […]
Late Blight in Tomatoes and Potatoes
For greenhouse owners and gardeners in the Carolinas and Georgia, here is some disturbing news: Some tomato plants in Beaufort County, South Carolina, have recently been infected with late blight disease, the same highly infectious scourge that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. Tomatoes and potatoes are related species, both belonging to the […]
Succulents â the new âin plantsâ for drought regions
Succulents, even those that wonât grow in colder climates, make great candidates for a greenhouse, sunroom, or even a sunny windowsill. My collection doesnât seem to mind the dry indoor air or erratic watering. And my admiration for these low-water high-drama plants is shared by a lot of peopleâespecially in coastal areas of California, where […]
Glass revolution! By Ethne Clarke
Glasshouses, conservatories, and the mid-century modern enclaves of Palm Springs owe much to the invention of plate glass. Glass windows have been with us since at least the 3rd century CE, but they were dim little shards held together by lead seams, fracturing and distorting the view, but letting in more light than a sheet […]