How to organize work in a greenhouse with new seedlings and growing cucumbers and tomatoes

A greenhouse is a great way to extend your growing season and enjoy fresh vegetables and flowers all year round. However, a greenhouse also requires some planning and organization to make the most of its space and resources. In this article, we will show you how to organize work in a greenhouse with new seedlings and growing cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as give you some advice on what size greenhouse would be better, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a greenhouse.

Key takeaways

What to do	What to consider	What to avoid
Start your seedlings indoors or in a heated propagator	The germination time and temperature of your seeds	Sowing your seeds too early or too late
Harden off and transplant your seedlings in the greenhouse	The frost date and the weather conditions in your area	Transplanting your seedlings when they are too small or too large
Choose the best location and layout for your plants in the greenhouse	The light, temperature, and humidity requirements of your plants	Crowding or shading your plants in the greenhouse
Provide adequate support and care for your plants in the greenhouse	The watering, fertilizing, pruning, and harvesting needs of your plants	Overwatering or underwatering your plants in the greenhouse
Choose the right size and type of greenhouse for your garden	The space, budget, and design of your garden	Buying or building a greenhouse that is too big or too small for your garden

Start your seedlings indoors or in a heated propagator

The first step to organize work in a greenhouse is to start your seedlings indoors or in a heated propagator, as the greenhouse may not be warm enough for germination in early spring. Starting your seedlings indoors or in a heated propagator can give them a head start and a longer growing season, as well as protect them from pests and diseases. Here are some tips for starting your seedlings indoors or in a heated propagator:

• Choose the seeds that you want to grow in your greenhouse, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, or flowers. You can also check the seed packets for the sowing and planting dates, as well as the germination time and temperature of your seeds.
• Use clean and sterile containers and trays for your seeds, such as pots, modules, or cell packs. You can also reuse plastic bottles, yogurt cups, or egg cartons, as long as you make some drainage holes at the bottom.
• Fill your containers and trays with a good quality seed compost, which is fine and light and has a low nutrient content. You can also make your own seed compost by mixing peat, perlite, and vermiculite.
• Sow your seeds according to the instructions on the packet, such as the depth, the spacing, and the germination time. You can also label your containers and trays with the name and date of the seeds.
• Water your seeds gently and evenly, and cover them with a clear plastic lid or a plastic bag to create a humid and warm environment. You can also mist your seeds with a spray bottle to keep them moist.
• Place your seeds in a sunny and warm spot, such as a windowsill, a greenhouse, or a heated propagator. You can also use artificial lights, such as fluorescent tubes or LED lamps, to provide extra light and heat.
• Check your seeds regularly and remove the cover as soon as they sprout. You can also thin out any weak or crowded seedlings to give more space and light to the healthy ones.

Choose the best location and layout for your plants in the greenhouse

The next step to organize work in a greenhouse is to choose the best location and layout for your plants in the greenhouse, to provide them with the optimal light, temperature, and humidity. Different plants have different requirements for these factors and may need more or less sun, heat, or moisture. Therefore, it is important to group your plants according to their needs and arrange them in a way that maximizes their growth and productivity. Here are some tips for choosing the best location and layout for your plants in the greenhouse:

• Choose the sunniest and warmest spot for your plants that need full sun and high heat, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, or melons. You can also use a thermometer or a hygrometer to measure the temperature and humidity in your greenhouse and adjust them accordingly.
• Choose the shadiest and coolest spot for your plants that need partial sun and low heat, such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, or herbs. You can also use a shade cloth or a fan to reduce the sun and heat in your greenhouse and prevent wilting or bolting.
• Choose the middle spot for your plants that need moderate sun and heat, such as beans, peas, carrots, or flowers. You can also use a trellis, a stake, or a cage to support and train your plants and create more space and light in your greenhouse.
• Arrange your plants in a way that allows good air circulation and ventilation in your greenhouse, to prevent diseases and pests. You can also use a window, a door, or a vent to open and close your greenhouse, and regulate the air flow and temperature.
• Arrange your plants in a way that allows easy access and maintenance in your greenhouse, such as watering, fertilizing, pruning, and harvesting. You can also use a path, a border, or a container to separate and organize your plants, and make your greenhouse more attractive and functional.

Propagate plants by cuttings

 

Cutting propagation is one of the most popular ways of plant propagation utilised globally. A cutting is a section of a mother plant that has been cut off and from which a new plant will grow.

 Plant propagation by woody cuttings is a simple and easy way of propagation. Annual shoots are used to make woody cuttings. The cutting period varies for each plant and must be properly adhered to. Not just berry bushes, but also most beautiful plants such as physocarp, and others, are propagated in this manner. Blackcurrant cuttings, for example, are produced after the leaves fall and continue until the buds mature in the spring. However, blackcurrant cuttings taken in late October yield the greatest results, as blackcurrants might be frosty near the end of winter. In the first decade of September, currant and gooseberry cuttings are made.

Cuttings range from 12 to 15 cm. Currant cuttings must not have the top bud removed, but blackcurrant cuttings must. The lowest portion of the cuts should be cut 2-3 mm below the bud, as obliquely as possible. The prepared cuttings can be cut in the bed immediately (with a 15-18 cm layer of peat following frost) or carefully buried in the overwintering location. Cuttings can be kept cold (0 to +20 C) in a basement buried in peat or in the field. When frost begins to fall, cover the burial location with a 15-18 cm layer of peat. Cuttings are planted upright in light, extensively tilled soil, whereas they are planted horizontally in heavier, wetter, and shallower soil.

Cut a 10-15 cm long plug 2-3 mm below the node and break off a piece of wood from a biennial branch to leave a trace at the end (this will stimulate the growth process). Cuttings that are too long must be trimmed by cutting off the tip so that they do not come out when implanted in the substrate. When the air temperature is over +10 °C, the optimal time for propagation is mid-March to early April.

Woody cuttings can be used to produce berry plants such as currants, blackcurrants, and golden currants, as well as decorative deciduous shrubs such as spireas, hydrangeas, willows, philadelphus. Trees can also take root (mulberry, poplar, and even lilac).

Aunts root nicely among the conifers. Junipers may be propagated as well. More careful gardeners have discovered how to root spruces and Douglas firs.

Conifer cuttings are made by severing the branch and snapping (rather than cutting) the shoots. At the bottom of the scion, a so-called foot - a piece of bark - develops.

- The soil around the cuttings is compressed, enveloping the trigger section and the buds in the soil.

- Professionals employ growth stimulants for cuttings, but amateur gardeners don't need them.

Unheated greenhouse

Unheated greenhouses that are not very hot right now and are still vacant are ideal for rooting cuttings. Digging in boxes rather than directly in the soil is preferable. In the summer, the young plants can be removed from the greenhouse. Later transplantation will cause less disruption to the root system.

Prepare the boxes for bursting by filling them with substrate. Garden soil is also appropriate since woody cuttings are resilient.

Moisture levels in all cuttings must be closely checked. The soil must not dry out, but neither should it become excessively wet.

- It is beneficial to pinch the cuttings tightly since this increases the likelihood of one developing.

Varieties of thuja are propagated vegetatively by cuttings. The best time to cut cuttings is early spring (before budbreak) or late June, early July, when the young shoots are no longer raw but are mature.

The shoots are first cut and then separated into cuts by ripping, leaving a sliver of biennial wood at the root. Cuttings should be 8-15 cm in length. Make them neither too short nor too long, or they will adhere to the substrate and root poorly. The cuts must be done at an oblique angle and roughly 1 cm deep. The cuttings can be bathed in Schultz Garden growth booster for enhanced rooted, although conifers root well without it. In the spring and summer, rooting can be done in a greenhouse on a raised bed or in a bed in the shade of a shrub in a 1:1 mixture of peat and sand or vermiculite. 

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