How to start your garden earlier in the season.
If you do not have the space or money to have a large greenhouse here is a solution to have a mini greenhouse to get your garden started early. There are other options I will discuss that you can make or purchase to get your garden started early.
A greenhouse is important in that it will protect your plants from the cold evening and nighttime temperatures, allowing you to plant earlier in the season and jump-start your garden.
By getting your garden in early and keeping it protected from cold temperatures you will be the first in your neighborhood to harvest tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini squash just to mention a few favorites.
Planting directly in the ground
If you are able to plant directly in the garden inside your mini-greenhouse you have several options, you can either plant seeds or purchase plants to give you a better advantage to get an early harvest.
The key to planting directly in the ground is to add your soil amendments prior to planting and to check your soil temperatures to make sure the ground has warmed to the proper temperature (60 degrees for tomatoes, and 65-70 degrees for cucumbers)
You will need to watch temperatures to know when to open and close the greenhouse to prevent damage to your plants, you will also need to monitor them every few days to see if they need water.
When planting directly in the ground you need to make sure this is where you want the plants to grow throughout the season since you should not move them.
Before you plant directly in the ground inside the mini-greenhouse you should check the temperature of the soil. Tomatoes like a soil temperature of 60 degrees and cucumbers like a soil temperature closer to 70 degrees.
Housing vegetable starts in pots
If you are using the mini-greenhouse to house the seedlings and starts, you need to make sure to close the greenhouse up whenever temperatures dip, overnight, and open it when temperatures rise. You will also need to make sure you have plants in larger containers since roots will need space to grow.
Check daily to see if your plants need water since they have a tendency to dry out quicker depending on the size of the pot or container.
Here are some mini-greenhouses you can purchase
Here are two examples that I mentioned above one for planting directly in the garden and the other for housing starts and small plants. The nice factor for both of these is that they can be taken down and stored when not in use.
- 4-TIER MINI GREENHOUSE WITH DURABLE SHELVING
- CLEAR PVC COVER
- TOOL-FREE ASSEMBLY
- ALL SEASON
- ECO-FRIENDLY PE COVER
- 3-Tier small walk-in greenhouse is 56 inch long, 30 inch wide, and 76 inch high. The door is 5.25ft high
- Powder coated steel framework + UV protected、Waterproof 、Reinforced
- 2 LARGE DOORS
My Mini Greenhouse
I was lucky enough to get this greenhouse from a neighbor that was throwing it away. It works great to give me one box where I can put seeds and plants in the ground early with this greenhouse cover to get an early harvest. I have dedicated this greenhouse growing tomatoes and cucumbers since those are two of my family’s favorites to enjoy early in the season.
By using a greenhouse like this or a PVC tunnel greenhouse you can improve your microclimate by one full climate allowing you to grow plants earlier or an entirely different vegetable.
Larger Greenhouse Kit
If you have the space for a larger greenhouse that is not permanent, here is a good example of what you can build.
- Upgraded Greenhouse 2 Mesh Zipper Doors & 8 Vents--2 Doors on each side of the greenhouse
- Reinforced Mesh PE Cover
- Powder Coated Steel Frame
Whatever type of mini-greenhouse you decide to use in your yard, you will be able to plant earlier than if you had not purchased or built the greenhouse which means you will be able to harvest earlier.
The feature picture of the greenhouse is one I built using many products I salvaged from an old shed and the siding from our house that I replaced. I will have a future article showing the details of how I built the greenhouse.
know that I had no previous experience building greenhouses so I hope that this will encourage you to take on this project if you are wanting to build a greenhouse for your yard.
Happy Gardening!
