Garden Content // How to Make the Most of Your Greenhouse this Winter

When the colder months come around, many people assume that their greenhouse work is over until the springtime, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Winter may be a very cold season, but with the right accessories and essential pieces of equipment you can continue your gardening hobby right through to the year.

Clean and Prepare
Your greenhouse should be just as important as your home when it comes to cleaning. The last thing you want is to leave your greenhouse to gather dust and become dirty and unhygienic, as this is bad for both yourself and your plants. Make sure you prepare your greenhouse for the seasonal transition, as this will help you to stay organised, as well as prevent any diseases spreading from dead or decaying plants. Throw away any damaged or broken pieces of equipment, and try to remove any debris that has gathered from the previous plants you were growing. Once you’ve cleaned and prepped your greenhouse, you’ll be able to focus on starting your winter projects with a clean, fresh space to work with.

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Insulate the Greenhouse
Many people think that because plants require lots of warmth and sunlight, winter projects are null and void, but this isn’t the case at all. If you insulate your greenhouse properly, you can create a warm environment for your plants to grow and stay healthy and strong, with small amounts of sunlight from day to day. For those who need additional lighting, there are lots of lamps you can purchase to add heat and light to your space. Whether you have a standard glass greenhouse, or you have a wooden greenhouse, there are really efficient ways in which you can insulate your greenhouse to keep it at the perfect temperature for success with your projects.

Maintenance Checks
Throughout the year, your greenhouse will experience all kinds of weather conditions, as well as general wear and tear. To ensure your greenhouse is in the best condition for the winter months, you need to carry out some basic maintenance checks. Start by checking to make sure none of the glass has been damaged, broken or cracked, as this will instantly let air travel into the greenhouse and could have a negative effect on your plants growing progress. Similarly, if you notice the glass or windows are damaged, fixing them in advance will help to make sure you don’t end up with a larger issue to fix further down the line. You should then check the roof area and doors to check that all corners of the greenhouse are intact, as again this can result in water or air draining into the main body of your greenhouse. Finally, check the interiors of your greenhouse to make sure that your equipment and surfaces are strong and ready for the winter work ahead. There is nothing worse than setting up a new project, to find that your heat lamp isn’t working, or your plant bench is wobbly!

Monitor the Temperature
Keeping an eye on the temperature inside your greenhouse is really important if you want to make the most of the space you have through winter. You often find that people begin their projects without monitoring the current temperature, which doesn’t help when the cold weather kicks in and you need to alter the temperature to keep it similar to what it was beforehand. Tracking the temperature will also enable you to monitor which heat levels your plants are growing best at, which in turn will help with the success of your projects along the way.

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