Grower's Guide

Whether you’re a hobbyist gardener or a small-scale professional farmer, a greenhouse is a great investment! Not only will using a greenhouse extend your growing season, but it will also significantly increase your crop production.

While they’re well worth the cost, greenhouses generally aren’t cheap. That’s why it’s so important to understand how to use a greenhouse and have a solid plan before you make the financial commitment.

If you’re a first-time user, a high-tunnel greenhouse is a great option. They can accommodate both in-ground and pot-based growing and are less expensive to set up and operate. Here’s a closer look at how these cost-effective greenhouses work and some expert greenhouse tips to help you get started.

Cold Frame vs. Traditional Greenhouses

While they have some similarities, there are also important key differences between a high-tunnel greenhouse and a traditional one. First, most traditional greenhouses are either permanently or semi-permanently anchored to the ground. Second, their walls are often made of hard materials, like polycarbonate or glass, and they almost always have permanent utility hook-ups for lighting, heating, and ventilation.

Instead of anchored into a concrete foundation or footers, high-tunnel greenhouses are made of hoops that anchor directly into the ground. This gives you the ability to deconstruct and move them if necessary. The walls are also made of a thinner material, usually fabric.

While cold...

One of the great things about having a greenhouse is that you can grow your own fresh produce almost all year long. These useful structures allow you to grow different types of plants and extend your growing season by many months.

Wondering what plants you can grow in your greenhouse each season? Take a look through this year-round greenhouse guide!

Seasonal Plants: Greenhouse Growing Guide

When deciding what to grow in a greenhouse during each season, you need to consider two important factors – the length of sun exposure and the outdoor temperature. If you’re using a high tunnel greenhouse, this is even more important since they don't have heaters. Instead, this type of greenhouse relies on insulation and solar energy to create a microclimate for your garden. A major advantage of these structures is that they will provide shelter from wind and inclement weather without overheating your plants.

While light and temperature are still important when using a standard greenhouse, the fact that they have heat and ventilation can help give you more climate control. This can also make it easier to grow tender plants and continue growing crops during the off-seasons...

With the holiday season behind us, and the promise of spring around the corner, now is a great time to start thinking about your backyard garden. Getting a head start on planning your garden can save you a ton of valuable time in April and is a fantastic way to spend a few hours in the meantime.

In recent years there have been a couple of very neat trends emerging in backyard garden design, and so in this article, we'll look at some awesome creative backyard garden ideas for spring 2022; we'll also go over some general gardening tips and tricks and recommend a few great ways of adding flair and functionality to your backyard.

Know your plant hardiness zone

Plants and flowers are, of course, the stars of the show in any garden, but before you can plan your dream backyard garden for spring 2022, you'll first need to know which types of plants will thrive in your local area, and for that, you should consult the USDA plant hardiness zone guide.

Different regions have different climates and different weather patterns, and as such, will be more conducive to some species of plants and not others. So, make sure you know what will work in your area, and choose your spring lineup of seeds and bulbs accordingly. Once you know what plants will thrive in your area, then you can start picking out the best flowers and plants for your garden this spring, and that’s when the fun begins.

Right now, balcony décor is one of the hottest trends in apartment and condo home design. From privacy panels to pergolas to plants and more, 2022 is already shaping up to be the year of the balcony. So, reclaim your outdoor space and make it magnificent with these inspiring balcony décor ideas.

It used to be that most people only ever used their balconies for extra storage, but that's no longer the case. These days, people are transforming their would-be ordinary balconies into stunning spaces that are not only beautiful but versatile too.

By adding décor to your balcony, you can create an entirely different mood, and with the right balcony furniture, you can increase the usability of the space while increasing its aesthetic at the same time.

There are countless options for decorating your balcony, but there are some clear trends that are emerging in balcony décor for apartments and condos in 2022. Storage space, furniture that saves space, and privacy features are leading the pack this year, but classic design features such as plants and unique lighting are certainly still as awesome as ever.

In this article, we’ll look at all of the latest and greatest apartment balcony décor trends in 2022. We’ll also offer a few handy tips and tricks on how to use these items to maximize the space on your balcony while also increasing your comfort and privacy.

Keep reading to learn the top 10 balcony décor ideas for your apartment or condo.

Whether you’re a new gardener who’s just learning the basics, or an experienced farmer who’s looking to extend the growing season, greenhouses are an ideal environment for fruits, vegetables, and other plants to thrive. But there's a lot to learn about greenhouse gardening, and so in this guide, we'll go over everything you need to know to get started with your own portable greenhouse.

In this guide, you'll learn:

• What a greenhouse is
• How to use a greenhouse
• The different types of greenhouses
• The advantages of greenhouse gardening
• The best way to organize a greenhouse
• How to protect your plants and crops from pests
• How to clean your greenhouse
• And much more

What is a Greenhouse?

A greenhouse is a shelter that allows plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables to continue growing indoors when the weather outside is no longer conducive to agriculture. In other words, it’s a house for your plants and crops that allows you to control the environmental conditions so that you can keep gardening year-round.

How Do You Use a Greenhouse?

The idea with a green...

Watching your garden flourish is one of the greatest feelings you can have as an avid gardener. The main benefit of greenhouse gardening is seeing the seedlings you so lovingly planted grow into healthy, bountiful plants.

Whether gardening is a hobby or a profession, a greenhouse can provide the ideal environment for more efficient gardening, extended growing options and growing across seasons. A greenhouse not only helps you to grow and sustain beautiful greenhouse plants and flowers throughout the year but also discover the deliciousness of growing your own fresh vegetables and fruits from your own garden.

Types of Greenhouses

Depending on the kind of crops you want to grow and the space you have available, there are quite a few options when it comes to selecting a garden greenhouse.

Cold frame greenhouses rely on natural heat from the sun to create a microclimate for your plants that is warmer than outside. They are useful for extending your growing seasons especially in the transitional weeks from one season to the next when the weather can be unpredictable.

Portable greenhouses can range from mini compact greenhouses that can easily fit on a balcony to easy-to-assemble and disassemble garden greenhouses that provide enough space to grow as you want without restricting you to one place.

Raised bed greenhouses are perfect if your space is limited or if you don’t need a lot of growing s...

Did you know that fall is a great time to grow vegetables? With all the talk about spring being a good planting season, it’s easy to forget that the late summer and early fall is also a prime time to plant another set of well-loved crops. This is the time when delicious vegetables like turnips and broccoli are in season and taste their freshest. After you harvest your spring crops in the summer, it's time to prepare another wave of delicious homegrown fall vegetables. Planning more crops at this time ensures that you get a steady harvest of healthy vegetables well into winter.

This article will discuss fall planting. You’ll learn how to clean up your garden to prepare for fall gardening, what vegetables to plant, how to clean your garden for the fall, and how to use a greenhouse to extend the growing season. With the help of ShelterLogic greenhouses and other outdoor living essentials, you can prepare your garden for a bountiful autumn harvest every year.

What Fall Vegetables Can I Grow?

What can you grow in the fall and winter? Apparently, quite a bit! Some of the best-loved vegetables are sowed at the end of summer and beginning of all, like winter cabbage and carrots. Overall, the average fall planting temperature is when the days are in the low 70s and nights average 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Whenever this temperature range falls for your area, start planting. Here is a list of fall crops you can grow after you harvest your first round of spring and summer veggies.

• 3-4 months before the first frost: Plant broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, lettuce, radishes, and rutabagas directly in your outdoor garden.
• 2.5-3 months before the first frost: Plant beets, beans, green onions, carrots, and chard. You may also plant another round of lettuce and radishes.
• 2-2.5 months before the first frost: Plant spinach, arugula, turnips, winter radishes, and...

Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to put away your gardening tools! In fact, now is the perfect time to plant those fall vegetables. Start sowing your garden now, and you’ll enjoy a delicious crop of fresh veggies by the time winter weather arrives. Plant enough, and you'll be able to enjoy fresh veggies in the fall and have plenty left over to can or freeze for use throughout the colder months.  

Not quite sure where to start? You’re in the right place! This fall planting guide will tell you which crops to plant right now and explain how to use unheated greenhouse growing to ensure you’ll harvest a beautiful autumn bounty.

Best Crops to Grow this Fall

One of the most important keys to successful fall gardening is knowing which crops to plant. Some of the easiest fall and winter vegetables include:

• Brussels sprouts
• Beans
• Beets
• Celery root
• Collards
• Cauliflower
• Green onions
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Peas
• Parsnips
• Radishes
• Radicchio
• Turnips

Deciding which crops to plant will depend, in part, on personal preference. You’ll also need to consider how much space you have and your area’s hardiness zone.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created a map that divides the country into eleven different zones based on the average annual temperature in the region. Each zone represents ten degrees of temperature difference. The zones are further divided into “A” and “B” segments, representing five-degree differences.

If you live in zones 8 through 11, you shouldn’t have any problem growing turnips, summer squash, broccoli...

• What types of plants am I planning to grow?
• What temperatures do I need to maintain in my greenhouse?
• How much space will my plants need to grow healthy?
• How long will it take for my plants to go from sprout to fruit or flower?