Allotment Growing

Fitting out the Greenhouses, Shelving, Staging, Benches and Watering

Making Full Use of Your Greenhouse

OK, now we have a greenhouse, we need to make the best use of the space in there. One thing to remember is that, as well as floor area, we have height to work with. A greenhouse with high eaves is especially useful as you can fix shelves off the roof supports

These have the benefit that heat rises so the plants are kept warmer than they would be lower down.

TwoWests supply some inexpensive brackets designed to fix to the roof of an aluminium greenhouse and a range of brackets to fix to the walls enabling you either put your own shelf in or buy their aluminium greenhouse shelves. The 10" size is ideal to keep a seed tray in as well. You can also get pre-cut to size watering mats, they soak up a lot of water and ensure your plants don't dry out – very useful.

Fixed shelving is all very well and they have quite a range of staging and fixed shelving, including a rather flash potting bench and side table.

Full details of all their greenhouse shelving

Of course, come the summer and the tomatoes are reaching for the sky, you can find that the shelving is in the way. They've even thought of this and manufacture a range of integral staging and shelving that fold away for the summer.

Their Foldaway Workstation is particularly good value and easy to install. With a few woodscrews you could use this in a wooden greenhouse as well.

Greenhouse Propogation

One of the main uses for a greenhouse is propagation and once again TwoWests come into their own for the grower.

They offer a range of hot benches and you can also buy soil warming cables, rod thermostats etc so you can provide bottom heat for seedlings and cuttings.

If you haven't got electricity to your greenhouse you can still gain extra warmth and protection for tender plants by using a propagator inside the greenhouse. The extra few degrees mean that you don't have to worry as much in a cold snap. Full information on the propagation equipment.

For the really keen grower, they provide a mist propagation unit and there is a fantastic heated propagation bench complete with artificial lighting to control day length for out of season production although this is not actually suitable for use in a greenhouse. It makes use of the dewpoint principle – the patented principle is that air saturated with water vapour cools around the leaves of cuttings and plants. Moisture loss from leaves is eliminated encouraging healthy root growth. However, the leaf surface remains dry preventing moulds.

Watering the greenhouse

Especially when you have a greenhouse some distance from your house, watering can be a bit of a chore. Carrying watering cans full back and forth always encourages you to skimp and without enough water you won't get a crop. Irregular watering is terrible for tomatoes, causing split skins and blossom end rot.

Once again, TwoWests have some useful aids to save your time and ensure your plants get enough water. Using automatic water reservoirs you can even take a few days off knowing your plants are safe.

I particularly like drip irrigation systems because rather than the plant cycling through drought and flood you can evenly water throughout the day. Even without mains water being available you can use a bag drip watering system.

As any gardener knows, once it has dried out compost is a devil to get wet again and a drip system will not only prevent this but will re-soak the compost so it absorbs the water if it does happen. Full details of their greenhouse watering systems

Finally, if your greenhouse has a gutter, consider a water butt outside the house. This enables you to water your plants with water that is lime free and at the ambient temperature. Mains water tends to be relatively cold in the summer and plants do not like the shock.

Resources

• Greenhouse Shelving Systems
• Greenhouse Staging Systems
• Greenhouse Watering Systems

More Articles on Greehouse Growing

• Siting & Position of Your Greenhouse - Where to put your greenhouse
• How to Build a Greenhouse - My Second Hand Greenhouse
• Heating, Insulation and Ventilation in Greenhouses
• Greenhouse Heaters
• Greenhouse Staging, Shelving, Benching and Water Systems
• Dewpoint Growing Cabinet an Indoor Greenhouse
• Portable & Mini Greenhouses for Patio or Allotment
• Choosing A Greenhouse
• Managing the Hobby Greenhouse
• Coldframes - All About Coldframes
• How to Build a Cold Frame