An A-Z of 2024 in the garden: Greenhouse

It was almost a second hand camper van, back in 2020. I was very tempted. Then reason kicked in. In all my years of gardening enjoyment, in various locations, I had never had my own greenhouse. Rationality prevailed and I chose daily enjoyment and utility over occasional camping breaks. It was undoubtedly the right decision. I have been totally amazed at the pleasure and productivity that has ensued in the intervening years: from a greenhouse.

True, there was some labour and expense in preparing the ground works, and building the brick base (we chose a pattern called Flemish bond). When the folks arrived for the installation there was also the anxiety (completely needless as it turned out) about whether the structure would fit on the base. Since then it has been plain sailing, and lots of fun.

The greenhouse has many functions and is hugely effective in extending the growing season. Depending on conditions, I start in early March sowing small batches of mixed salads, radishes and ‘micro veg’. I also try some early herbs, especially parsley. I’ve found the round pots made for hanging baskets are good for all of this. Then I move on to wooden boxes for spinach, ‘pick and come again’ salads and a few courgettes. As the salads fade by late spring I make sowings of hearting lettuces that will be planted out in the vegetable garden from late July. I’ve also found that the pick and come again plant out well in the early summer. As the weather warms up I make regular sowing under glass of my two favourite herbs: dill and coriander. In the autumn I repeat the practice for early spring. This year was such a success that I had bowls of lovely ‘bistro’ salads right through to November.

The greenhouse is also the place for bringing on spring bulbs in pots, as well as some of the larger and more exotic decorative plants that can be quite tender, such as colocasia and pineapple lilies. Likewise small bare rooted herbaceous plants and flowering shrubs. It’s also the place for sowings of cosmos, lupin and nasturtium.

Of course there can be issues. Greenhouse grown tomatoes are tasty but need a lot of space and bother. Largely unheated, sudden frosts can flatten tender new produce in the greenhouse. If subject to frost, over-wintered exotic bulbs can fail to re-appear and are revealed as a sludgy mess when the pots are emptied out (I now prefer the risk of planting out in the borders). There is also the fact that in summer the greenhouse is home to a lot of buzzing biodiversity.

The hidden bonus of the greenhouse however, and one I hadn’t much considered in advance, is that when the months of peak production are over and the place has had a thoroughly good clean out, then it becomes a perfect winter garden. Out go the seed trays, the wooden boxes and the salad bowls. In come a wicker sofa, side tables, and a few decorative lights. We now have a freestanding conservatory , decorated with things like Norfolk Island Pine, Fatsias, and Cordyline. With a cup of coffee and a notebook, it’s the perfect place to contemplate next year in the garden. Whatever the details of the plan, I’m pretty sure the greenhouse will figure all year in the daily routine. Oh and by the way – I’ve never missed the camper van.

The full list of pieces that make up my A-Z in the Dumfriesshire Garden in 2024 can be found here: https://davidgrahamclark.net/a-z-of-the-dumfriesshire-garden-in-2024/