Signs of spring bring the world outdoors, but with a greenhouse, you can re-create that blooming, alive feeling indoors year-round.
Such structures can be stand-alones or whole rooms of a house and can range in price points and forms: from tabletop domes, polyhouses (specialized structures that use controlled climate conditions to grow different plants and other agricultural needs) and cold frames (unheated, boxlike, glass-covered structures that protect young plants outdoors) to reclaimed do-it-yourself structures and kits or custom-built home additions.
“The greatest advantage to greenhouse gardening is the opportunity to form a personal connection to our growing world and learn through experience,” says Laura Tetley, general manager of Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop in Webster Groves. “It can also create an extraordinary environment for special, magical moments: reading a book, dining in candlelight, hosting a party and decorating the space with string lights and candles.”
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Sandra DiBartolomeo, assistant store manager at Bowood Farms in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood, agrees on the health and wellness benefits of a greenhouse, as well as its practical advantages.
“You can use a greenhouse to store plants that are not currently in bloom, change up interior displays as needed and start hard-to-find vegetable and flower seed varieties,” she says.
Both plant experts agree the most common misconception is that growing a greenhouse is without challenges. Without the checks and balances nature provides, pest pressures can increase, especially without beneficial insects to combat the harmful ones.
“In an outdoor environment, the plants are in a fully biological ecosystem,” Tetley says. “They have biologically active soil, nutrients, wind, sun, humidity and rain along with their natural pests – and corresponding predators. In a human-made environment, there is naturally an imbalance, but the good news is that most of these imbalanced conditions are known, and the remedies and solutions are available.”
Adds DiBartolomeo: “Creating a closed environment where you control the lighting, watering, humidity and ventilation requires consistency, maintenance and time. Nobody’s perfect. You will make mistakes and lose plants occasionally – just keep trying. Soon your successes will outweigh your failures, and your plant collection will grow!”
Bowood Farms, 4605 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-454-6868, bowoodfarms.com
Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop, 803 Marshall Ave., Webster Groves, 314-764-2140, maypopshop.com
Greenhouse Gardening Tips and Best Practices
Plant Varieties and Characteristics
Tetley: “I suggest starting out with plants that are known to perform well in your natural light conditions and expand from there. Experimentation is one of the greatest joys of gardening! For example, if you want to grow your own food, start by planting veggie seedlings. If you want to learn more about tropical plants, start with a small amount of those and slowly build your collection.”
DiBartolomeo: “In general, you may want to grow plants for their foliage. If you plan to grow plants for their flowers and/or fruit, plan on self-pollinating. Mixed greens would be my first recommendation because they are easy to grow in cooler months. If heat will be provided, citrus and fig trees, gardenia, jasmine, bougainvillea and camellia are good choices.”
Mapping It Out
Tetley: “Grow plants that require similar needs, such as lighting and humidity, in the same spaces of your greenhouse. It’s also a good idea to keep plants spaced out and not too crowded for airflow and to help prevent pests spreading.”
DiBartolomeo: “When designing a greenhouse space for enjoyment, I would consider aesthetics – mixing height, texture, color, habits and bloom time for visual interest. When designing a space for propagation and growing, focus more on how the space will be used.”
Soil, Watering and Temperature
Tetley: “The type of soil you use will depend on what you’re growing – i.e., cacti, tropicals, food crops. We use a hose with a rain wand for our watering, as it works well for most plants. Most seeds germinate when the soil is a temperature of 68 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. To start plants from seed, your greenhouse will need some heat to kick off the growing process. There are many perennial herbs that will not require heat in the winter to live. In the summer months, you may need venting and a shade structure to protect your plants from the heat. Even plants that do well in full sun can sunburn in a hot, bright greenhouse.”
DiBartolomeo: “Types of soil used are plant-specific, but in general, a planting mix is standard for indoor plants and containers, as opposed to topsoil that is used with in-ground planting beds. A seed-starting mix is important for propagation. Keeping records is helpful – a plant diary is a good practice for planning and reflection each year.”
