If you’re wondering to yourself, “How do I best use my mini greenhouse in a cold climate?” know that even as you ask this question, countless gardening enthusiasts across the world envy you. Having your own mini greenhouse will not only allow you to experienced longer growing seasons, but it will keep your tender plants safe during winter.
Can You Use a Mini Greenhouse in the Winter?
Keep in mind that having a mini greenhouse allows you to grow all types of plants regardless of the weather or the season. Furthermore, mini-greenhouse gardeners tend to keep their crops coming up all-year-round simply because they could keep their plants’ growing environment controlled and consistent even during the coldest winter months!
To give you an idea about how you can best use your mini greenhouse in a cold climate, check this out:
You can garden nonstop
Since a mini greenhouse lets you enjoy your own winter garden regardless of the weather or the season, you can expect to grow anything you want. However, you may need to add some artificial lights to make up for the sunlight wavelengths that are limited during short winter days. Supplemental lights will further enhance your plants’ growth potential.
It causes your tropical plants to thrive
If you have a penchant for tropical plants, you will thank yourself for getting your own mini greenhouse because it allows these plants to cycle through seasonal sunlight changes without experiencing the effects of drastic temperature fluctuations. Again, you might want to consider adding a grow light to help them thrive.
It’s extremely mobile
Although mini-greenhouses come in various shapes and sizes, they’re obviously easier to move around compared to conventional greenhouses. This makes them the perfect choice for gardening enthusiasts with limited living spaces. Whether you choose to place your mini greenhouse on the rooftop or at the corner of your kitchen – it’s up to you!
It’s excellent for starting seeds
If you have enough space for a small garden, you can use your mini greenhouse to help get your plants a great head-start. Although a lot of elements need to go into this process, such as giving your plants enough water, light, ventilation, as well as feed, a mini greenhouse can help make it easier for you to meet these needs.
This means that you use the enclosed space to start seeds even during the winter season until they’re strong enough to be transported to a larger container or straight into the ground. Even if you want to start the seeding process a little earlier than usual, a mini-greenhouse will still be able to provide your tender plants with the strong foundation that’s needed for them to flourish.
You can grow the most vulnerable plants
One of the most common reasons why gardening enthusiasts choose to set up their own mini greenhouses is the fact that it provides the most vulnerable plants with enough protection against freezing temperatures.
An example of a vulnerable and sensitive plant that has its own specific needs is an orchid. Unlike the usual plants, orchids need to be placed in shaded locations and they also need to be planted in well-aerated soil that promotes good drainage. Furthermore, orchids also thrive in humid climates.
Unless you’re willing to spend a lot of time and money digging up an entire flower bed so that you can0 lay down dryer soil, consider getting yourself a mini greenhouse. As previously mentioned, this can help you keep the moisture, as well as the temperature levels steady even when it’s snowing outside.
You can grow your herbs indoors
A mini greenhouse eliminates the need for a traditional garden set-up if you plan on growing herbs. It doesn’t matter if you want to grow your chives, thyme, lemongrass, oregano, basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, etc., in the corner of your kitchen or next to the window in your bedroom. Your favorite herbs will stay healthy in your mini greenhouse even when it’s snowing outside.
What’s more, mini greenhouse gardening promotes hydroponic gardening as well. In case you’re wondering, hydroponics refers to a specific method of growing plants in the absence of soil. This is achieved by making use of mineral nutrient solutions, as well as an aqueous solvent.
How Warm is a Mini Greenhouse in Winter?
In most cases, the average number of hours of sunlight a day during the winter season is about 5 to 6 hours. If your mini greenhouse is properly insulated, the enclosed space can be about 30˚F warmer than the air outside it.
In other words, you can expect your mini greenhouse to be productive in the winter. This will only be down to -17˚F before the air inside the mini greenhouse gets low enough to reach the frost zone.
Do Mini Greenhouses Protect from Frost?
You can expect the plants inside your mini greenhouse to get enough protection from frost. However, you need to make sure that your mini greenhouse is securely anchored to the ground so that you won’t have to worry about strong winds whipping it away.
What Temperature Should You Keep in a Mini Greenhouse?
You need to keep your mini greenhouse’s internal temperature steady between 80˚F to 85˚F.
Final Thoughts on “How Do I Best Use My Mini Greenhouse in a Cold Climate?”
Now that you know the answer to the question, “How do I best use my mini greenhouse in a cold climate?” you’re probably glad about your decision to pursue mini greenhouse gardening. Enjoy it as much as you can because it’s worth the investment.