Spring Greenhouse Prep

How did you close down your greenhouse last fall? Perhaps you are like most gardeners and left it in a bit of disarray from the scramble of fall garden cleanup that we all experience. It's okay, we have a few tips to help you get your greenhouse ready for spring!

First, we recommend removing everything from your greenhouse (overwintered plants, removable shelving, pots, trays, tools, floor mats, etc.) These items will be sanitized in another area. Do this in an open area with a breeze and sunshine, if possible.

1. Start at the top of the greenhouse 
   Starting at the back and at the top of your greenhouse, working your way down and forward, will ensure you get every area in the greenhouse cleaned. Don’t forget to use a variety of brushes to clean the nooks and crannies where the panels connect to the frame, hinges on windows and doors, around vents, etc. Sweep the walls, clean the floor (soil or concrete) of all organic matter and weeds. 
   
   
   
   
2. Flooring
   Floors, which can be made of many substrates, must be cleaned accordingly. There are concrete floors that can be scrubbed with a bleach solution. If the floor is dirt or rock, there will be weed maintenance as well as pest and pathogen procedures for the spring cleaning. Pull and discard any weeds that have sprung up to keep the potential pests and pathogens at bay. Whatever weed barrier you choose should be removed and replaced annually as well.
   
   
3. Select cleaning agents and equipment 
   There are many choices when selecting cleaning equipment and agents: pressure washers with soap and water, Strip-it, etc. Be sure to read labels, talk to your garden center expert or a greenhouse supplier to help you decide. Rubbing alcohol can be used on knives and pruners. Although it is not recommended for the structure itself, household chlorine bleach is probably the least expensive and the easiest to obtain for a general disinfectant. Its half life is short; therefore, it should be mixed fresh, and items should be soaked for 30 minutes to be a thorough sanitizing. It Is used in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. 
   
   
4. 
   Allow time to dry
   All items, including the structure, should be allowed to dry out completely by opening windows and leaving on fans before re-furnishing the greenhouse.

It is important that we keep our greenhouses clean to avoid pitfalls during the growing season.  

Have an amazing growing season!

DIY Seed Tape

There's nothing like a little garden prep, during our lead up to the growing season. If you're longing to get your hands in the soil-but it's still frozen, this is the next best thing. Launch into your garden prep by making your own seed tape.

This is my technique to achieving picture-perfect rows of lettuce, carrots, and beets, while being thrifty. Plus, the work you do now will have you proudly grinning from ear-to-ear come harvest time.

You can purchase seed tape at garden centers and online. It will organize your garden into beautiful, neighbor-enviable rows. But, seed tape can be expensive.  Solution? Make your own.

What you will need is, cheap toilet paper ( see-through, 1-ply offerings). A Dollar Store may have the right stuff, too.

You'll also need fresh seed for cold weather crops. Right now, garden centers have a plentiful supply of several brands of cool weather crop seed, i.e: carrots, spinach, lettuce, beets, etc.

Use some Elmer's School Glue or mix a paste out of flour and water to the consistency of glue. Both are non-toxic and just a tiny dab works. Grab some scissors and a popsicle stick or paint brush to dab your paste.
Use a tape measure, as well. Measure the space in the garden where you plan to place the seed tape. I cut my TP in strips, right down the middle, making them long enough to fit perfectly in my garden box. I follow the directions on the package for spacing and start "gluing." Once I get the glue and seed on the TP, I fold over the remaining TP and voila! I have seed tape ready to plant, as soon as I can work the soil. Be sure to label it.

Generally, I do this project in the dead of winter. This little gardening activity gets me excited for what is to come. A word of caution though, if you make seed tape using flour, label and refrigerate your tape until you plant. I have had some tape get moldy before I had a chance to plant it.

Once in the ground, the cheap toilet paper dissolves and the seed is left to germinate, sprout and grow, uniformly into wonderful edibles. 


Urban gardeners with very large plots may want to use a different seed distribution method than this, as it can be a little time consuming. But then again, it is a great winter project or even a fun task in which you can involve the youngest gardeners in your home. It is always beneficial for them to discover the origins of their food.