| |
|
|
March
in Your Greenhouse
|
|
|
| By
Carol Yaw |
|
| On
the West coast, where I live, and many other parts of the U.S. with spring
weather arriving, you can start a vast range of plants this month if you
keep your night temperature at 45° F or above.
(In colder areas where you
still have snow, maintain a minimum temperature of 35° to 40°
F to keep your plants from freezing until spring starts to arrive.)
|
|
| Growing
Fun for March — |
|
 |
|
|
|
- Continue to sow annuals
and half hardy annuals, bedding plants, and basil for mid to late summer.
See pot
paks and flats.
- Repot
orchids and other perennials that are root bound.
- Bring in tuberous begonias
and place in trays of peat. Pot up as their leaves start to appear.
- Put dahlia tubers in a damp
peat/sand mixture and let buds form. Next, cut the roots into pieces.
Each piece needs a minimum of one tuber and one shoot at the top. Plant
in rich compost.
- Flowering chrysanthemums
in 3-1/2" pots started earlier should be ready to repot into 5"
to 6" pots by late March. Once established, harden them off in
a cold frame before planting outside for summer blooming.
|
|
- Sow winter flowering plants
like gloxinia, cyclamen and cinneria.
- Transplant seeds sown earlier
when their first pair of true leaves start to show.
- Strawberries and Melons:
As buds appear on fruit, start to fertilize. If you are growing fruit
that requires pollination, refrain from damping down your greenhouse
when the flowers open up as it may prevent the fruit from forming. When
the fruit has set, you can resume damping down again.
- Harvest any salad greens,
radish, mushrooms, cress, chicory, etc. that are ready and re-seed them.
|
|
|
|
GLOXINIA
|
|
|
|
|
|
MELONS
|
|
|
|
- Sow summer cabbage, lettuces,
cucumbers, peppers, sweet corn, French beans, leeks and most herbs in
pots to transplant outside later.
- Sow beans in a heated propagator
at 60° F for best germination results. Beans are a dependable crop
year around if the greenhouse is heated. Trellised pole beans make the
best use of space and produce over a longer length of time. Bush beans
grow well in containers and don't require trellising. Use a legume inoculant
in the soil when you transplant them into the ground or pots. Keep them
in a sunny spot.
|
|
- Transplant tomato seedlings
planted in February into 3" pots. If you didn't already start them,
sow tomato seed in a propagator for planting in a cool greenhouse in
early May or outdoors later. See Growing
tomatoes in your Greenhouse.
|
|
- Sow cucumber seed in a
propagator for planting in a heated greenhouse in April.
- Pinch out growing points
of fuchsias and geraniums to increase their bushiness.
|
|
|
|
CUCUMBER
SEEDLINGS
|
|
-
|
|
|
Ventilation —
|
|
|
|
| Give
increased attention to ventilation and watering this month. |
|
|
|
|
On bright sunny days, the greenhouse will start to heat up quickly and then
cool down just as rapidly as the sun disappears. Try to modify wide temperature
fluctuations, keeping the temperature as even as possible in the 45°
F - 65° F range. On sunny days, open the roof and side vents, and the
door midday if you do not have them automated. Be sure to close up your
greenhouse before the outdoor temperature starts to fall. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Use FREE heat from the sun to power your solar Vent
Openers. |
|
"I
love my greenhouse
I spend many peaceful hours starting seeds, transplanting, repotting …
and my beautiful yard reaps the benefits!"
Tee Davis Overby
Oak Harbor,
WA |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Watering
— |
|
|
|
| Damp
down the greenhouse floor on warmer days with a garden
hose to cool it off and provide extra humidity.
Increase watering and fertilizing
of established plants that are showing active new growth. Watch closely
that seed starts and seedlings do not dry out. Water and mist as needed.
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Charley's
Greenhouse Wand lets you water quickly without harming your seedlings |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| Heating
— |
|
|
|
| If
you are only using your greenhouse to start seeds and seedlings, you do
not need to warm up the entire greenhouse. For now you only need a soil
warming mat or soil
cable under your seeds to maintain constant, gentle heat they'll need
to develop healthy roots. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| I
recommend, however, that you use a moisture-resistant heater with an accurate
thermostat for night protection in case of an unexpected freeze or late
cold spell. Set the automatic thermostat control to cycle on at 45°
F for a cool greenhouse. |
|
|
|
|
| Shading
— |
|
|
|
| You
may need to cover part of your glazing this month or next with shade
fabric.
Your new seedlings will need
some partial shade from intense noon sun.
Place your shade-loving plants
under the benches or in other shady micro-climates.
|
|
| Pest
Control —
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
WHITEFLY
|
APHIDS
|
RED
SPIDER MITES
|
|
| Late
March through September is when harmful insects and other pests can create
challenges. Take preventative measures now! |
|
| Keep
an eye out for whitefly, aphids and red spider mites in particular. My best
arsenal of pest controls for the greenhouse include: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Better
yet, consider adding some beneficial insects to your greenhouse to discourage
any stray, harmful insects or other pests before they multiply. Green lacewings,
aphid midges, ladybugs and many others are great fun to watch and very effective
if released early. See Beneficial
Insects for more details. |
|
|
|
Damp-off
is a seedling disease caused by contaminated soil. When starting seeds,
use a sterile seed-starting medium to prevent pest and disease problems.
Over-planting too thickly can also cause damp-off. |
|
| |
|
|
|
Sterilize all containers, trays and potting utensils you are reusing with
a disinfectant.
|
|
|
| |
Typical
symptoms of damping-off are rotting
stems at or near the
soil line.
|
|
|
|
|
| Between
seed starting, watering, transplanting and general maintenance, the greenhouse
is a bustling place in March. Don't forget to make time to connect
with the joys of greenhouse gardening - |
|
| |
- Take a deep breath of the
warm, humid air.
- Marvel at how fast your
seedlings are growing daily.
- Take in the sweet smell
of your winter jasmine or other fragrant plants in bloom.
- Discover the new healthy
growth on plants that you wintered over from outdoors.
|
|
| |
alias Mrs. Charley
|
Check
out all of Charley's greenhouse
models. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
