Amateur Gardening – 24 August 2019

24 AUGUST 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 13

Going undercover

A

GREENHOUSEis anexcellent

additiontoanygarden,butif

youareshortofsp

thereareplentyof

smaller,cheaperoptions.

Weareluckyenoughto

havea standard6x8ft

greenhouse,butwealso

havea coldframeandmini-

greenhouseonthepatio.

Theyarebothuseful

throughouttheyear,especia

fornurturingseedlings,cuttin

andforoverwinteringtenderperennials.

If anextremelyprolongedcoldsnapis

forecast,it is easytothrowanextra

layerof fleeceoverboth structures for

extra insulation.

I alsousethemforgrowingonsmaller

perennialsorasa convalescenthome

ngplantsthatI havedug

ndpottedonsoI can

rsethemmorecarefully.

Whateverundercover

tructureyouhave,they

needlookingafterand

keepingcleanbecause

heirstill,warm

mospherescancreatethe

ectbreedinggroundfor

diseases, moss and algae

ifleftuntreated.

Sweepsurfacesandwipethemdown

witha solutionof detergentorJeyes

Fluidandmakesurethereis good

ventilation so water evaporates quickly.

Ruth looks at the best protective structures for every garden

Coldframesareideal

for growing-on plants

Keepseedlingswatered

in warm weather

Althoughundercoverplantsare

at lessriskof environmentaldamage

thanthoseoutside, they still need

plentyof care.

Thestill,warmconditionsof a

greenhouseofferperfect

germinationformanyproblems

soyouneedtostayonyourtoes.

Pestssuchaswhiteflyand

glasshouseredspidermitesthrive,

butcanbeknockedbackby

chemicalsorbiologicalcontrols

suchaspredatorywaspsandmites.

Thebonusof theseis thatthey

won’tstrayfromthegreenhouseand

willdieoffoncetheir food sources

aredemolished.

Keepfeedingandwateringplants,

makesurethereis goodairflow

aroundthegreenhouseandlower

temperaturesduringheatwavesby

damping the floor twice a day.

Health and

hygiene

Give plants their best chance

Beatwhitefly with

Encarsia formosa

Lowertemperaturesbywetting the

fl oor and opening windows

Makegettingridof moss

andalgaedeveloping

betweenpanesof

greenhouseglasseasier

byslidingthemoutusing

a thinplasticplant

label.

How to prick out this year’s seedlings

1

Fill3in(7cm)potswith

seedandcuttings

compost,dampenthem

anddibdeepholes in

their centres.

Step

by step

2

Usinganoldspoon

orplantlabel,liftthe

seedlings(hollyhocksin this

case)fromthecompost,

holding them by their leaves.

3

Dropa seedlinginto

a dibbedholesothe

entirerootballanda good

sectionofthe stem are

contained.

4

Firmthecompost.

Thecoveredareaof

stemwillhopefullygoon

todeveloproots,creating

a more robust plant.

Anchoredfast:Mini-greenhousescanbeat riskof blowing

awayin highwinds,sokeepthemanchoredbyplacingheavy

objects (that won’t bend the metal) on their lower shelves.

Makesurealldead,damagedand

diseasedplantmaterialis cleanlycut

awayandremovedpromptly,andkeep

plantsfedandwateredtoboosttheir

productivity and reduce stress.