How to look after your greenhouse during the winter months

The weather may be a little chillier, but that’s no excuse to hang up your garden tools for the season. For the lucky individuals who own a greenhouse, gardening really can be a year-round activity, and as you’ll discover there’s tons of gardening fun to be had under the shelter of a well-placed greenhouse.

In this blog post, we take a closer look at how to look after your greenhouse during the winter months so you can really make the most of this fantastic outdoor asset.

Don’t leave it empty

Rule number one of looking after your greenhouse during the winter months is to use it! That’s right, there are tons of fruit, vegetable and plant varieties that can be cultivated and grown thanks to the warmth, shelter and frost protection of a greenhouse, so be sure to take advantage of that.

You can use your greenhouse to force spring bulbs, make summer bedding plants last longer, sow seeds for your veg patch, and nurture tropical plant species as well as grow a range of produce. Hardy herbs, winter salad leaves, potatoes, spinach, kale, cabbage, broccoli and of course Brussel sprouts can all be grown successfully in a greenhouse over winter.

Keep it clean and tidy

In addition to exercising those green fingers, spending those cooler winter days maintaining and cleaning your greenhouse is a must, especially if you’re busy growing your winter crop.

A clean, tidy greenhouse will minimise the risk of fungal diseases that can quickly spread and wreak havoc among plants in a greenhouse.

Ventilate your space well

To ensure a healthy environment for your greenhouse plants, you should work on increasing the ventilation of the space. Getting the balance between heat and ventilation can be tricky during winter, especially if you need to modify the humidity of your greenhouse to create the right conditions for more tropical plant species.

Add and use vents to your requirements throughout the winter months to keep air flowing throughout your greenhouse.

Insulate to keep frost at bay

There are many upgrades you can make to your greenhouse to ensure its well-insulated against plant-damaging frost.

Bubble polythene can be added throughout to improve insulation, whilst internal curtains can be introduced to keep draughts at bay and the conditions just right for the plants within. Spending time plugging gaps with weather proofing tape will also help you create the perfect environment for greenhouse plants.

Need advice for taking care of your greenhouse this winter? Find an experienced, local gardener right here.