In todays vlog I want to share with you the greenhouse April Freeze Update. You will find the video and photos documenting my experience with this unheated 10’x12′ greenhouse in my Ohio garden.
Greenhouse April Freeze Update
The video shows the weather chart from our weather station here on the property. It’s little things like the weather station and being able to rely on a local forecast that help when a freeze comes. I want to note that it isn’t unlikely to have temperatures dip below freezing this time of year. This is why it is important to know and keep in mind your hardiness zone when planting. Check out the video to see how the unheated structure faired the conditions.
Find this and other creative videos on my Bren Haas Channel. You can find me on social media platforms but the best place to reach out to me is on my website.
Greenhouse and Garden Highlights
Below are the photos I took this morning to document how the unheated structure did during the low temperatures. I will admit I was a little nervous about some of the annuals I had picked up at local garden centers.
Strawberries
Even though I start bare root strawberries in the greenhouse, moving them to the raised bed is important. The video shows what my strawberry ‘patch’ looks like after the greenhouse April Freeze.
Inside the greenhouse during the April Freeze these images show how the plants preform.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to know your frost date. Be sure to check out my post about the hardiness zones. In the photo collage above there are a few annuals that will not survive an April in Ohio outdoors. I share more about the Senetti on my site.
Here is a collection of image featuring my Dahlia’s growing in the greenhouse during the freeze. I share more about Dahlias in home gardens on my website at Starting Dahlias For Summer Home Gardening.
Tree starters, blueberry blooms and my surprise plant mention in the video.
Greenhouse Blog Posts
If you enjoy learning about my greenhouse during the April freeze I’ve included a link below featuring more post about this structure. Be sure to click over and check them out.
4 Basic Care Tips for Healthy Poinsettia Indoors
Believe it or not, it is very easy to care for poinsettia plants indoors during the holiday season. In this post, I share 4 Basic Tips to Keep a Poinsettia Blooming Indoors.
A Few Quick and Easy Tomato Planting Tips
I grow them because I did get a thrill out of watching them grow and enjoy eating them in salsa during the summer months. In today’s share, I bring you to my backyard raised bed gardens and plant a tomato. In this post I share my tomato planting tips. Check out the details including images below Tomato Planting Tips Tomato plants are super fun to plant in raised beds, gardens, and containers. This plant is one of my favorites to grow each year in my home garden. With all the new varieties available these days I am able to grow almost year-round tomatoes. Below I will show you how I planted up a Burpee ‘Fourth of July’ variety tomato plant in less than 5 minutes. I can actually get a raised bed done in under 30 minutes if I have all the plants ready to go. Step 1 Maybe the most important tomato planting tips is step 1. Pick out a healthy tomato and a full sun location in your home garden. The raised bed area we are planting in today is a 4’x4′ bed that I created in 2008. I’ve been adding new compost to it each season and the soil is AMAZING! I was very excited to find this Burpee Fourth of July Tomato Plant variety at my local Meijer store while shopping for socks for my son. I love how you can find amazing veggies to grow at home just about anywhere these days. Not to mention tomato plants are also super easy to start from seed. Step 2 Dig a hole in the center of the wire tomato cage at least 4″ – 8″ deep depending on the size of your tomato plant. It’s easy to maneuver around the cage and dig comfortable a handheld transplanter. Step 3 Gentle break off the bottom leaves on the tomato plant. The plant is going to be dropped as deep as we can get it in the raised bed. This will allow the roots to grow deep. Don’t worry, most of these varieties grow like weeds. Tomato planting is super easy… have fun! Step 4 Don’t be afraid to check out those roots in the container before bringing the tomato plant home. The photo below is a perfect example of some super strong roots! Step 5 Add a few companion plants to the space near the tomatoes. Below are a few of my favorites including marigolds which help keep bugs away ( I swear by it!) There is a few minutes left to make it five minutes so let’s get in that bed and put a few annuals along the border the pollinators can’t refuse! I’m using this little SunGold Annual that the bees love each year in my garden. It’s a bonus plant because sometimes it will reseed itself. Some of my favorite tomatoes to grow these days can be found on my current blog posts on my website. Be sure to check out these post in the feature below to find out more. Let’s Connect Ask me ANYTHING about growing vegetables in your home garden!!! I want to help you grow so let’s connect on my website. Did you enjoy my planting demonstration today? I can’t wait to share my first bowl of salsa and a BLT sandwich with you in a few weeks. Happy Gardening,
Cold Frame Gardening Tips For Autumn Edibles
In this post, I share my experience with growing under cold frames. Find what to plant and tips on making your own cover here. Cold Frame Gardening The raised beds have been apart of this greenhouse area landscape since the structure was added in 2009. It took a few years of growing in the raised beds and figuring out the greenhouse before we decided to add covers on a few of the raised beds. The cold frames my husband put together were 4’x4′. At that time the celery, radishes, and the Italian salad seeds that had reseeded were growing strong. I was so busy in the landscape that I didn’t get the carrots that I wanted. No worries… I will stick a pot of those seeds in the greenhouse that gets warmer (as long as the sun is out) and holds the heat at night thanks to the heater. Hopefully, those seeds will grow as they have in the past years in the greenhouse because we love our carrots. What to Grow in a Cold Frame There are many different vegetables and herbs you can grow under a cold frame. My structure was useful when I wanted to keep a harvest safe from the random weather we get in Ohio. There are a few things I recommend starting from seed under the cold frames this time of year. Be sure to pay close attention to the weather because the frame is not a miracle zone! You will need sun and of course warm soil to keep the crops producing. Here are a few plants you can start from seed: salad greens spinach chard mache arugula A few plants that were already established before the early November weather arrived are: radishes carrots kale Be sure to keep an eye on your hardiness zone freeze date to know when to add the cold frame structure. Cold Frame Ready For the Night Below you can see the cold frames really add character to the garden and it is nice to know that your plants are safe. Good Night! Let’s Connect In conclusion of checking out this post, are you inspired to grow in the autumn? I’d love to connect with you to hear about your cold frame or greenhouse. You can find me on social media at @brenhaas or the links below. Happy Autumn Gardening,
Spring Dreaming in the Brens’ Home Greenhouse
Updated March 2023 Maybe the best part about having a home greenhouse is the fact that spring comes early each year. In this post we do some Spring Dreaming in the Home Greenhouse It Won’t Be Long I will admit the forecast of highs only reaching the low 20’s and lows in the single digits for this weekend has made me a bit scared to think of my greenhouse project. The thought of losing my blooms I have been wintering over is enough to make me lose sleep. It was a wonderful treat to wake to the sunshine and a greenhouse with summer temperatures in the greenhouse. 89* inside / 16*f outside How it works As the sun gets higher in the sky it is the perfect time to begin seed starting. Recycle Seed Trays Ready To Go Seedlings Start to Emerge I swear I could see the herbs reaching for the sunshine and the lettuce put on another centimeter as I took photos in the greenhouse. Spring in the greenhouse is like a magical wonderland. In fact, I never want to go away during the later winter and spring season. Why travel when you can stay home and enjoy nature in the greenhouse. Little Critters I love sharing my excitement of growing year-round with my critters. I often let them come into the greenhouse with me on days it is sunny and I am working away. We all love the sunshine and promise of spring coming soon. The cats and puppy are why it is important to always use water right from the well in the greenhouse. Keeping things natural or organic is a great way to grow. Kitties Enjoy The Greenhouse in Winter I am posting this wonderful reminder that spring is just around the corner. I hope you all will take advantage of all the seeds that are available this time of year at your local nursery centers and grab them up before the good ones are gone! You won’t regret giving seed planting a try… trust me! NOTE: You may see BGgarden watermark on some of my photos because these are from my first blog. Let’s Connect I hope this spring bloom a dear friend of mine gave me warms you up this winter afternoon. Be sure to connect with me by commenting on my contact page. Enjoy your Friday Friends!
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Let’s Connect
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Happy Spring Gardening,
2 Comments on “Greenhouse April Freeze Update”
Thank you for stopping by my blog Peggy! My babies (annuals) I grow from seed I try and wait until the last week in May before planting outside. I can’t wait to hear more about your garden. Please come back and share soon.
Such good information, thanks Bren.
You’re last frost date is the same as ours, I usually wait until the end of May to plant just to be safe.