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How to get most from a greenhouse

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February 16, 2012|By Martha Stewart

Jim Marchand tends to his orchid collection at a greenhouse. (Bill Greene/Globe Staff/file )

When I lived in Nutley, N.J., my father and I simulated a much needed greenhouse environment in the only really sunny window in our house - a large picture window right above our kitchen table. Dad built out the sill so that it measured a bit more than a foot wide, installed fluorescent light bulbs directly above it and placed all the seedlings we would need for the vegetable garden on the shelf until it was time to plant them in the prepared beds. Dad always dreamed of having a real greenhouse, but with six children, college educations looming, and a limited income, the windowsill greenhouse remained the reality.

I carried on that greenhouse dream, and when we moved to Westport, Conn., my husband and I constructed our own version from a Lord & Burnham kit, attaching it to the garage. I loved the space, the light, and all the possibilities such a greenhouse offered, but I hoped that one day I would have a real working greenhouse, freestanding and well-engineered, that would provide me with the opportunity to grow seedlings, establish plant collections, and overwinter tropical, ornamental garden plants.

It was not until I bought my farm in Bedford, N.Y., that I had enough space to build such a glasshouse. I worked with an architect and a good greenhouse company to build what I hoped would be a modern structure but would resemble an old English plant conservatory.

The result is a wonderful 100-foot-long greenhouse with a real “head house,’’ or gardener’s house, attached, where supplies can be kept, seeds planted, soils mixed, and work desks and even a library of garden books housed. It is a very lively place nowadays, as we perform seed planting in late winter. This is also the time when the orchids are in bloom and when the fancy-leaved begonias come into flower.

In April, all the forced bulbs start to bloom, and then May to September, the greenhouse quiets down, as many of the plants are put outside to enjoy the summer conditions. At that time, it is readied for another winter-storage period.

Seed sowing indoors

To get a jump-start on spring, I start seeds in the greenhouse weeks before they will be transplanted outdoors.

1. Fill a clean tray with an organic soil-free seed-starting mix that has been moistened with water. I prefer a mix that’s one part milled peat moss and one part vermiculite, with some perlite. Make shallow indentations using a long side of a ruler or a paint-mixing stick. This keeps the rows straight and neat. The depth depends on the type of seeds; follow the directions on the seed packet.

2. Place the individual seeds at the proper distance apart in their rows, following the directions on the packet.

3. Using the ruler or stick, carefully cover the seeds with planting material. Press the soil down lightly.