Best Greenhouse Gardening Tips for Beginners – Gardening Guide

Last Updated on February 18, 2022 by Real Men Sow

I’ve been in my new, greenhouse-equipped garden for a year now. The introduction of a greenhouse into my veg growing life has been a revelation and something that has added lots of extra enjoyment.

Like everything in growing your own, there is a learning curve. 2013 is my first proper season of using the greenhouse, and I’ve been experimenting undercover since the beginning of February. There has been plenty of trial and error involved, and I’ve been making notes about the things I’ve learnt as I go along.

So, three months in, these are my top 8 tips for greenhouse growing for beginner gardeners, like you:

How to Start Your Greenhouse Gardening

Get a Thermometer

This is probably the most important tip I could give. I’d be lost without mine. Whether I’ve been working out if my peas would germinate over the next week or so, or checking how cold the temperate is before I go to bed, my thermometer has been invaluable. I rarely do anything without consulting the thermometer first. He’s like the boss of the greenhouse.

Keep the Greenhouse Neat and Tidy

I’m passing on this tip because I’m rubbish at doing it. I wish I was tidier, I really do. Trouble is, I put things down and think “I’ll move that later. I do this in the house too.” Typical man.

Take it from me, keeping the greenhouse tidy is important as you’ll want as much room as possible when seed sowing really kicks off. You’ll want space on the potting bench to manoeuvre compost and pots, and you’ll need somewhere to put the pots when you’ve sown seeds in them.

Keeping the pots close together builds a small micro-climate too, helping raise the temperature a notch during cold nights.

And piles of unused paraphernalia provide the perfect home for slugs and snails.

Open the door during the day

Keep an eye on the temperature. Temperatures in my greenhouse easily reached 30 degrees for consecutive days during April, and this has faded tender lettuce seedlings and brought on another veg that prefers milder conditions far too fast. Opening the door and hatch helps regulate the heat.

Put the mild loving plants outside during the day

Whilst contemplating the sauna-like daytime temperatures, I had a Eureka! moment. Why don’t I move those veg that enjoys cooler climates outside during the day? How brilliant, why didn’t I think of that earlier?

My sprouts and purple sprouting broccoli seedlings had been getting very leggy in the heat and were on the verge of collapse. I now pop them outside every morning and I think the little guys are saved. I’ve been doing the same with leeks and kale since, and they’re looking healthier too.

To keep the temperature down you can also brush on greenhouse shading products, like Coolglass, but I want to grow chillis and other heat-loving plants in the greenhouse too, so don’t want it too cool. For now, I’ll continue to move the plants outside and reassess later.

Tips to Always do in Your Greenhouse

Slugwatch before bedtime

Oh yes, slugs and snails. Make sure you do a late-night check for these horrible slimy critters. I didn’t one evening and lost a number of precious seedlings.

Water your plants in the evening

Just like an outdoor bed, watering in the evening is much better than during the day as the water doesn’t evaporate away. This is especially so in a greenhouse, where the heat is much more intense.

Cover plants with fleece during cold nights

This will keep the temperature 2 or so degrees higher than it would otherwise be, protecting seedlings and sowings from the perils of frost. Bubble wrap makes a cheap or free alternative.

Grow something that you could only try with a greenhouse

The most exciting thing about greenhouse growing is the unlimited options that come with it. You can try all manner of tropical plants and odd, heat-loving veg.

Trying to grow something that you wouldn’t normally be able to be exhilarating and adds lots more interest to your crop. I’m trying melons, aubergines, and a few fancy chillis, none of which I’ve been in a position to grow before. A homegrown melon, imagine that!

Like I say, these tips are a result of trial and error, so by no means from an expert. They’re working for me though, and I hope they’re useful for you too. 🙂

Want some more greenhouse growing tips? Leave a comment underneath this post!

Real Men Sow
Real Men Sow

Hello, I’m Pete and I’m currently based in the west of Scotland, in a small place called Rosneath, where I’m exploring my garden adventures. I personally started gardening around 6 years ago and initially, I started out by growing my favorite fruits and berries, such as strawberries, Raspberries & Gooseberries. Since then I’ve added a lot of vegetables and working closely with my neighbor, it’s been a lot of fun.

7 thoughts on “Best Greenhouse Gardening Tips for Beginners – Gardening Guide”

  1. Slugs prefer to emerge in the evening and in damp. I read somewhere that it cuts down on slug damage if you water in the mornings so that the soil is dry by the evening. Have you tried this? Has it made any difference?

  2. Thank you that was very helpful! I only got my 1st greenhouse yesterday – unfortunately it’s to late to start growing most things now!.
    Do you have any ideas of anything I can grow from seed at this late stage?
    I have tomatoes lol
    Thanks Kerry

  3. Great tips, thanks. I was given a greenhouse for my birthday in May and already have tomatoes and spring onions growing. Looking forward to cramming it next year.

  4. So I take it you are not heating your greenhouse? We are just getting started with a tent type greenhouse. It’s definitely not retaining any heat once the sun goes down. I’d prefer not to pay to heat one and just use it to protect new veggie plants from freezing or frost.

  5. My son, started Eco Club at West Hove Junior School this term. He auollbtesy loves it and is buzzing with information when he comes home. We have just spent the loveliest Sunday together buying peat pots, compost and seeds and then planting them all 24 in total! He also decided we needed to buy strawberry plants and a planter which are now growing on our patio. Fingers crossed he will soon have giant sunflowers, mixed sunflowers, sweet peas and gourds flourishing in our garden. Thanks so much for inspiring to have green fingers!

  6. I have freezing temps here in NE Washington, I’ve set up a greenhouse last year to try and start my seedlings for the garden earlier than usual. My problem is retaining the heat. Yes I put a small heater in there but between the heater and the fan I really had trouble keeping water in the plants. Anything any one can recommend would be so helpful. I feel like I need a Greenhouse for dummies book, haha. during the day the temps climb to over 80 degrees even with the doors and vents open. Thanks for your reply.

  7. I think it’s a good tip to remove certain plants during the day and expose them to more natural light, after all, this is how they’ve thrived for years. I think it’s often an overlooked factor of growing as a lot of people think something that starts in a greenhouse should stay in a greenhouse yet that’s not always the best way

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