Making Your Greenhouse a Greenhome: 3 Items You’ll Need

Sponsor/Writer - LouAnn Moss

Maybe you just invested in building a brand new greenhouse on your property. Or maybe you moved — Americans tend to find a new place roughly every five to seven years — and your new home happens to have a greenhouse in the yard. However you ended up with a greenhouse, there are some items you’re going to need to fully get things going.

While this is certainly not a fully comprehensive list, it will get you started using your new planting space.

A Good Hose


If you’re growing plants in a greenhouse, unless you have a fancy automatic watering system, you’re going to need a hose nearby. You can either house your hose directly in the greenhouse (try saying that three times fast!), or have it positioned nearby outside.

Just make sure you purchase a high-quality hose and that you keep all of the connections fully tightened and secure. A leaky faucet or hose that drips once per second can end up wasting 3000 gallons of water every year — that’s equal to more than 180 showers! Buying a non-kink hose will also help save you the frustration of the water stopping every time it gets bent.

Plenty of Potting Soil


There’s nothing better than going into the greenhouse to take the eager seedlings out of the flats they have outgrown and putting them into pots where they can thrive. However, it can be incredibly frustrating if you find that you just don’t have enough soil on hand. It’s always good to keep a wheelbarrow, or large bucket if you don’t have the space, filled with potting soil for when you need it.

In general, it’s advantageous to buy potting soil in bulk in order to get the best possible price. While it may take you a while to use all of it, purchasing small amounts at a time drives up the cost needlessly. Just make sure you have someone young and strong enough to help you move the bags of soil if you are getting up in years. Bulk soil is typically sold in 20 and even 40 lb bags, which can be hazardous to the joints. Lifting an object weighing even just 10 kg puts approximately 180 kg of force on the spine.

Fertilizer


Whether you go for your standard inexpensive fertilizer or you splurge on one that’s organic and higher quality, you’ve got to have some fertilizer on hand in your greenhouse. While the organic fertilizers are a bit more expensive, they tend to be worth it for their great results and reduced environmental impact.

While your greenhouse may not yet be fully equipped, these items will help get you started. Beyond the typical pots and flats you likely have already, some good fertilizer, bulk soil, and a good non-kink hose will help you have a lush, productive growing season!

Image credit: Annie Spratt via Adobe Spark

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