As summer approaches, many gardeners eagerly transition their activities from greenhouse to open garden spaces. June is a pivotal month for both managing the current season’s growth and preparing for future planting cycles. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to make the most of your greenhouse this June, along with some tips and suggestions to ensure your garden thrives all year round.
Transform Your Greenhouse into a Summer Retreat
Many gardeners enjoy converting their greenhouses into multifunctional spaces during the summer. By moving mature citrus trees, vegetables, and flowers outside, you can create an inviting area for morning coffee or gatherings. This is particularly effective if you live in a region with intense summer sunshine. Adding a shade cloth to your greenhouse helps keep the interior cool and comfortable, making it an ideal place for relaxation.
Year-Round Growing Tips
For those who prefer to use their greenhouse for growing year-round, preventing overheating is crucial. Sharon from Boulder, CO, highlights the benefits of her solar greenhouse: “Everything is so much healthier in there compared to my outside garden. Believe it or not, I still have spring greens, kale, and chard growing. The tomatoes, peppers, and basil are great too.” To replicate this success, consider installing shade cloth and carefully managing heat gain.
Summer Greenhouse Tips
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Remove Window Screens: During the summer, take off and store window screens. They don’t effectively block out pests like aphids and whiteflies but do prevent beneficial insects like ladybugs and bees from entering.
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Plant Pollinator-Friendly Flowers: Enhance pollination by planting flowers outside your greenhouse to attract bees and other pollinators.
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Prepare for the Next Growing Season: Start seeds in trays or directly in the soil to get a head start on fall and winter crops. Ensure seedlings receive sufficient light by starting them early while days are still long.
What to Sow and Grow in June
Flowers
- Direct Sow Outdoors: Calendula, Candytuft 'Dwarf Fairyland Mixed', clarkia, larkspur, and limnanthes for late-summer blooms.
- Nasturtiums: Easy to grow in containers or beds and quick to flower.
- Sunflowers: Fun for kids and great for summer color.
Herbs & Vegetables
- In the Greenhouse/Indoors: Sow cucumber and gherkin seeds in pots. Start winter cabbage seeds in a greenhouse or cold frame.
- Direct Sow Outdoors: Runner beans, French beans, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, radicchio, coriander, dill, parsley, corn salad, courgette, squash, kale, kohlrabi, pak choi, peas, radish, salad leaves, spinach, spring onions, swede, sweetcorn, and Swiss chard.
Plant Outdoors
- After Frost: Plant remaining summer annual bedding plants, scented annuals, and ground cover annuals like lobelia and nicotiana.
- Patio Shrubs and Plants: Such as hardy fuchsias and arums.
- Floating Pond Plants: Ideal time to plant pond plants and pondside perennials.
Keeping Your Greenhouse Cool
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Ventilation: Ensure a good airflow by opening roof vents, side vents, and doors. Automatic vent openers can help, but manual adjustment may still be needed for optimal cooling.
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Shading: Use shade paints, netting, or blinds to reduce sunlight. External blinds are particularly effective as they block sunlight before it enters the greenhouse.
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Damping Down: Increase humidity by wetting paths and surfaces inside the greenhouse. This helps keep plants cool and reduces the risk of pests like red spider mites.
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Watering: Keep plants well-watered to prevent heat stress. Watch for signs of wilting or scorched leaves and ensure consistent moisture at root level.
Featured KSB Greenhouse Models
- Greenhouse "Strong": Perfect for all levels of gardening with its robust galvanized steel frame and spacious design. Ideal for large harvests and hanging baskets.
- Greenhouse "Prima": Best for tall plants with straight walls maximizing usable space. Easy to install with shock-resistant, UV-protected polycarbonate sheets.
- Greenhouse "Sigma": Offers clear space for raised beds and shelving. Strong construction, easy assembly, and weather protection.
- Greenhouse "Arrow": Ideal for difficult weather conditions with a strong galvanized steel frame and UV-protected panels. Easy to assemble and highly durable.
Conclusion
June is an exciting month for gardeners as it offers the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of spring labor while preparing for the next planting cycle. Whether you use your greenhouse as a summer retreat or for year-round growing, KSB Greenhouse products provide the perfect solutions to meet your gardening needs. By following these tips and utilizing your greenhouse effectively, you can ensure a bountiful and beautiful garden throughout the year.
For more information on our greenhouses and gardening tips, visit our website or contact us! Happy gardening!