An Introduction to Greenhouse Herbs
One way to enjoy fresh herbs and their benefits all year round is to grow your herbs in a greenhouse. Also known as a hothouse, it is a structure usually made of glass or plastic and is used for growing plants. What it does is trap in heat from the sun and allows plants to grow and remain comfortable even during very cold seasons. Many herbs can be cultivated throughout the winter by raising them in a greenhouse. Not all greenhouses heat up, though. Some new innovative greenhouses can cool down or be cooled down, especially during the summer months, so it can serve dual purposes.
Having your own greenhouse is a big investment for a gardener, but many greenhouses have now been made affordable. They come in varying shapes and sizes. If you grow your herbs from a nursery bed, having a greenhouse can make this easier because you can put your nursery in your greenhouse. It's one of the easiest ways to propagate new plants. Also, your greenhouse gives you a place to work in your garden, and a place to put your tools and store various gardening materials.
The main benefit of having a greenhouse is having an extended growing season. Gardeners prepare their herbs for the winter during the last few weeks of summer or in early autumn weeks. Germination can happen outside if it is still summer, and inside if autumn has already set in. Since the greenhouse will not be affected by snow and cool winds, the herbs can grow comfortably inside.
Greenhouse plants are usually planted in pots, though some gardeners plant their herbs straight into the ground. It is important that the steps for planting herbs are still followed for greenhouse planting, such as applying compost during the initial planting stage, as well as halfway through the growing season. The plants will require some extra care throughout the winter, making sure they are warm enough, but not too warm, and that they have a sufficient amount of water. You can harvest from your greenhouse plants as soon as they are stable enough, and come spring you can transplant them to your garden.
Before transplanting a greenhouse herb into your garden, you will have to harden it off. This is easily done if your herbs are in pots. You can leave the pots outside of the greenhouse for a few hours each day. Do this when you see the first few signs of spring. Getting your herbs acclimatized to outside weather will help them survive being transplanted and grown outside of the greenhouse.
Greenhouse plants have a tendency to look “perfect.” This is because they are protected from many natural elements while in their house. This also means that they are less hardy, which is one of the reasons why you will have to harden them off. You can choose to grow an herb in a greenhouse its entire life in order to give it that perfect look, but herbs do benefit from being out in nature a bit more. Their flavors can respond well to fresh air, good sunlight, and rain water.
The next benefit of having a greenhouse is that you get to protect some of your herb plants that may not survive the winter season. Some gardeners who are concerned over their young and maybe weak perennials can move these plants into the greenhouse for the winter. When a perennial plant loses its leaves and flowers for the winter, you can wrap their stems with bubble wrap (extra insulation) if needed and keep them in your greenhouse. Come spring, you will be able to plant them into your garden with a good head start.
Finally, having a greenhouse will allow you to grow plants during the winter and harvest fresh seeds for the growing season of the following year. Though most seeds can be dried and then hydrated before planting, some seeds need to stay fresh or need to be planted soon after harvesting. A greenhouse can address this problem, and you may never have to dry your seeds out, unless of course you need the for culinary purposes.
