The dark days of winter are no time for fairweather friends – you need reliable, low-maintenance stalwarts to keep your greenhouse cropping through to spring Last September I sowed the seeds of a wintertime get-together for some old friends, whose company I knew I would relish from the darkening days of late autumn right through […]
The first two days of January have shown us just what a lottery the weather has become. New Year’s Day it was howling wind and torrential rain, today is the start of a cold ‘snap’. Both potent reminders of the joys of owning a Hartley Greenhouse, as you can start sowing from early January, whatever […]
As the new year unfolds it’s a good time to plan ahead a little and decide how to make small, but powerful changes to your greenhouse and your garden. For many reasons, I didn’t get much gardening done last year and so the garden has run away with me a bit. But instead of letting […]
I love this stage of the greenhouse gardening year. Not, necessarily, because I am much enjoying being in the greenhouse right now, although I will admit that I love to be in there tending to the few overwintering seedling on the odd sunny day, the glass magnifying the heat and warming my back. But let’s […]
Gardeners beat to a different rhythm, so whilst most of the population were firmly focused on Christmas Day, turkey and Christmas pud, I was waiting for the shortest day on December 21st. Once that was over, the days would lengthen once again and the garden would revive like Sleeping Beauty freshly kissed by her Prince. […]
Many gardeners are particular about protecting their hands with gloves for different jobs. But what about their feet? Anyone familiar with a greenhouse knows that the coolest part is at floor level. Boots or shoes can only go so far. If you stand around for any time on those floors, your feet will be getting […]
I’ve been a gardener since childhood. In England, as I was growing up, I tended the family garden while my dad traveled frequently for work. After I moved to the US, my wife and I bought land in Rhode Island. A Victorian-era house had previously been on the property, but it had long ago been […]
This month is filled with memories, no matter how you observe the holiday season. For me, Christmas meant spending a week in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin at my grandmother’s home, where my Dad was born and grew up a small house on N. 63rd St. Food was the main feature: Grandma was a stunning cook in the […]
When it comes to gardening, climate change means a revision of expectations and ideas. These days, an unheated greenhouse provides useful protection for tender crops for longer than ever before. When October frosts were the norm, you wouldn’t even consider leaving chillies to ripen in the greenhouse but now it is more commonplace. Keep checking […]
Celosias were first introduced from the Far East in the Sixteenth century before there were more than a handful of greenhouses so were not easy. Once the heated greenhouse became available then this relation of Amaranthus became immensely popular with over sixty species discovered and introduced from Africa, Asia and the Americas. Then they generally […]
THE GREENHOUSE IN 2025 Greenhouse Partitions The use of partitions in Greenhouses is becoming increasingly popular as gardeners look for more precise control over their growing environment and formally divide structures for additional lifestyle uses. By dividing Greenhouses into distinct zones, partitions allow for tailored microclimates that cater to the specific needs of different plants […]
One of the best benefits of a greenhouse is bringing bulbs to bloom at the time when you most need them—décor, a celebration, or just for cheer in the darkest winter days. This month I’m talking with Brent Heath, the eponymous head of the family-owned mail order business, Brent and Becky’s. After an amazing number […]
