Greenhouse Growing

Greenhouses are great for starting seeds and hardening off seedlings. But no matter where you live, you can use your greenhouse to grow your favorite vegetables, too!

Heat-lovers like tomatoes and peppers are best suited for greenhouse growing. In my greenhouse, I built a planter (pictured) that runs the full length of the structure. My tomatoes and bell peppers have never been happier--especially since we're having an unseasonably cool spring in our already temperate Pacific Northwest.

If you want to try growing veggies in your greenhouse, here are a few additional tips:

• Use a soaker hose for watering. Ditch the overhead sprinkler. Wet foliage is a petri dish for pathogens.

• Install a fan. Even heat-loving plants might get a little too hot under the collar if you can't exhaust excess heat.

• Get ready to pitch in. Pollinators such as bees might have trouble finding their way inside to do their job. Buy some cotton swabs in case you need to help by gently transferring pollen from one blossom to another.

By Jason Miller

Jason Miller is a freelance writer and master gardener from Concrete, Washington.