April's Greenhouse Tips

Owning, using, and enjoying your own greenhouse can be fun and relaxing - but there are still "Things To Do" to keep it clean, healthly, and usable. For each month of the year we have gathered useful greenhouse tips and information from our customers, employees and friends like you to help you get even more enjoyment from your greenhouse.

We've gathered these greenhouse tips from a variety of sources, much of it has been over the years and is not known. Please feel free to send us some of your own ideas.

SEASONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Birds are looking for nesting materials these days. You could help them by putting out a "suet feeder" filled with cotton balls, dryer lint, string and thread. Now is an excellent time to test your soil's ph, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Testing can be done with kits available through garden centers. The preferred ph for crops is 5.5 - 6.5 which is slightly acidic. Areas with plentiful rainfall tend to have more acidic soil, while drier climates would have more alkaline soil. To amend acidity, add lime, and to decrease alkalinity, add sulphur. Another amendment that helps produce vigorous growth and abundant blossoms is greensand. Don't forget to till in your vegetable scraps for the worms, which eat and cast out more than their body weight everyday, leaving behind aerated, fertilized soil.

HERB THYMES
Springtime means storing away winter woolens. Try this French Moth Preventative: 2 pts lavender, 2 pts southernwood, 1 pt rosemary, 1 pt pennyroyal, 1 pt wormwood. Add one tablespoon ground cloves to each two cups of dry herbs, mixing well.

JUNIOR GARDENER
Color your Easter eggs with these common dye-producing vegetables: shredded red cabbage (dark teal blue), spinach (pale green), grape juice (deep lavender), paprika (light orange). Use 6 uncooked eggs, 2 cups fresh vegetable material per quart of water or 2 teaspoons ground spices per cup of water. Add one teaspoon vinegar for every cup of water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 15 minutes. To change color, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of water. For deeper colors, let eggs cool in the dye. Refrigerate if the eggs are to be eaten.

GREEN THUMB QUESTION: What is a good organic antidote for cutworms? (See *)

GREENHOUSE SCHEDULE
By now you may be starting seedlings for your yard and garden. The temperature in the greenhouse should be kept between 65ƒ and 75ƒ during the daytime and 55ƒ to 65ƒ at night. They need 14-16 hours of light. If artificial light is used, keep it within 2" to 4" of the seedlings. Incandescent light is not recommended as it has an incomplete light spectrum and will encourage "stretching". Fertilize twice a week with 1/2 strength liquid fertilizer. If you have not yet planted, you might want to try "planting by the moon" for a higher yield. During the first quarter of the moon, seed crops that have leaves and seeds. For the second quarter, plant annuals and crops that have seeds inside. Biennials, bulbs and roots can be planted during the third quarter. The fourth quarter can be used to weed, cultivate and control pests.

*ANSWER: Cardboard collars around seedlings, a small stick next to seedling stem or grass clippings around them.

Our Greenhousing "How-To" Resouce Guide

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