How to Make a Greenhouse Winter Ready

[@wandashaw3551]

Hi Rachel, what a huge job that was, and thank goodness for your helper. I had no idea that you had to do all of this. Great job. 👍 😊

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Thanks, Wanda. Not my favourite job in the world ☺️ And, yes, thanks to Louis.

[@judytelles3518]

What a lot of hard work, It looks fabulous, cosy and clean.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Thank you! It does feel that way now.

[@letizialerda6041]

louis ❤

[@SarahBushnell]

Hello ... Thank you ! Really enjoying your video on getting the greenhouse ready for Winter ... having just discovered your channel when I was looking for info about Haemanthus .... I have a small H. Albiflos which came into bloom a few weeks ago ... just the one flower but so very lovely ! I am a big fan of S. African plants ... Clivia being a big favourite. And outside I have quite a number of Amarines growing in very gritty soil top dressed with Scottish pebbles ... they and my Agapanthus collection in purple and deep blue shades flower like mad ! I did lose a few Amarine bulbs to the Beast from the East a few years back but the clumps recovered quickly and flowered the following Summer despite being 'frozen'. Keep up the great work ... with kind regards, Sarah/

[@GardeningatDouentza]

@@SarahBushnell How great to hear from you and welcome to the channel. You seem to grow a lot of my type of plants. Very interesting that you get away with your amarines outdoors in Scotland. Clivias are great too. Thanks for watching and have a great day.

[@SarahBushnell]

@@GardeningatDouentza Hello ... apologies I live in East Sussex (not Scotland) ... however we are around 450ft above sea level here so it does get fairly cold and windy ! The Amarines have made massive clumps about 2 feet across ... the larger bulbs are like cricket balls ... they effectively climb up and seem to sit themselves on top of the soil ... likewise the Agapanthus make even bigger clumps. I grow some very big Lilies in the same border ... and they all seem to love a really poor sandy gritty soil. I am working my way thro your earlier videos ... they all look great Yours , Sarah/

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Okay, thank you for that clarification. Plenty of videos on this channel to keep you busy 😊​@@SarahBushnell

[@Royaliize]

Im so amazed and kind of jelly of all the different kind of plants that have, too bad you live so far away, since i would love to visit you as a master grower. I wonder how u keep plants like bulbs dry during in the winter without them rotting. Here where i live we can get a few weeks of -10c, so its expensive and kind of pain to keep plants in a greenhouse during the Winter.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Hi there. It's always great to hear from a fellow plant connoisseur. Which bulbs are you talking about keeping dry overwinter? In the greenhouse it is easy. I simply don't water. Outdoors, bulbs much be robust enough to survive my winters. Sometimes I plant using a handful of grit in the planting hole. But I have to tell you that rotting can be an issue here in rainy Ireland even with my well-drained soil. We, however, do not normally get winter temperatures lower than -5C unlike you. Hope this answers your question.

[@Stargazer-vk6vz]

Good Morning from Colorado Springs!! So many beautiful plants... sad when then it's time for rest.... So much to take care of but it is so worthwhile. Don't you also have several Queen of the Night?? Do you keep them in the greenhouse or in your home? Thank you for sharing!!

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Yes, so true. I do have two queens of the night and they live in the glasshouse.

[@tinajordan6591]

I don't envy you that job but at the end of the day it is so worth it. What potting mix do you use for your nerine in the greenhouse and do you keep them well watered during the growing months?

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Hi Tina. The last time I potted a nerine I used the Sybotanica ficus mix but generally I put about 20% grit in my mix for them. I do keep them watered when in active growth but try not to water on days when a particularly cold night is due.

[@VinnieRM]

Hi Rachel my polycarbonate screen windows popped out of my greenhouse. I can't pop them back so have used gorilla tape to try and keep them sealed. Unfortunately insects and spiders are in my greenhouse. Would this matter? My greenhouse is unheated.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Spiders are not an issue in a greenhouse. In fact they are beneficial as they eat flies etc. Insects in general are not the enemy. It's more a question of smaller pests like mealy etc.

[@قناةطبخالمغربيالاصيل]

مسيىرة مزفقة🌵🌵🌴🌴🌳🪴🪴🪴🌹🌹🌹💚💚👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼☕️☕️🩷🩷

[@chrisislei-coyle1736]

I dread bubble wrapping the greenhouse so much that I left it up this summer 🫣. Do you leave your Euphorbia meloformis in the greenhouse over winter? I bring all my Euphorbia in the house over winter so I'm curious if they would actually be OK at 5°C.

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Well, I have to admit, bubble wrapping the greenhouse is not my favourite job either. I know some gardeners who leave the bubble wrap up all year but I just don't like the way that looks. As for Euphorbia meloformis, I received it in Feb 2023 and it spent the rest of that winter in my house so I have no direct experience of overwintering it in the glasshouse. However, cacti Ireland (from whom I got it) says they keep it in their greenhouse at a 5-6 degrees minimum. The variegated one is lovely though and I would regret losing it so it may yet come into the house for the winter. Hope this helps.

[@chrisislei-coyle1736]

@GardeningatDouentza Mine is a polycarbonate greenhouse, so the bubble wrap doesn't make much difference visually. It might not even make much difference in terms of insulation over the polycarbonate, but the electric bill is so high nowadays that I choose to believe it does 😅

[@nautilusshell4969]

Storm Ashley, by any chance??

[@GardeningatDouentza]

Yep, that's the one!

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

it is 2024, you would think there would be an easier way to insulate a greenhouse by now that doesn't require taking everything out and stringing up bubble wrap.🤔

[@GardeningatDouentza]

I know, Michael. And a satisfactory way to insulate a polycarconate or polytunnel!