Greenhouse Ramblings November
Here on the west coast, the rainy season has begun...
There is still much yard work, garden clean up, cutting back and mulching going on outdoors..
It rains or drizzles near every day...
But as the temps are still so nice and warm, so is lovely to work outdoors.
Outside In The Nursery....
The flowers went mouldy and the foliage began to yellow and fall ...
It appears that they require the greenhouse to be kept much warmer and brighter than I keep mine!
(more on greenhouse temps below)
However, I am not too bothered about it, as I have heard they do not produce as much fruit the following year anyway...
Therefore, it seemed like a bit of a 'Why Bother' ..
If the peppers are not happy to be kept over and require fussing to produce less fruit ....
And I tend to grow a ton of great varieties each spring that produce fabulously ...
It just seems kind of pointless to force the issue.
Besides, I grow great peppers!
The Greek Oregano is still blooming happily.
It has literally been in full bloom for most of the year...
I hack it back to a few inches tall every few months and then let it go to bloom again.
As I have oregano growing in the herb bed as well, I let this flower as much as it wants.
It adds colour to the greenhouse... and make me happy :)
My work corner ....
If you are wondering what you should be seeding or starting this time of year... not much. lol!
What I have here...
Cuttings that were taken earlier in the year... mostly geraniums and herbs...
Begonia's were started from seed several weeks ago and are under lights and on heat..
Some cuttings take much longer to root in and therefore are in the plastic bag covered pots to stay moist.
Nothing fancy about this storage!
In the green bin, I have gladioli bulbs for next year, and the metal bowl holds the dahlias...
Most of the Dahlia's were left in the ground, but I decided to lift some...
The little mandarins are doing really well... lots of good sized fruit on the tree.
I also have cute little lemons on the way...
Aren't they adorable? So thrilled!
When I purchased these tropical fruit trees, I was told that they would overwinter in my greenhouse just fine ... at the temp of 10 C! Yikes!
Generally, I keep the greenhouse between 5 and 7 degrees throughout the winter...
Is then warm enough to house the tender perennials... like New Zealand Flax ( Phormiums), Sweet Bay Laurel, Rosemary ...
Is also warm enough to over winter summer blooming annuals ... pelargoniums, fuchsia's, ivies ...
Most importantly though, if we were to get a heavy snowfall, is warm enough to melt the snow load off of the roof, so that no damage occurs to the greenhouse.
If you have an unheated structure, make sure you design it so that the snow will slide off the roof top, or it may collapse under the weight.
Therefore, fingers crossed that 5 to 7 degrees C also proves to be warm enough for these fabulous fruit trees to keep their fruit and fare well!
This lime tree has the best smelling foliage ever!
It is not yet producing fruit, though is flowering!
As we have no bees at this time of year, I will try hand pollination, and see how it goes...
Is a nice, sunny day....
I am outside catching up on chores ... and some Vitamin D
While Little ' Lilah hangs out in the greenhouse, just chillin'...
Rainy season began with a bang, more than 8 inches in the last few weeks....
There is still much yard work, garden clean up, cutting back and mulching going on outdoors..
It rains or drizzles near every day...
But as the temps are still so nice and warm, so is lovely to work outdoors.
Outside In The Nursery....
Much transplanting and potting up of perennials happens at this time of year...
Perennials that have outgrown their pots are moved up into larger ones, and others benefit from new soil so either get topped up or transplanted. 
The hardy roses have beautiful foliage in autumn!
Roses, trees, and shrubs that have lost most of their leaves are moved into the hoop house for the winter....
Though they can be moved in earlier, the leaves would fall into and around the pots. As they may be harbouring fungal issues or bugs, I prefer to wait till they are nearly foliage free before I pop them into them under cover.
If you have plants in pots that you will not have time to plant in the ground, they do not have to go into a hoop house or greenhouse...simply pop them into a shed, under a carport, under the eaves of the house, etc... to prevent root rot.
I planted a whole bunch of ground covers around the front of the nursery and greenhouse...
I did not want the hard look of rocks or gravel, but nor do I want grass which need whacking and can get slippery when wet.
Though these guys will take a bit to spread, and may not look like much yet next year...
(I will throw down some more wood chips to keep it clean)
Each year they will get bigger and better...
Am hoping they will look stunning amongst the pavers and bark chips... Very organic and clean looking?
Inside The Greenhouse
I had intended to try over-wintering a couple of pepper plants in the greenhouse... but they did not fare well. The flowers went mouldy and the foliage began to yellow and fall ...
It appears that they require the greenhouse to be kept much warmer and brighter than I keep mine!
(more on greenhouse temps below)
However, I am not too bothered about it, as I have heard they do not produce as much fruit the following year anyway...
Therefore, it seemed like a bit of a 'Why Bother' ..
If the peppers are not happy to be kept over and require fussing to produce less fruit ....
And I tend to grow a ton of great varieties each spring that produce fabulously ...
It just seems kind of pointless to force the issue.
Besides, I grow great peppers!
The Greek Oregano is still blooming happily.
It has literally been in full bloom for most of the year...
I hack it back to a few inches tall every few months and then let it go to bloom again.
As I have oregano growing in the herb bed as well, I let this flower as much as it wants.
It adds colour to the greenhouse... and make me happy :)
My work corner ....
The seedlings and cuttings tables...
The seedlings and cuttings
The seedlings and cuttings What I have here...
Cuttings that were taken earlier in the year... mostly geraniums and herbs...
Begonia's were started from seed several weeks ago and are under lights and on heat..
Some cuttings take much longer to root in and therefore are in the plastic bag covered pots to stay moist.
Nothing fancy about this storage!
In the green bin, I have gladioli bulbs for next year, and the metal bowl holds the dahlias...
Most of the Dahlia's were left in the ground, but I decided to lift some...
I also have cute little lemons on the way...
Aren't they adorable? So thrilled!
Eureka Lemons
When I purchased these tropical fruit trees, I was told that they would overwinter in my greenhouse just fine ... at the temp of 10 C! Yikes!
Generally, I keep the greenhouse between 5 and 7 degrees throughout the winter...
Is then warm enough to house the tender perennials... like New Zealand Flax ( Phormiums), Sweet Bay Laurel, Rosemary ...
Is also warm enough to over winter summer blooming annuals ... pelargoniums, fuchsia's, ivies ...
Most importantly though, if we were to get a heavy snowfall, is warm enough to melt the snow load off of the roof, so that no damage occurs to the greenhouse.
If you have an unheated structure, make sure you design it so that the snow will slide off the roof top, or it may collapse under the weight.
Therefore, fingers crossed that 5 to 7 degrees C also proves to be warm enough for these fabulous fruit trees to keep their fruit and fare well!
This lime tree has the best smelling foliage ever!
It is not yet producing fruit, though is flowering!
As we have no bees at this time of year, I will try hand pollination, and see how it goes...
Is a nice, sunny day....
I am outside catching up on chores ... and some Vitamin D
While Little ' Lilah hangs out in the greenhouse, just chillin'...
Hello! Just found you and am so inspired by your potagers/greenhouse, etc. Just lovely! I have recently retired and moved to rural Ireland. Trying to grow organic produce in my raised bed potager. Can you give any advice about snails. Seeds are impossible. I go out each night with a flashlight and capture 100-200 and just throw them in the compost pile not wanting to kill anything. I am thinking I should drive them out of the village at this point. Sally
ReplyDeleteHey Sally. Yikes! That sounds horrible! I really think that you might have to start killing them or they will come right back to feast some more....
ReplyDeleteI have never had much of a snail or slug problem, fingers crossed it stays that way... Perhaps the fact that I have not every had much lawn/grass helps? My yard is mostly gravel or rock pathways and driveways, with some steppers, and lots of bark mulch, all of which is not very friendly to the slugs and snails under bellies. Perhaps if you have grass in your pathways, cover them with a thick layer of newsprint or cardboard and then sharp gravel. Or try diatomaceous earth, an organic powder that you can safely sprinkle in the garden beds, or dried coffee grounds, or copper tape on the tops of your raised beds. Have also heard that the copper pot scrubbers can be pulled apart and used in and around the sides of the beds. There is also a Safer's Snail and Slug product on the market that is safe for pets and gardens, but works like a charm at getting rid of the snails. Good luck with your nasty critter battle!
So glad you found me and are living in an area with similar climate!