The morning after (by our blogging horticulturalist Peter Whyte)

The morning after The morning after the storm of the 12th of February, the lawn was littered with broken glass.  Our glasshouse had come through many storms unscathed, but not this one.  It was a testament to its sturdiness that I found only one pane broken, and soon picked up the pieces with gloved hands [...]

Preventing snow damage (our blog by horticulturalist Peter Whyte)

The opera isn’t over until the fat lady has sung, and winter isn’t over until danger of heavy snow is well past.  The problem with snow is twofold: it is so heavy when it lies that it can damage or distort greenhouses, and more damage can be done by trying to remove it. Snow is [...]

Overwintering your plants

In for the winter Have you tender potted plants in your greenhouse for the winter? You can’t just walk away from them until it’s time to put them out again.  If you do, their survival depends on luck and you might not be lucky.  You need to check them occasionally, and deal with any problems [...]

Frost protection ideas from Peter Whyte

December usually brings the first hard frosts of winter.  Tender plants can be killed as their sap freezes, expands and bursts their cells. Polytunnels don’t hold in the heat as well as glasshouses unless they have a ‘thermic’ polythene cover.  On cold nights it can be better to have some air movement through a polytunnel [...]

Peter Whyte gives tips on growing winter greens

Winter greens You could pull out the last of your summer crops from your greenhouse, clean it up for the winter and close it until spring.  But why not have it produce fresh green salads for you all winter?  If you didn’t sow any leaf greens in recent weeks you can still sow turnip seed [...]