Help with my greenhouse.

I'd appreciate any tips on how to make better use of my greenhouse this summer. It faces south-west and gets sun (when it appears) from dawn to dusk in summer so it gets hot. Tomato plants in pots or grow-bags start off well but I find it impossible to keep them well-watered enough and they don't thrive. The same goes for seedlings of flowers or veg - (easier to water) but they either wilt (too dry) or rot (too wet). I have tried pinning up green shading fabric on the side & roof facing the sun but it's still too hot. It's quite well-ventilated (there's a pane missing) and the door and roof vent are open in summer. Does anyone please have any ideas how I can achieve a more equable growing environment?
Many thanks. lindyco

 

Have you considered automatic watering and perhaps a small solar-powered fan.

 

@lindyco how big is the greenhouse and how many opening windows in the roof are there?
I would fit automatic openers to the roof vents and also consider fitting louvres low down.
You can also get paint on shading that you app;y to the outside and can be washed off in the autumn.

 

? Dampen down flooring,drip irrigation, mulch the tomatoes. Ive got some potted bamboos i put in front of the greenhouse on really sunny days to help shade.?

 

Sounds strange as many of us manage ok during the summer, are you in the UK ?

Also what size pots do you put your toms in ? we find they survive well with just one watering a day though we do use a 35cm+ pot per plant.

Do you put the shading cloth up on the inside of the glass ? Its better to put it on the outside, as if its on the inside the heat has already come into the greenhouse.
We find using Vitax greenhouse shading paint on the outside works well for us, easy to apply and clean off.

What seeds are you trying to sow/grow in summer, generally most are raised in spring when its not as hot or sown direct into the garden this late in the year.

 

My greenhouses have over the years become overgrown by mostly deciduous trees.
My big problem is getting enough sunlight, especially for any cacti and succulents.
I think removing glass is a reasonable approach if it does get too hot, a few missing panes are good in the summer.

 

I use the capillary method of bottom watering container plants in my greenhouse. The pots are on shelving slightly (less than 5") above the floor. The shelves are lined with plastic and then a layer of felt is put on that. A "tongue" of felt has one end under the felt on the shelf and the other in the trough. I wet the whole of the felt so as to "start" up the process.

The plants sitting on these shelves seem happy to suck up what they need and I only have to fill a trough. I also add any fertilizer to the water too.

I did add low flow irrigation piping so that when I turn on a tap, the tubes quickly fill the troughs. Oh, and I used wall paper trays for the troughs. They hold quite a bit of water and are cheap!

Your cloth bags could sit right on the felt and pull up the moisture as needed.

And I too put shade cloth over the top of the greenhouse on especially hot days.

 

No power point near enough to do automatic watering but the solar-powered fan is a great idea. Thank you Jocko!

 

Yes, @Jocko is right. I have solar powered fans in my little greenhouses. Both overhead DC fans and server fans. They move a lot of air. I also have side louvers to encourage air to come in from the lower side and then the automatic roof vent lets the hot air out the top.

 

Thank you for your response, Nigel. The greenhouse is about 8 x 6 feet and there's one roof vent which has an automatic opener. I'll consider the louvres but don't want to create gaps low down for mice & birds to creep in. (Happened last year & something decimated my veg seeds in pots!)
Cheers.

 

Thanks for your reply, Wee Tam. I'll certainly try more mulch. Can't do anything electrically powered (drip irrigation) as not near enough to a power socket. I planted a couple of conifers in front to help with shading but when the sun is high they're not tall enough to do any good.
Appreciate your ideas.

 

Hi ricky101.
Yes, I'm in the Midlands. Tomatoes are in big, deep pots like yours. I've used the shading fabric inside but I see that it would be better on the outside, so I'll try that. I've sown pepper & chilli seeds (from the veg), and cosmos, sunflowers, hollyhocks and lupins (all from nursery-bought packets). Only a few have come good but the peppers & chillies haven't appeared at all. I'm growing them in the greenhouse because my garden was once arable land & the soil is quite lumpy and stony, so sowing seeds or fragile seedlings directly into the ground doesn't give them much of a chance.
Thank you for your help - good tips.

 

Hi JWK. Can you tell me how you fix bamboo blinds or sim on to your greenhouse roof please? Do you tie them on or use the little green fixers which are supposed to hold up netting etc? I've never had much success with those. Removing panes is a problem because of inviting unwanted 'guests' to eat the seeds / seedlings, baby veg (I should be so lucky!) I'll invest in a max/Mon thermometer.
Thank you for your ideas.