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Showing posts with label May. Show all posts
Showing posts with label May. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Tasks: The Greenhouse in May



Many greenhouse growers use their greenhouses for a short period during the warmer months of the year, but there are a small percentage of us that grow year round!

This month by month outline will share what tasks may need to be done year round.

Keeping in mind that I garden in Alberta Canada, (zone 2) the outdoor growing season is from mid to the end of May until the hard frosts take my gardens in mid to late September or early October. If your climate is a bit milder than mine, you can adjust your greenhouse schedule to suit your climate.

This schedule is made for a plan to plant outdoors in Mid to late May.

 
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May is an exciting month in the year round greenhouse. We have sown all of our seeds, and they are developing into a beautiful crop of plants and flowers that will grace our gardens all summer long!   There are a lot of things that we need to make sure we keep up with and are aware of this month.
 
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Just as in April, the temperatures in the greenhouse are of the utmost of importance, as well as regular watering and pest/disease control.

*Keeping the warm temps up were an issue in past months, but in May we see an opposite trend starting. It is warming up outside more each day, and spring is in full swing. Our main task this month is to keep the daytime temperatures down a little bit, and the overnight temperatures where they need to be….75-80F or 24-26C

*Shading our tender plants is important in the month of May. Blinds or a shade screen are ideal ways to provide some relief from the scorching rays of the sun.

 
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*there is a product on the market called shading paint that can be used to cover south facing windows or areas that have excessive sun coverage. If the weather should dull or cool dramatically shade paint can be removed. I don’t use this product. I simply will hang old sheer curtains or thin white bed sheets from the ceiling of the greenhouse…and use blinds for the walls.  
 
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*Proper ventilation and air flow is VERY important this time of year. Open doors and windows or vents, and turn on your air circulation fans. Hot and humid air can cause many diseases and pests to become and issue, so keeping the air in the greenhouse circulating is important. Keeping the temperatures down to a dull roar as much as possible is also very beneficial to the plants inside the greenhouse.
 
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* Damping down the greenhouse is a practice that will help manage those high daytime temperatures. This method will include watering the staging and floors in the mornings while the sun is shining. The air temperature in the greenhouse will be reduced when the water evaporates, and the relative humidity inside the structure will be raised.

* Our plants are now actively growing in our greenhouses and we should feel free to feed them with the food of our choice. Most (if not all) of our plants are in pots or containers and will need some sort of nourishment if they are to keep actively growing and thriving. A little feeding will give our plants that kick in the roots that will send them into healthy maturity in the coming weeks.
 
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*DO NOT FORGET TO WATER!!!
Check each are of your greenhouse AT LEAST once each day to make sure things have not become too dry. Making sure that the soil in the containers is moist but not soaked is important. We would not want to see our plants affected by root rot, or have parched plants withering and fading away on us.

* In my greenhouse, I begin to harden off my annuals in May. This means that I will take each and every pot, tray and container out of the greenhouse into the back yard garden for short periods of time. They will slowly adjust to the outdoor temperatures and conditions. Each day, I extend the period of time that I leave the plants outside, until they are safe from such threats as sunburn, windburn and frost. This is a lot of work, and very good exercise!!!
 
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* Continued vigilance on maintenance and cleaning of the greenhouse is important, as is making sure all structural parts are intact and all equipment is in good working order. 
 
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*keep records up to date in your greenhouse journal!!!

I will see you again in June with more greenhouse tasks!

What tasks do you do for the month of May in your greenhouse?
 
Until next time….Happy gardening!
 
*)*)*)  That person you took for granted today, could turn out to be the one person you will need tomorrow.
 
 
(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

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