October in the Greenhouse

There’s a gradual take over happening in the October greenhouse as new crops of tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgette, cucumber dwarf beans + basil are planted out amongst finishing winter salads, bok choy, spinach + celery.

• Peppers and aubergines need to go in fairly soon – they take ages to produce in my climate and I only do the one planting. I have better production planting them into buckets or containers rather than in ground – they are warmer this way.

• A row of climbing beans + a couple of courgettes go in now. By Dec its too hot, the December lot are planted outside.

• Cucumbers and tomatoes, can be successionally planted a few times, until January perhaps. Weather and appetite dependent.

Get a living mulch on the go

Companion plants to draw predatory wasps, hoverflies and bees, are important in the greenhouse for bug control and pollination. Find as many opportunities to supply nectar, as you can. Something near the door is a grand plan, both outside and in as well as a trail of flowers for them to follow, through to the back.

• Bishops flower winds through the passionfruit and the climbing beans to assist pollination.

• Phacelia, borage and calendula survive all but the hottest months in my greenhouse. They bring in the bees, the cheer, and nourish the soil.

• African Marigold and Shoofly help deter pests above and below ground and feed the bees as well.

• Nasturtiums are another key player – winding through the lemongrass, under the grape, around all the edges and up the walls as far as I’ll let her, providing a catch crop for aphids and piles of mulch material.

• Nourishing chickweed and cleavers thrive in spring but die off when it heats up, recycling all their goodness back.

I rely on these guys to keep the soil active, beat out weeds and moderate soil temperature in this hot space. When they get too bossy I simply break them off and pile them on the soil as mulch. Chop and drop mulching is a quick easy job that beats weeding any day.

As I need to, I create spaces to plant into, by chopping back the living mulch and using it as mulch. As the crops grow and fill the space I chop back more and more until come January the jungle is mostly tomatoes, marigolds, peppers, eggplants, basil and cucumbers instead.

Topping up your mulch regularly with fresh material is a simple but hearty way to look after your greenhouse soil. How efficient (and we could say resilient) to use the stuff that grew there to do this job. Full circle.

Watering Tips

Take care, not to over water during cold snaps. In cold weather, plants don’t evaporate, so dont need the hydration, and summer crops like tomatoes and cucumbers would rather be a little dry around their toes when the weather cools, than wet.

The right amount of water, delivered at the right time makes a huge difference to plant health. Get used to feeling your soil first to decide whether or not you need to water. There really is no shortcut or device as good as your own quick assessment. Here’s all my watering tips.