We have been busy with the holidays and other work but it is time to get things moving in the greenhouse. 

Last weekend we picked every last dead leaf and weed out of the plants and generally cleaned things up.  The next day we took a trip down to Watson Greenhouse in LaFayette NY and they were doing the same think! 

It is important to keep litter to a minimum as it harbors pests and disease.  Things can pile up over the fall and winter especially because October,  November and December are such slow times and the plants requirements for light, heat and water are at a minimum.

We took out at least 6 buckets of junk and piled them on the “pile” where we put junk.  Normally we blaze a path to the pile with the snow blower but this year we did not intend to keep the greenhouse warm for the winter so it was overlooked.  However with the mild weather and good sun we decided to turn the temperature way down and hope for the best.  So far things are going fine and the days are getting longer while the sun is climbing higher.

Next … tuning up the plants.

Sweeping the cobwebs out of the greenhouse. is a post from: Old hat, zone 4, cold climate garden blog.

At night they bed down near water or often in vacant corn fields, picking up the remnants of last seasons corn crop.  They also pick the freshly spread manure.  Cow manure is no more than parcialy digested hay and grain and the birds have a good meal picking up the parts the cows didn’t use.

Another good sign is the ice is finally melting off the mill pond.  At this writing the water is just beginning to show through.

And the cherry on the top is the nice warm and dry weather we have been having.  The absents of rain has allowed the ground to dry up as it thaws and that means no muddy path to the greenhouse.  Even the hole in front of the greenhouse door is dry.  Last fall we removed the pavers from in front of the door so that when the frost heaves them we can still get the door open.

This week we are finishing up the geraniums and started about 500 tomatoes for the cooperative extension bucket gardens.  We use ” Early Girl” which is a determinate variety that are perfect for containers.  We start them right in 6 packs, 8 packs to a flat to save time and trouble form transplanting them from bulk flats.  The seeds are gently buried about 1/4 inch deep, watered and covered with clear plastic wrap.  We check them every day and uncover them as soon as they begin to poke their heads out of the mix.

So the rest of this week we will finish the geraniums and start the marigolds.  We start them just like the tomatoes, in the packs.  If one plant fails to germinate we just pull one from another pack.  In the past we would plant many seeds in one bulk flat, then transplant them into 6 packs when they sprouted.  This is time consuming and tedious work so last year we planted directly into the 6 packs with good results.  As I remember the old bulk method was a result of not having enough space for starting seeds but now that we have greenhouse space that problem no longer exists.

A quick look at the weather shows at least 6 days of 40 to 50 degree weather with sun so it looks like our luck is holding.  The only problem is we can not leave a hose out at night because it would freeze, so we must drag it in every night.  This would not be a problem but for the fact that the hose is 150 feet long and fairly heavy.  Maybe we could just try leaving it out once…

Sky full of geese is a sure sign of spring. is a post from: Old hat, zone 4, cold climate garden blog.

This makes it hard to open the door and even harder to get the door to close.  For now we point the heater toward the door for an hour or so while we go about our business.  This keeps the door clean and in good shape.

Last year we attached a layer of insulation on the bottom of the door and that worked for a while but the real trouble is the type of door we use.  It’s an aluminum combination storm door that is meant to be used in addition to a regular wooden or steel door.

The best solution to this problem would be to use a heavy insulated door during the winter months.  The walls hardly ever get frost because both ends are insulated on the inside with 2 inch foam insulation. 

The only other place we get frost is on the steel louvers and this can be a problem, especially when the sun is very bright in February.  During the night the cold air outside causes the ice to form on the inside of the louvers and they freeze shut.  Then when the temperature goes up in the day the motors are stressed trying to open the frozen louvers.  The best we can do is to keep the fan set at a high temperature and keep the louvers coated with WD40 to help keep the water and ice from attaching to the metal.

Ice build up on greenhouse door is a post from: Old hat, zone 4, cold climate garden blog.