What to do with greenhouse July-February

[bigbeautifulmonster]

I love sowing and taking cuttings in Spring, I house chillies over the summer, but generally once my seedlings are out by June/July (apart from chillies and toms) my greenhouse turns into a messy storage mess which is such a waste.

It's unheated (no power) so over the Autumn and winter it's full of pots and tools empty. How can I use it all year round? I'd love to see photos of how you're using yours, for those willing to share.

Use it as you would a cold frame for over-wintering. Now is the time to take cuttings of perennials, for instance.

Grow hardy annuals. Last year I grew snapdragons, ammi majus, briza maxima, nigella and larkspur. Oh and sweet peas, they're so easy!

Oh good this sounds great!
I didn't think they'd survive in a cold greenhouse. Thank you!

I'd be worried about over/under watering during colder months. How often do you water undercover when it is cold? I wouldn't want to encourage mould etc (leave door open??)

They don't need much water, just when the tray starts to feel light. It depends on the weather. Greenhouse open in decent weather to get air circulating, just close if it's very cold/wet to protect them (and at night, generally). You can Google how cold they can cope with.

It's really fun and gets you through the dark winter knowing you're growing flowers for next year! Not everything survives of course, but I had enough for my garden. I started off in 2020 watching Zoe Woodward on Instagram, she talks you through everything.

Another voter for sweetpeas started in the autumn. Pinch their tops when about 5 inches and you'll have strong early flowering plants. Only problem over winter is hungry mice who Love the seeds. I now hang my trays from the roof bars to avoid the pests! Ranunculus and Anemone are lovely too, very welcome early flowers if started in the greenhouse. You are right to think about watering, it's easy to over do it, water from the bottom when the pot is light. Good luck!

Thank you for the excellent advice. I've just looked up Zoe Woodward and I've learnt so much already from watching just a couple of reels.

I'm so excited now!