Download full newsletter hereOverview / what’s happening this month Last month in my Winter Gardenz greenhouse, I planted a range of leafy green seedlings and it took only 2-3 weeks to start harvesting these daily. Growth rates have picked up even more the last fortnight (it’s been very mild here) and I am enjoying a daily salad or two of lettuce, parsley, coriander, celery, kale, silverbeet and corn salad. I slashed the autumn green...

Tomatoes are generally a pretty easy food-producing plant to grow. They also have endless varieties in cooking and can be easily preserved by canning into diced tomatoes, sauces, salsas, and more. Learning to grow tomatoes is worth the effort, especially when they can reach prices of up to $15/kilo in the off season in New Zealand!The chart above gives you a quick reference as to monthly temperatures, approximate greenhouse temperatures and t...

Those pesky little slimy creepers can be quite annoying to the greenhouse grower.  And yes, they do eat your plants and you do want to get rid of them. They'll eat tomato plants at night and can quickly destroy a small plant. Slugs live in the organic matter on top of your soil then the hide away during the day, so you may not even know what's eating your plants unless you know what to look for.   They generally come out...

The last 2 months = neglect and complete replanting  The last few months I’ve been dealing with a severe calf strain which has affected my ability to get to the glasshouse (it’s located down a flight of stairs and a small bank). I made unfortunate but necessary decision to abandon it and needless to say it became an almighty overgrown mess.  Overgrown mess after 2 months of neglect  This did however pr...

Have you been to the grocery store lately? Isn’t it starting to feel a bit like you’re getting robbed when you walk in and see those prices? Wouldn’t it be great if you could just grow your own food all year round? Wait, you can!  Growing in a greenhouse is not only fun and rewarding, it also has the benefit of providing you with amazing food year-round. Of course you can grow outside too, and when the weather permits, that’s...

Download the Full December newsletter here This month is the Glasshouse  This month I’ve been focusing on a few specific things, namely: improving fertility (older leaves on the parsley and silverbeet are yellowing off quickly - indicating a nitrogen deficiency), erecting the shade canopy, fine-tuning the irrigation and direct sowing a lot more seeds to keep the supply of fresh greens going.  Fertility...

Planting tomatoes horizontally or on their side can promote more root growth, which in turn can help the plant grow stronger and produce more fruit. With winter approaching, if you've got seedlings going that are about half a meter tall or less and not going to fruit outside in time, now's a good time to bring them into your Winter Gardenz greenhouse and try horizontal planting in containers.  When you plant a tomato horizontally, yo...

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Harvesting and herbs It’s been steady as she goes the last few months with daily picking of greens, peas, beans, cucumber, tomatoes and herbs (aka daily salads). I don’t know how it’s escaped me for so long but I’m only just discovering how good a diversity of fresh herbs taste over a bed of greens. I have oregano, basil, parsley, sorrel, thyme and tarragon planted. These herbs love the glasshouse where I can give them water sparingly and they...

If you are planning to grow lettuces in a Winter Gardenz greenhouse during winter in Auckland, you can enjoy fresh, crisp greens all year round with the help of a Winter Gardenz Frost Guard heater.Firstly, it's important to choose lettuce varieties that are suitable for cooler temperatures, such as winter density, Arctic king, and rouge d'hiver. You can utilise the space in your greenhouse by adding shelving and growing the lettuces i...

As cooler weather approaches, this is the perfect time of year to bring some of those heat-loving peppers inside your Winter Gardenz greenhouse to continue producing throughout the winter.  Today we're talking specifically about capsicums and increasing yield through pruning.If you want to increase the yield of your capsicum (bell pepper) plants, you should consider pruning. Pruning capsicum plants will stimulate new growth and increase th...

A greenhouse as a wedding venueWhen it comes to crafting a truly memorable wedding, couples are constantly seeking unique and extraordinary venues to celebrate their special day. In the serene town of Warkworth, New Zealand, an unforgettable wedding took place. Discover how one Winter Gardenz architectural greenhouse was transformed into a captivating wedding venue that left guests in awe.From the moment this customer decided to build a greenho...