Last week in Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden we put the bubble wrap up in our greenhouse. Up until now we had been very lucky with the recent mild temperatures allowing us the time to thoroughly clean the inside of the glass and supports before adding the insulation. Our heater is now keeping the temperatures at a steady level, and adding the bubble wrap will help with the cost efficiency. If you don’t heat your greenhouse, the bubble insulation is an even more important addition to help protect your plants from the worst of the winter cold.
As well as overwintering crops from the Kitchen Garden, we will also use the greenhouse as shelter for tender plants from around the ornamental gardens. Other plants that are too large to be moved, such as our olive trees, will be covered with a plant jacket to make sure they are safely snug and protected from frost.
Most of our remaining crops in the Kitchen Garden are now protected with a layer of fleece, however we still keep a small supply of it to hand should a real dip in temperatures be forecast.
At the moment we are experiencing very wet weather in Stephanie’s Kitchen Garden, and this can pose other problems for our crops. It’s important to keep and eye on crops such as brussel sprouts which could start to rot on their stems. Our winter salads will be covered with a pvc cover in their manger to allow us to control the levels of moisture they receive as well as providing shelter from wind and frost.
