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From the Ground Up

Growing plants successfully starts with a well thought-out garden or greenhouse. Before you start building either, consider these tips from local experts David Tresselt of Riggio's Garden Center in Essex and Rob Jacobson of Grove Gardens in Clinton.

Building a Greenhouse

Siting is the first factor to consider when building a greenhouse. Generally, the peak of the roof should run from north to south to maximize sunlight.

"You want the sun to track across your greenhouse," says Tresselt. "If it happens to be a longer greenhouse, it does make a difference in how that sun tracks."

The site itself should also be the sunniest spot possible—ideally with no shade at all. Although the greenhouse does not require electricity, venting is necessary during the summer months.

"You need some sort of ventilation, otherwise [plants] get too hot," Tresselt says. "It can be as simple as something that opens the roof a little and lets that heat out top, it can be a small fan."

If using a fan, position it near the peak of the roof where heat accumulates. Or, if you have the funds, install a bimetal ventilation unit. These devices run off of passive convection. They require no electricity to operate, and can be set up to open a small piece of roof when they reach a certain temperature.

"It's a little passive machine that doesn't take any power at all," Tresselt explains. "Those units are not inexpensive, but they're not going to give you any headaches and not going to need any power."

Many greenhouse kits that are available on the market include an option for these passive ventilation systems. They're handy since although fans are cheap, they do require electricity to run. In either case, keeping the greenhouse cool will make it a more comfortable place in which to work. If you do install electricity, another option is to heat your greenhouse, which will allow you to start plants earlier in the season and keep them alive longer. Keep in mind that greenhouses have very little insulation, so heating one will not be cheap.

"Most people opt not to have heat," notes Tresselt. "Unless you're really into growing orchids or doing something specialized, heat is not worth the money."

Inside the greenhouse, your plants should be on tables, both to keep the plants warmer and to work on them at a comfortable height. Solid-surface tables will collect water and eventually rot. Instead, choose tables that will drain, with surfaces such as plastic or metal grating—or something as simple as plywood drilled with holes, decking with spaces in between the boards where water can drain out, or an old table with holes drilled in it. This will also prevent water from collecting underneath the plants, which may harm them.

A shade cloth is a useful addition to a greenhouse to reduce heat during July and August. An alternative is specialty paint designed for the outside of a greenhouse, which comes off easily. Automatic watering systems are not necessary—in fact, they may even be detrimental.

"Even here we water almost everything by hand," says Tresselt. "It takes considerably more time but you have a lot more control. If you have the time to do it, hand-watering is much more effective and you'll be in touch with your plants and know what's going on."

Building a Garden

For a vegetable garden, siting is similar to that of a greenhouse. Choose the sunniest spot you can find. A slightly sloped area is fine, especially if it's a south-facing slope. Then, start with the soil.

"The whole garden is about the soil," says Tresselt. "Everything comes out of that soil."

With a vegetable garden, you'll want as much organic matter in the soil as possible.

"Our soils in this area tend to be mostly mineral, mostly ground-up rocks and sand, so you want to add as much organic matter as you can," says Tresselt.

Organic matter includes everything from composted manure to composted leaves and your household compost pile. Turn the finished compost into your soil, and continue to add more compost year after year.

"You want a soil that's going to have the organic base in it and hold the moisture and nutrients that vegetables require," says Jacobson. "You can grow certain vegetables in a leaner soil, such as lettuce and quick crops such as cabbage, but you're going to get better results with a richer soil as well."

Jacobson recommends adding peat moss to increase the amount of organic matter in your soil. Peat moss loosens up heavy soil, and also increases moisture retention in dry soil, making it a good addition to either soil type. However, "when you add peat moss you're adding organic matter that is 5 [pH] or below, so it's important to lime that soil," Jacobson advised. "It's good to use—you just have to adjust the pH end of it."

Using your own compost can also make your soil more acidic.

"Connecticut tends to be more on the acidic side for soils in general," says Jacobson, who noted the pH level should be close to 7. To determine whether pH adjustment is necessary, as well as other factors, both Tresselt and Jacobson recommend getting your soil tested. The University of Connecticut (www.soiltest.uconn.edu) offers inexpensive soil analysis for home owners.

"It'll tell you to adjust the pH, basic soil structure, and levels and amounts of fertilizer," says Tresselt. "It's well worth the few bucks it costs to do it."

The laboratory will recommend types of fertilizers to add, specific to your soil, as well as potential problems. Don't worry too much about whether you use organic or chemical fertilizers; however, the latter is cheaper.

"It doesn't matter what source it comes from, the plant will use it, but organic fertilizer does add a little more organic material into the soil," notes Jacobson.

As for weeds, you can add weed inhibitors that prevent seed germination—so long as you're planting seedlings and not seeds. Other methods include loosening up the soil to dry out and kill weeds, or putting down weed-free hay or bark mulch. Keep the area around your garden clear and your grass cut to help reduce weeds, too.

Finally, if you live in an area where rabbits, woodchucks, or deer browse with any regularity, consider protecting your garden with a fence.

"They'll just decimate your vegetable garden," says Tresselt. "The best and most foolproof method is just to put a fence around your garden."

For deer, the fence should be five or six feet tall. It doesn't need to be chain link, just a barrier that the deer cannot get through. After going through the effort of building a garden and growing your own vegetables, you won't want to see a deer or rabbit stealing your hard-won results.