This expanded edition of our superb greenhouse bible includes a new section on orchids, profiles on more than 300 plants, the latest information on integrated pest management, 250 new illustrations, the newest gadgets, and important considerations in acquiring a greenhouse. Hortldeas writes: "Virtually any question which might be asked by either a novice or an advanced home greenhouse gardener is answered fully." Smith has more than 20 years of gardening experience and is director of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.

Since its inception in 1977, Shane Smith has served as the director (and co-founder) of the Cheyenne Botanic Garden, Wyoming's only public botanic garden. It is a people-oriented, solar heated and powered project. Under his direction, the project has received recognition awards from Presidents Reagan, Bush (senior) and Clinton. The project also received the community hero award from Wyoming Governor Geringer. Smith has a degree in Horticultural Science and has attained Registration as a “Horticultural Therapist HT,” from the American Horticultural Therapy Association. He also served a year as a Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Studies at Harvard University, where he both lectured and pursued studies in design, community issues, and leadership. Greenhouse Gardener's Companion is Smith's third published book. He currently produces a weekly garden-oriented radio program. Additionally, he has consulted and lectured on gardening, horticultural therapy, greenhouses, and community greening for over 28 years in 27 different states as well as Mexico, Venezuela and Canada.

Acknowledgments

ix

Introduction

xi

The Greenhouse or Sunspace Environment

1

(68)

Designing and Building a New Greenhouse

2

(5)

Glazing

7

(7)

Measuring Light in the Greenhouse

14

(3)

Sun Substitutes: Choosing the Right Lighting System

17

(10)

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the Greenhouse

27

(3)

Setting Up for Composting

30

(3)

Watering Your Greenhouse Plants

33

(6)

Humidity

39

(6)

Air Temperature

45

(7)

Soil Temperature

52

(2)

Cooling and Ventilating the Greenhouse and Sunspace

54

(10)

Weather and the Greenhouse

64

(3)

Gizmos for the Greenhouse

67

(2)

Interior Design

69

(25)

Visualizing and Planning Your Greenhouse Space

69

(8)

Aisles and Floors

77

(1)

Propagation Bench

78

(4)

Potting Area

82

(1)

Shelves

83

(1)

Mixing Garden and Leisure Space

84

(1)

Putting Plants to Soil

85

(8)

Be Adaptable!

93

(1)

Greenhouse Seasons and Microclimates: Making The Most of Your Sunspace

94

(20)

Greenhouse Seasons

94

(3)

Plants in the Greenhouse Environment

97

(6)

Using Your Greenhouse Space Effectively

103

(4)

Planting Patterns

107

(6)

Use the Seasons and Microclimates to Your Advantage!

113

(1)

Selecting the Right Plants

114

(13)

Mail-Order Catalogs

114

(2)

Hybrids: Advantages and Disadvantages

116

(2)

Selecting Vegetable Varieties

118

(2)

Plants for the Solar-Heated and Cool-Winter Greenhouse

120

(2)

Choosing Bushy Versus Tall Plants

122

(1)

Disease Resistance

123

(1)

Pest Resistance

124

(1)

Greenhouse Varieties

125

(1)

Plants That Need Winter

125

(1)

Vive la Difference!

126

(1)

Plant Propagation

127

(19)

Seed Propagation

128

(2)

Germinating and Planting Seeds

130

(8)

Transplanting

138

(4)

Giving Plants the Slip While Cloning Around

142

(4)

Pollination

146

(7)

Why Plants Flower

146

(1)

Environmental Conditions for Pollination

146

(1)

What and How to Pollinate

147

(4)

Setting Fruit Artificially

151

(1)

Pollinating Tropical and Subtropical Fruiting Plants

151

(1)

Final Thoughts on Pollination

152

(1)

Scheduling

153

(19)

Scheduling Considerations: Before You Begin

153

(4)

Growing Plants for the Outside Garden

157

(2)

Bringing Plants in from the Outside Garden

159

(2)

Growing Ornamental Flowering Plants in the Greenhouse

161

(1)

Growing Vegetables in the Greenhouse

162

(9)

Create Your Own Schedule

171

(1)

A Closer Look at the Plants

172

(143)

How to Use This Chapter

172

(131)

Ornamental Flowering Crops

172

(82)

Fruits and Vegetables

254

(48)

Herbs

302

(1)

Herb Cultivation

303

(1)

Processing and Using Herbs

303

(12)

Getting to the Roots

315

(39)

The Year-Round Soil

316

(1)

Basic Requirements for Healthy Soil

316

(4)

Nutrients for Soil and Plants

320

(5)

Fertilizers

325

(2)

Equipment and Feeding: Fertilizer Siphons, Injectors, and Foliar Feeding

327

(1)

A Word About Hydroponics

328

(3)

Soil Amendments

331

(12)

The Effect of Soil Temperature on Fertilizer Uptake

343

(1)

Maintaining Healthy, Fertile Soil

344

(6)

Repotting and Up-potting

350

(2)

Using Mulches in a Greenhouse

352

(1)

The Way to Approach Working with Soil

353

(1)

When Things Go Wrong: Managing Pests and Diseases in the Greenhouse

354

(81)

Your Best Defense: Know Your Plants!

355

(1)

Causes and Effects of Problems: Animal, Mineral, or You?

356

(1)

Pest-Control Strategies

357

(2)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

359

(5)

The Basics of a Successful IPM Program

364

(4)

Sprays with IPM

368

(3)

IPM and Patience

371

(1)

Beneficial Critters That Feed on Many Pests

371

(5)

Sprays as Pest Controls

376

(4)

Alternative Sprays and Concoctions for Pest Control

380

(9)

Other Naturally Based Pest Sprays

389

(3)

Spray Adjuvants and Additives

392

(1)

Other Nonspray Pest Controls

393

(3)

Know Your Pests

396

(1)

How to Use This Section

396

(1)

Identifying Pests in Your Greenhouse

396

(1)

Common Greenhouse Pests

397

(26)

Weeds

422

(1)

Diseases

422

(1)

Organism-Caused Diseases and Characteristics

423

(3)

Disease-Control Strategies

426

(3)

Common Greenhouse Plant Diseases

429

(3)

Environmentally Caused Diseases

432

(2)

Diseases: A Final Word

434

(1)

Epilogue: A Glimpse at the Future

435

(12)

The Greenhouse as a Home-Production Unit

435

(1)

The Community Greenhouse Concept

436

(4)

New Purposes for the Greenhouse

440

(1)

Future Pest Control

440

(1)

The Future Greenhouse in the Present

441

(2)

Greenhouses and World Hunger

443

(1)

High Technology and the Greenhouse

443

(1)

Biotechnology in the Greenhouse

444

(1)

In Conclusion

445

(2)

Appendixes

447

(37)

1. Helpful Associations and Organizations

447

(2)

2. Average Percent Possible Sunshine

449

(5)

3. Mail-Order Pest Control

454

(4)

4. Material Properties: Glazing, Thermal Storage, and Water for Solar Heating

458

(3)

5. Mail-Order Plants

461

(5)

6. Mail-Order Seeds

466

(5)

7. Mail-Order Supplies

471

(7)

8. Record Keeping

478

(6)

Bibliography and Further Reading and Resources

484

(1)

Index

485

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

We're the #1 textbook rental company. Let us show you why.

Greenhouse Gardener's Companion, Revised and Expanded Edition Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace

9781555914509

1555914500

Supplemental Materials

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Rewards Program