Also known as the winter solstice... now the days can start getting longer again!

I am ready for spring!

I love turning this corner.

Same here!

We are getting a deluge of much needed rain today that I am very grateful for. But it really accentuates the whole darkness thing being socked in like this and now my wood is soaked so I'm going to have to bail on my little solstice bonfire part of the celebration
That's okay though--I'm really happy for the rain Now I won't have to water trees and shrubs under the snow

Obligatory:

Click here for Solstice Cheer!

Asa, Jethro Tull was never a favorite of mine ... but this is great! thanks for sharing

I'm with Deb on turning the corned. Even though it will be getting a lot colder soon, just know the days are getting longer, and spring is not far away, makes me happy.

Horntoad said:I'm with Deb on turning the corned. Even though it will be getting a lot colder soon, just know the days are getting longer, and spring is not far away, makes me happy.

Yeah, glad for the longer days, but very discouraged. Greenhouse plants doing terrible.
haven't had many nice sunny days lately and it's very humid and it seems like maybe the CFLs I've added have warmed it too much and made the mildew grow ?? I have white mildew looking stuff all over the soil in almost ALL of the plants in there. Cleaned it off the top layer - and sprayed it with some neem oil (which said it was good for powdery mildew) -- but I'm not really sure it's powdery mildew since it wasn't on the leaves

I have great luck getting everything sprouted and then it goes downhill from there. I'm sure I'll learn over time, but my visions of eating arugula, lettuce and radishes this winter seem to be disappearing. darn. And I thought because I have a "green thumb" with house plants that this would be easy for me.

Carol, how do you move the air in your greenhouse?

Carol, gardening can be very frustrating at times, no matter how long you've been at it. (At least once a year something gives me a reason to say "I'm glad I'm not trying to make a living doing this," and I've been gardening for about 40 years now. There are a lot of things to learn, from timing, to what varieties to best in your area, to how much (or little) to water, etc etc etc. And then Mother Nature will still throw some kind of monkey wrench at you.

I'm far removed from your zone, but I can't help but think that things like lettuce, radishes and arugula would be doing better outside the GH in your area at this time of year. They are very cold tolerant crops, even if you have a light frost they will be fine; and if the temps are going lower than that, just a covering of Reemay (or a similar "floating row cover" material) should suffice to protect them. Obviously, though, I'm just guessing here -- lots of people on ATP from the south, I hope someone will chime in that has more definitive info. Just don't give up too quickly -- you'll be glad you didn't !

@drdawg my GH is only 6 x 8 and I'm using a small clip on fan- and opening the vents in the ceiling (hoping some air flow is still there even though covered with the solar cover). Today it was sunny so I left the door all the way open. Put the clip on fan on a stool right in front of the door to draw in air. I haven't done that part for 4-5 days because it's been too cool, but I've kept the fan circulating even with the door closed.

@weedwhacker you are probably right in that those veggies might do better outside. We have tons of deer and they eat everything in sight, so that's a challenge too. I am terrified of snakes -- so I'd hoped to enjoy "gardening in the greenhouse" during the winter and avoid those snakes-- kind of scared that they might sneak out for a winter sunning !

This summer I used my finger to pluck a few dry leaves out of the parsley pot that was on a plant stand on the patio -- and lo and behold, a snake stuck its head out ! My husband couldn't believe it -- if there is one in a hundred miles it will find me! And, unlike Michigan where I grew up, we have rattlers, coral snakes, water moccasins, copper heads, and so forth, here. Thus I am very attracted to the idea of winter gardening - inside the greenhouse.

the poisonous snakes are definitely a big drawback to the south, in my opinion! Snakes in general don't bother me, but like you said, here in MI they are not dangerous. I lived in S. Carolina for a short time, about 6 months, and hated the fact that going for a little walk in the woods was so potentially hazardous...

I guess in that case I would suggest uncovering the GH and opening it up (vents, door, whatever) as fully as possible!

@weedwhacker Believe you're right --- so is @DRDAWG -- I probably need a lot more fresh air in there. I may add another fan - and open the door even when it's a bit chilly. I also wonder .... I've been buying Miracle Grow organic soil - in bags, and it's always very, very wet. Wonder if it could be breeding something. Every bag I've bought is that way. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've had this mold stuff appear.

Someone on this site suggested spraying with chamomile tea periodically to prevent it and that helped for 4-5 weeks Maybe I'm also misting too much and not letting things dry out like they should.

So, I'll try to stay positive and keep slugging away until I get better with it. I love getting my hands in the dirt.

Carol, I HATE when the potting soil is soggy like that ! Around here, and probably where you are, they have stacks of the bags outdoors, where they're exposed to rain, and they soak up a ton of water. I try to either get bags that have been stored indoors, or are underneath the others and somewhat protected from the elements... it's pretty easy to tell when you pick a bag up, by the weight difference.

And yes, I would definitely just try to let the soil dry out -- a LOT. I doubt that you really need to do anything in the way of misting right now, with the lettuce, arugala and radishes, at least. (Believe me, I've killed plenty of plants with 'kindness,' as well as with neglect... it can be hard to get the right balance ! In fact, this past summer was the first time I can remember that I killed off some of my seedlings by overwatering... I decided to really go all in with the garden this year - instead of dividing my time with other hobbies like golfing - and might have gone a little overboard with the attention to the plants )

Carol, I have stated this many times, so forgive me if it is a repeat for you, but air movement is EVERYTHING in a greenhouse environment. Even though your greenhouse may be half the size of one of mine, the dynamics do not change. Plants, particularly tender ones simply don't do well in stagnant air. What does do well is mold, mildew, and other noxious fungi and bacteria! So get a (cheap) box fan and a timer, and run that fan 6-8 hr. every day (whether the door or vent is open or not). You can put the fan at the far end-wall, on the floor, and it won't "blast" your plants that way. Believe me, this alone will make a big difference.

Let your soil dry out before watering. I would only mist IF you see the leaves wilting and then ONLY do so in the morning. You want those plants and those tender leaves to have time to dry out before nightfall.

I custom-make all my potting mixes, so I don't use commercial potting mixes, at least not in its bagged state. I find it TOO water retentive and I want well-draining soil, not soggy soil. What you can do is get a bottle of Physan 20 and drench your potting soil before putting that soil into pots or trays (and I am guessing here, so others may have a better feel of what to do). You might want to just fill up a 5 gal. bucket of potting soil, drench the soil with the Physan, and use that soil as needed.

@drdawg thank you very much for the info. Heading to Home Depot to see if they have a box fan. Thanks for the other good info too. Never heard of that product for the soil but will find it. Fingers crossed I learn to greenhouse garden --thanks for the help.

Like most of us here on ATP, I learned from doing, and making my fair share of mistakes along the way. That's the advantage of your using us as a sounding board. We and now you learn from our mistakes. I guess you can say we are "mentors".

I agree with all I read above: air movement and venting. It sounds like most of your crops are cold-tolerant, so daily venting may help a little.

I've read that underwatering is a good idea in wintertime hoop tunnels.

One way to mitigate the effect of soggy soilless mixes and humid or stagnant air is to provide a dry surface on each pot. Think of it as "mini-mulching". I like pine bark chunks around a half-inch for small pots, or up to one inch for larger pots. Water runs right around them. Then air circulates enough to dry the bark chunks. This may help keep soil-dwelling fungus and mold away from the plant stems.

You'll still have to keep the air moving and less humid, or mold spores will start living on leaves.

And bottom watering is sure to keep the root zone moist with less humidity than surface misting will. The soil surface needs to dry out often. Only the roots need water.

P.S. When water evaporates from moist soil, the evaporation removes a lot of heat from the soil. If the humid air then condenses on the plastic greenhouse wall, it exports that heat right out of the greenhouse. Dryer air will probably also translate into warmer air.