Don’t be tempted to leave your greenhouse standing empty over the autumn and winter months. The protection offered by your greenhouse will not only help you to keep tender plants frost-free, but it will also enable you to grow hardy crops, such as salads and herbs, all throughout the winter. 

The main consideration to make, is to ensure that your plants are getting plenty of light, as the natural light levels are lower during the winter. Remove any leftover shading material from the summer and clean the glass thoroughly to maximise the available light. It might also be beneficial to use or invest in some green house staging to put plants on so they are better exposed to the light. The following plants are all perfect for the growing conditions present in a cold greenhouse through the autumn and winter. 

Hardy Herbs

Pot up chives, parsley and mint in the autumn and bring them into the greenhouse, where they’ll continue growing all winter. It’s worth planting up several pots of each, so you can harvest them in succession for a continuous supply of fresh herbs for your kitchen.

Rhubarb

Lift a rhubarb crown in autumn and leave it on the soil surface – it’s hardy enough to survive being frosted. Bring the crown into the greenhouse in late December and cover with a large tub to exclude light. Pick the stems when approximately 30cm long.

Spring Bulbs

Pot up tulips, daffodils and hyacinths in the autumn and stand them outside for six weeks. Then bring into the greenhouse to encourage early blooms. When buds appear, take the pots into the house and enjoy the display.

Winter Salads

Try hardy lettuces, such as ‘Salad Bowl’, as well as rocket, pak choi, mizuna, lamb’s lettuce and spinach. Sow in trays or pots of compost, then plant seedlings into large containers, border soil or this year’s old growing bags.

Tender Perennials

Many summer bedding plants can be overwintered in a cold greenhouse, including fuchsias, marguerites and pelargoniums. The extra protection provided will keep these plants alive. Water sparingly.