Gardening under glass is such a joy

Various highlights of a year under glass spring to mind. Picking the first ripe peaches whose ‘good morning’ fragrance greets whoever opens the greenhouse door in late July. The fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, there for the picking throughout summer.

The main display of ornamental potted plants there to be admired and put smiles on faces.

Ducking and weaving to avoid dangling bunches of grapes that appear too lovely to pick, as we enter autumn. And the late flowering chrysanthemums, grown in large pots outdoors but brought in from the cold to illuminate their new environment.

They stand alongside pots of potatoes whose foliage appears rather dull by comparison, but oh the potential! There’s excitement in the air when we tip them up and inspect the out-of-season crop in late-December.

So many special moments permeate the seasons when there’s a greenhouse or polytunnel on site, and it does not have to be the latest top-of-therange model to bring these experiences into your garden. Having visited allotments from Tyne to Tweed as a Northumbria in Bloom judge, I’ve seen such a diversity of structures, some cobbled together from spare timber and glass standing alongside others bought as a package. If they support a crop of tomatoes, et al and bring pleasure, be as creative as budget allows.

This is the most exciting time of year with so much new growth under way and the greenhouse filling rapidly. Decisions will soon have to be made on which of the new plants are tough enough to be turned out.

Meanwhile we’re beginning to tiptoe carefully through trays on the flagged floor.

This age-old advice on buying a greenhouse remains sound. Think of the size you want and how much you are prepared to pay – then double both amounts!