Temporary tent greenhouses are an economical way to get your plants out of your house for the summer. I suggest setting them up in partial shade to reduce the need to mist your plants and to prevent sun-scald. Shade cloth can also be used to shade your greenhouse. The biggest reason to use a greenhouse rather than just hanging your plants directly outside in to prevent over watering from too many rain showers. Covered outdoor porches would work well too.
Moving the plants outside for the summer accomplishes a few things. It cuts down on my electricity bill; keeps it cooler in the house during the hottest months; allows me to do a thorough cleaning of their grow tent homes, and keeps the mess of flower drops and nectar drips to the outside. The drawbacks are you have to be hyper vigilant about bringing pests back inside in the fall.
Below is a photo taken inside my new 8X10 greenhouse as it begins to fill with plants:
Many of these Hoyas will not make it back into the house this year as they have outgrown me. I’m giving them a few more months of very good growing, before the end.
One half of my extremely ugly, but very effective outdoor tent greenhouse with shade cover. The first plant is Hoya sp. IML 0557, which will flower for the first time in 6 or 7 years!!
July just set a record as the hottest one ever recorded here in Vermont!
A little bit of everything in here. These plants only get about 3 hours of sun per day when the sun is shining, which this year is every day!
It is very slow going here right now. The Hoyas are growing like crazy, but as usual I don’t get many new flowers, meaning first-time bloomers in the summer. So over the next couple of days I will show photos of the Hoyas in the greenhouse. All photos were taken this week.
Our growing season here in Vermont is just too short! Here is a photo just before having to bring all of these plants back inside for the year. They are so happy, but after bringing them back indoors they will go into a major sulk.
It is not easy growing Hoyas here in Vermont and the Northeast. Here is a shot of the greenhouse this morning.
It only took myself and my wife a little over six hours to completely assemble this small 6×8 Sunshine greenhouse. I have high hopes for this greenhouse over the summer, and am just really excited to have access to one of these again!
