Greenhouse Stores Blog

How to Get Rid of Ants in the Garden Fast

Matt W · 27th Aug 2025

Ants do not appear at random. They are seeking two things: food and suitable nesting sites. Understanding these drivers makes control far more effective.

Foraging workers travel along established trails, clustering around sweet food sources such as fallen fruit, aphid honeydew, pet food left outdoors, and poorly managed compost. Black garden ants will also enter homes—especially kitchens—in warm weather when scouts search for new resources.

How to Use Coffee Grounds for Plants: UK Expert Guide 2025

Matt W · 26th Aug 2025

The truth is, coffee grounds contain valuable nutrients that plants crave. Coffee grounds contain compounds that feed healthy soil but they don't lower pH as much as people think. Fresh grounds contain nitrogen (1–2%), phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients like magnesium and calcium. But here's the kicker – used coffee grounds have a nearly neutral pH of around 6.5–6.8, not the acidic punch most people expect.

How to Keep Rats Out of Your Greenhouse and Shed

Matt W · 22nd Aug 2025

Rats enter greenhouses through 20mm gaps at the base, door sweeps, and glazing seals. Matt's rat-proofing method: 6mm mesh under the base, door excluder, and exclusion before trapping.

Homemade Weed Killers: Natural Solutions That Work

Matt W · 21st Aug 2025

Homemade weed killer recipes using vinegar, salt, boiling water and citrus oil. Pet-safe options, application timing and what actually works on perennials, from greenhouse installers with 16 years on UK gardens.

Greenhouse Succulents UK: Growing and Care Guide

Matt W · 20th Aug 2025

Greenhouse succulents thrive in UK conditions when you control temperature (18-24°C daytime), humidity (below 50%) and winter heating. This guide covers the best varieties, seasonal care, heating costs and setup from expert greenhouse installers.

How to Build a Paving Slab Base for a Greenhouse: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Matt W · 20th Aug 2025

Building a solid paving slab base for your greenhouse is one of the most important steps in setting up a successful growing space. A properly constructed base prevents structural damage, ensures proper drainage, and creates a stable foundation that will last for decades. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of creating a professional‑quality paving slab base that any DIY enthusiast can complete.

The Complete Guide to Creating Your Perfect Herb Garden

Matt W · 19th Aug 2025

Growing fresh herbs at home has become increasingly popular, with research showing that 34% of British adults now use their garden or outdoor space to grow their own herbs, fruit and vegetables. Whether you're starting with a simple windowsill collection or planning an elaborate outdoor herb garden, this guide will help you create a thriving herb paradise that provides fresh flavours for your kitchen year-round.

When Do Gladioli Flower in UK Gardens?

Matt W · 8th Aug 2025

Gladioli bring dramatic vertical colour to UK gardens, but timing their flowering correctly makes all the difference between a spectacular display and disappointment. These sword-like beauties have specific needs that, once understood, will reward you with months of stunning blooms.

Tender varieties need lifting in autumn. Wait until foliage yellows naturally, then lift corms carefully. Clean off soil, remove old foliage, and store in a cool, dry, frost-free place over winter.

25 Unusual Things to Grow in a Greenhouse

Matt W · 4th Aug 2025

Change your greenhouse from a simple growing space into an exotic paradise that produces unique harvests, amazes visitors, and gives you year-round gardening satisfaction. Start with easier options like cucamelons and herbs, then gradually add to your exotic plant collection as you get more experience and confidence.

Ready to start your exotic greenhouse journey? Pick 3-4 plants from this list that match your experience level and greenhouse size, then expand your collection as you master each new challenge.

August Gardening Jobs: What to Do in the Garden and Greenhouse

Matt W · 29th Jul 2025

August gardening tasks for UK gardens and greenhouses covering harvesting, winter sowing, propagation and winter preparation.

How to Build a Concrete Shed Base: Complete DIY Guide 2026

Matt W · 25th Jul 2025

A concrete shed base is a 100 mm thick slab of C25-mix concrete poured over 75 mm of compacted MOT Type 1 hardcore. It suits sheds up to 3 m x 2.4 m on level ground. This guide covers the full process: excavation, formwork, mixing, pouring, and curing. Written by installers who lay concrete bases every week.

Think Your Garden is Too Small for a Greenhouse?

Matt W · 23rd Jul 2025

The biggest myth in greenhouse for small garden ownership is that you need a massive garden. Let's debunk this misconception with hard facts about compact greenhouse UK requirements.

Your small garden isn't a limitation—it's an opportunity for focused, intensive growing that can rival much larger setups in productivity per square foot. The key is choosing the right small garden greenhouse size, maximising vertical space, and focusing on high-value crops.

What to Grow in Greenhouse August UK

Matt W · 9th Jul 2025

August in your UK greenhouse is about maximising opportunities. You're harvesting the rewards of summer growing while investing in winter abundance. The key is understanding that successful August growing requires active management—this isn't a month to set things up and hope for the best.

Focus on heat management first. Get your ventilation and shading sorted before you start sowing because failed sowings cost time you can't recover this late in the season. Once conditions are right, be bold with your sowings—your greenhouse gives you growing opportunities that outdoor gardeners simply don't have.

July Gardening Jobs: What to Do in the Garden and Greenhouse

Matt W · 4th Jul 2025

July gardening tasks for UK gardens and greenhouses covering harvesting, feeding, autumn sowing and watering.

Greenhouse Pest Control Guide UK

Matt W · 24th Jun 2025

One aphid can have 80 babies in a week. In your warm greenhouse, that means 6,000+ aphids in a month if you don't catch them early. For UK gardeners, pest control isn't just about plant health?it's about protecting months of work from bugs that love our mild climate.

UK greenhouses are different from outdoor gardening. Outside, cold winters kill most pests and natural predators control the rest. Inside your greenhouse? It's warm, sheltered, and full of food. Perfect conditions for pests.

How to Fix a Lean-to Greenhouse on an Uneven Wall

Matt W · 10th Jun 2025

Fix a lean-to greenhouse on an uneven wall with the timber goalpost framework method. Covers wall assessment, materials, step-by-step levelling, weatherproofing and mounting on brick, render and pebbledash.

What to Grow in a Greenhouse in June

Matt W · 6th Jun 2025

The month brings with it the perfect conditions for establishing tender crops that will provide abundant harvests throughout summer and into autumn. A greenhouse is a great asset to any vegetable plot, enabling gardeners to make the most of the sun.

Even the smallest, unheated structure will allow gardeners to extend the seasons and produce good crops of a wide range of vegetables.

The Ultimate Guide to Slug Control

Matt W · 19th May 2025

12 slug control methods ranked by effectiveness, cost, and environmental impact. Bran barriers scored 5/5 in Gardeners' World trials. Morning watering matches chemical pellets. Copper tape delivers an electrical shock. Tested by UK gardeners and greenhouse installers.

May Gardening Jobs: What to Do in the Garden and Greenhouse

Matt W · 9th May 2025

May gardening jobs for UK gardens and greenhouses covering planting out tender crops, tomato care, ventilation and the Chelsea chop from installers with 16 years experience.

How to Prepare Ground for a Greenhouse Base

Matt W · 8th May 2025

A solid base is the backbone of any greenhouse. You might think skipping this step saves time, but trust me?I've seen plenty of greenhouses fail because of poor foundations. A dodgy base causes more headaches than you'd believe.

What happens with a bad base? Glass cracks. Doors jam. The structure twists. Water pools where it shouldn't. And fixing these problems costs way more than doing it right first time.

Ultimate Guide to Destroying Greenfly

Matt W · 29th Apr 2025

Get rid of greenfly with 14 proven natural methods. Covers washing-up liquid spray, garlic tea, ladybirds, parasitic wasps, companion planting, and ventilation for UK greenhouses and gardens. Includes a comparison table, Matt's Pick for prevention, and FAQs. Written by Matt W with 16 years of greenhouse experience.

A Complete Guide to Roses

Matt W · 29th Apr 2025

Roses remain one of the most beloved flowers in gardens around the world, known for their beauty, scent, and variety. Whether you're looking at them in a grand garden or simply enjoying them on your kitchen table, roses bring joy to many gardeners. This guide covers everything you need to know about picking, planting, and looking after roses so they grow well and produce gorgeous blooms year after year.

Best Position for a Greenhouse UK: Expert Placement Guide 2026

Matt W · 1st Apr 2025

The best position for a greenhouse in the UK is south-facing with the ridge running east to west. Keep at least 2 metres from buildings and trees, on level ground with good drainage. A south-facing 6x8 greenhouse runs 3-5 degrees C warmer than the same model facing north.

April Gardening Jobs: What to Do in the Garden and Greenhouse

Matt W · 1st Apr 2025

April gardening tasks for UK gardens and greenhouses covering hardening off, direct sowing, lawn feeding and weed control.