Julia Wilson

There’s a lot to consider when you set up a new greenhouse in your garden. You need to think about factors such as shade, shelter, warmth and ventilation. It is also important to consider the materials that you use carefully and how much space you have. By far, one of the most important decisions you will make is your choice of greenhouse staging. The staging you choose will depend on the use of your greenhouse. What type of plants are you growing? What environment do you want?

You’ll need at least one bench to put your pots, plants and flowers on. It needs to be sturdy and well made too so that it can hold the weight. If you’re looking into some larger and heavy pots options when growing your plants, this is crucial. Some benches and staging are not designed to hold heavier weights so you’ll need to consider alternatives.

See also: https://www.leekgarden.com/polycarbonate-greenhouse/

Setting up the staging, you do want to look at how effective the environment is. You should avoid restricting movement in the greenhouse because this will make it feel cramped. Remember, this isn’t just a place you can use to grow your plants. It could also be an excellent space for a nice cup of tea if you have enough room. Let’s look at some of the staging options that you can consider.

Choosing How Many Tiers
You need to think about how many levels you want for your greenhouse staging. Some people will settle for one level for their plants. It could be the best choice if you only have a few plants in your greenhouse. It will provide the ideal height from the ground for your plants to gain the most sunlight and warmth. Alternatively, you can consider using two or three tier staging. If you have a small greenhouse, you can make the most out of the limited space. In larger greenhouses, you can spread your plants out more so you can use fewer levels.

Be aware that more tiers could make the staging that you use unstable. At the point of four or more levels, you may find the shelves shake when you touch them. They will hold as long as the plants on top of them are not too large. But you may want to be careful with how much weight you put on some of the higher levels.
The best choice for an average greenhouse would be two tiers.

Selecting The Right Material
Once you have decided how many tiers to use, you can think about different build choices. For smaller potted plants, you should consider aluminium greenhouse staging. Since it is quite light, it’s easy to setup and take down. For heavier plants, you will want to pick something a little stronger. Especially if you are using large, bulky apparatus such as heaters.

You always need to be careful when choosing different staging. Aluminium staging should still be strong enough to hold heavier potted plants. Remember, when potted plants are wet, their weight increases. After you have watered the plants inferior staging could collapse due to the extra weight.

For heavier plants, you could choose a strengthened wood staging solution. This wooden staging will be sturdy enough to hold the largest plants. However, they can take up a lot of space in smaller greenhouses. Is the extra support necessary? It does tend to depend on what you are planning to grow.  

You can get wooden benches that fold and are easy to put away when they are not in use. It’s an excellent choice if you plan on regularly changing the layout of your greenhouse. Although, benches like this are a usually a little more expensive compared to aluminium staging. You might also find that they are harder to position in smaller spaces.

Many people also worry about how long wood will last before it starts to rot. In a greenhouse, the environment is regulated to maximise plant growth. This can have an adverse impact on the wooden staging. If you do buy a timber staging, make sure it has been treated with rot resistant chemicals. If you do this, you won’t have to worry about the wood growing weaker after just a few years due to rot.

Modular Staging
Think about how much space you want each plant to have. As we explained, if you want the most amount of space, you should choose one tier greenhouse staging. But you can also get modular staging to separate different types of plants or separate pots into individual areas. You can pick the number of units based on how many plants you have. Or, alternatively, you can have a single wide space on each tier for all your plants. It depends on how you want your greenhouse laid out and what you’re growing. Some plants are more likely to develop with the maximum amount of space.

Different Styles
When selecting your greenhouse staging, you can choose from numerous different styles. For instance, you can purchase potting benches. These benches have deeper shelves compared to conventional staging. That makes them perfect for composting, helping ensure that your plants reach their full potential. You can buy these with one or two tiers depending on how many plants you have. They also come in a wide variety of different sizes, so you can choose which one fits your greenhouse. Remember, size is an important choice for practicality. If you are setting up near the door, you need to make sure that the staging doesn’t jut out. Otherwise, you might bump into it walking in the greenhouse, and that could cause a big mess.

You may need seed trays for your greenhouse as well. Before you put your plants in pots, let them seed naturally, in the soil and compost first. Seed trays can be purchased with multiple tiers, making them a real space saver. By their nature, seed trays don’t require much vertical space at all. Therefore they won’t take up a large area and will fit into any greenhouse.

Unique Options
You may also want to get greenhouse staging that is height adjustable. You don’t want to constantly be standing on your tiptoes or bending down to look after your plants. You can set the staging at chair height or just above your chest. It will also allow you to adjust the shelves to make sure plants get the most amount of light throughout the day.

Colours And Shades
You might want to consider the different shades and colours that you use for your greenhouse staging. Don’t forget that lighter and brighter colours naturally deflect light. If you don’t want your staging to get too hot, make sure you use bright, aluminium staging. If you want the extra heat, you can paint your staging a darker colour. Again, this depends on what type of plants you are growing and how much heat they need. If you’re growing tropical plants in the UK, you’re going to need all the heat you can get. You will probably even need to use electric heaters in your greenhouse.

DIY Staging

If you don’t want to purchase your greenhouse staging, you can choose to DIY. Many gardeners build their staging, usually because they have special needs for their plants. For instance, if you want a heated sand bed, typical seed staging is not going to be able to take that kind of weight. Therefore, creating one yourself might be the best option. Again, make sure you build out of a durable material such as hardwood to ensure the staging holds.  

Altering Your Staging
You may find that you need to change your shelving around, based on the season. For instance, in the winter, potted plants are going to require more warmth. If you have a lean to greenhouse, it’s best to put the staging against the side that is leaning on the wall of the garage or shed. If you don’t have a lean to greenhouse, you may want to move your staging to the south wall. Aluminium Staging is lighter and therefore might be a better choice because it's easier to move.

As you can see, there are plenty of different things to consider when choosing your staging. The main issue is always going to be weight. You need to be able to guarantee that your shelves can support all your plants. If you understand all the staging options, you’ll be able to keep your greenhouse neat, tidy and the perfect place for your plants.

Shared from: swgreenhouses

1. Choosing Leeks with Premium Quality
A lot of people mistakenly identify the large scallions and leeks. Bear in mind that the leeks' bulbs are round and straight. Consider looking for leeks with fresh and crisp leaves that are dark green and have stalks that are supple and healthy.

The ideal bulbs are white-colored that runs two inches up the stem. The small and medium-sized leeks have the best flavor. You need to make sure that the leeks are derived from the area in which they were sustainably grown. Else, consider growing leeks by yourself.

2. Thoroughly clean the leeks
Leeks are best known for being filthy. There are many layers in which soil may slip in and hide, therefore if you do not like gritty leeks, make sure to wash them properly. Begin by chopping off the dark green portion on top and cut in two lengthwise. Most of its exterior greens may slip off since they tend to retain the soil. Then, wash them under water and then wash off before inspecting for residual dirt.

You can use your thumb in the leek’s looser borders to check. At this point, you may cut or chop the leeks. Based on your liking, you may use them right away, or deep freeze them to preserve for later. Make sure to rinse them thoroughly. This stage allows you to take away small creepy crawlies and grit that could be caught up among the leaves. Just get it done by cutting off the leek top before chopping the leek stalk into a single inch from its bottom.
After drying out the leaves, secure the bulbs' end, swish the end of their shoot intensely in the cold water sink. Finally, cut or chop into a smaller size. You must chop up leeks before freezing, so it will be more convenient to obtain the saving space as well as the ideal container.

3. Blanch and Freeze
Quite a few people think that it is unnecessary to blanch leeks before freezing. Nevertheless, the majority of the skilled cook opts for blanching measures because it could store the leeks for a longer time. To a point, blanching them is fast enough, simple, and uncomplicated with following procedures:

 Bring one big water container to boil. Then, load this huge container with halfway filled with ice before adding up water until it gets to 3/4 full. At this point, position the colander in the basin.

 When awaiting the water to heat up, cut and clean the leeks by the above instructions.

 While the water in the pot is at the moving boil, include all leeks in. Mix and leave them for fifty seconds. Within that period, their shade will enhance quickly.

 Now, drain the above container cautiously and place it into the colander in the basin. After that, quickly dump the leeks into the cold water container. In this way, the cold water ceases cooking.

 As soon as the leeks are cool to touch, put them back to the colander for the last time before finally draining off.

There are two approaches in freezing leeks – the tray pack-place and the dry pack-place. What’s the difference between the two? In a tray pack-place, the leeks are placed in a cookie sheet prior to freezing.

Having all leeks prepared, the vegetables are transferred to big containers. Then, the containers are closed, securely labeled, and placed in a freezer to start the freezing process. The tray pack-place method is beneficial in a sense that it utilized tray packs to segregate the vegetables.

The other approach to freezing is the dry pack-place. In this approach, the leeks are cut into pieces and placed in big containers prior to closing and labeling.

4. Freezing the oil from leeks
Aside from the recommended tips mentioned, another way of preserving leeks requires you to make oil from leeks before freezing. How do you accomplish that? The steps are pretty simple. Fist, blanch and puree the leaves. Puree the bulbs and leeks using a food blender or processor.

Always add enough extra virgin oil to the blender or processor. Once done mixing, make the paste or sauce. Load up the cube trays with several ice pieces and place the oil of leeks on top. Freeze the mixture. Pop out the cubes before transfer of mixture to containers or freezer bags. The cube should be about a tablespoon of leek oil.

Another way is to pour or spoon the oil straight into the freezer bags. Put enough oil to fill up the horizontal surface of the container. Here, you will have pancake product made from leeks oil and can be used for the long term.

5. Ensure proper packaging

For proper storage, provide proper moisture to freezer containers and ensure that they are vapor resistant. They may not crack or break at low temperatures. The suitable containers should give adequate protection against the smells or flavoring absorbed and be simple and pleasant to the labeling activities. The proper package consists of heavy aluminum foil, laminated plastic at the fridge grade, glass storage containers or hard storage containers manufactured from plastic.

The optimum period for leek storage is approximately 1 year at 0º F. If you wish to refrigerate leeks, make sure you get rid of the extra moisture. You may blot through the use of the paper towel. After that, put them in the perforated bags and cover them nicely in plastic for the extra storage of approximately two weeks at 0º F.

Read more: https://www.leekgarden.com/how-to-freeze-leeks/

Most people do not consider food safety when they are handling carrots. Although, carrots are one of the healthiest veggies on the planet, eating rot carrots can be detrimental to your health. Carrots are susceptible to toxins and bacteria that can be harmful to your health. The soils that we grow our carrots are vulnerable to two primary types of bacteria known as Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus. The produce can be contaminated if your soil was infested with these bacteria. Our cooking and storage practices will determine how safe the food will be for consumption.



How long do carrots last out of the fridge?
How long do carrots last out of the fridge is a burning question in many homes. It is amazing what technology can do and how it has changed our food preservation and storage techniques. However, you can also store your carrots for some time without any refrigeration. Your organic carrots can last up to 15 days without refrigeration if they are stored properly. Here are tips on how to store your carrots without having to refrigerate them:

- When you are at the store, buy fresh carrots that have never been refrigerated since harvest. When the product has been
  refrigerated, it will not last long outside the fridge. Research indicates that removing vegetable from the fridge reduces its life
  span to less than half compared to the same product that has never been refrigerated.

- Go for produce that is not overripe, bruised, or look "dehydrated"

- Do not buy too much because it will be easier to transport and store.

- Take your carrots and cover them completely with aluminum foil. Take a sharp object and slightly puncture the foil to allow
  moisture to escape; this will prevent the moisture accumulation which can make the carrots rot.
How long the carrots last out of the fridge will depend on how well you store them. Carrots can easily dry out after few days if not properly stored. Peeled and cut carrots have a shorter life span than whole carrots.

What happens if you eat bad carrots?
Eating rot carrots or carrots that are infested with bacteria can be hazardous to your health. There are so many ways that carrots are consumed whether raw, cooked, or juiced. However, people who eat a carrot in its raw form are at higher risk of being affected than those who eat cooked carrots.

When you eat bad carrots that contain bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes or Bacillus cereus, you make yourself vulnerable to serious food-borne illness. Common symptoms of foodborne illness are vomiting, fever, diarrhea, chills, and abdominal pain. Although most of the foodborne illness can heal without treatment, it causes a significant number of deaths annually due to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) or dehydration. Anyone can get a foodborne illness, but pregnant women and children are at high risk of contracting this condition.



Foodborne illness can lead to fatal health conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and reactive arthritis. However, what happens if you eat bad carrots may depend on the strength of your immune system.

How to know that carrot is rotten to eat?

Some people eat rotten carrots or throw edible carrots because they do not know how to tell the difference between a bad carrot and edible carrot. The white dry spots on carrots are usually mistaken as a carrot that is rotting. The truth is you can still eat the carrot when you wash it thoroughly. A simple wrinkle on the carrot’s skin is an indication of dehydration, but you can still eat them.



You can tell when your carrot is bad when you notice that it has an odor, very discolored, moldy, or mushy. When you see these signs, it is time to throw away the carrots.

How long do cooked carrots last in the fridge?
Cooking your carrots with the right amount of heat helps you kill the bacteria that may have infested your produce. It is easier to cook your carrots and store them in your fridge for some time, but the main question that people ask is how long do cooked carrots last in the fridge? Bacteria growth is rapid in high temperatures of between 40 °F to 140 °F. However, cooked carrots can stay in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days, but it also depends on how you store them. Place the cooked carrots in shallow containers or airtight plastic bags then refrigerate them.

You can tell when our refrigerated carrots are bad to eat if they have an odor. The appearance of the carrots can also tell when they are bad. Eating the carrot to tell if they are bad exposes you to the risk of contracting a food-borne illness.



Storing your cooked carrots in a freezer can preserve your veggies up to 12 months or more. The ice inhibits any biological process that can cause your food to rot. The best ways to store your carrots in the freezer is by packing them in an airtight plastic bags.
Organic carrots are planted without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers that can leave harmful residue. Growing carrots in your backyard is simple and the best part is that it does not require a lot of attention. Practice proper storage techniques for your vegetables to avoid wastage.

Source: www.leekgarden.com