17 Oct Growing Fruit and Vegetables In A Conservatory

Have you ever thought of growing fruit and vegetables in your conservatory? If you are a seasoned gardener, you probably miss gardening in the winter. Perhaps you want to grow exotic fruit during the summer? Or you wish you could have herbs fresh from your garden with your Christmas turkey? A conservatory is a fantastic addition to a home. Full of light, and lovely views of your green space, a conservatory can be a peaceful retreat. Improve the natural and relaxing vibes by adding a variety of plants into the room. It is well documented that spending time around plants can help impact mental health by improving mood and reducing stress.

Gardening is a rewarding hobby any time of year. Here are some tips for growing fruit and vegetables in your conservatory.

Temperature Regulation

Unless you have a solid roof installed, chances are your conservatory gets warm in the summer and cools down in the winter. Refurbing your conservatory with a solid roof will help keep it at a regular temperature all year. Otherwise, there are other ways you can regulate the temperature.

When you choose the plants you would like to grow, check their ideal temperatures and try to match the growing seasons with the temperatures you can regulate. You could choose fruits that require a lot of warmth to grow in the summer and use the sun’s heat to your advantage. During the winter you may need to keep the conservatory a little warm to enable growth as the temperature outside drops. If you want to be mindful of how much energy you are consuming though, choose plants that do not need very high temperatures to still grow such as lettuces and herbs.

Control Light and Shade

Plants need sunlight to grow but some will benefit from shade on the hottest and sunniest days. Depending on the kind of plants you are growing, you may wish to put blinds up so you can adjust the amount of light that gets into the room. A solid roof will also help so if you are planning on buying a new conservatory choose a solid roof for this purpose.

If the position of your conservatory means you do not get much sunlight in it during the winter, you can purchase a sun lamp. Available at gardening shops and online, a sun lamp or plant light can be set with a timer to deliver the light the plants are missing from the sun. This will mean you can still grow fruits and vegetables that need a decent amount of sunlight during the winter.

Include Storage

If you are planning to grow plants in your conservatory, our advice is to keep what you need nearby. Don’t keep the plant food and utensils in a shed at the bottom of your garden. When it is miserable outside you may not feel like going to get what you need to do some plant maintenance.

Instead, opt for keeping what you need in the conservatory. Keep the room tidy by storing your bits and bobs in a comfy ottoman, pretty boxes or a cupboard.

This means you can enjoy the room and relax in it without feeling like it is cluttered. Good storage solutions will not only keep everything tidy but also help you keep track of when you need to order more of something.

Get Creative

A tip for making it a bit more exciting is to get creative with accessories and the space.

Make your fruits and vegetables features in your conservatory by including plants with gorgeous fragrances or exceptionally pretty colours. Use a mixture of hanging baskets, table height beds and floor pots to make use of the space available. Plant grape vines and let them trail across the ceiling.

You could choose a theme and grow your plants out of old ceramic teapots.  Or perhaps hang empty picture frames up for plants to grow around. If you have old furniture you don’t use, turn it into a potting station or a makeshift plant pot.

Growing fruits and vegetables in conservatories is an enjoyable and accessible activity that can be adapted for the gardener’s needs. A space that avoids bending over can be helpful for people with mobility issues. Adding edible plants can be a great way to breathe new life into an old conservatory. A conservatory could be seen as more cost-effective and useful than just buying a greenhouse alone. If your current conservatory isn’t fit for purpose, talk to our friendly team about our beautiful refurbished conservatories or visit our showroom for inspiration.