New to greenhouse- advice needed

[gamblesgreenhouse]

Hi all,
having grown veggies outdoors for the past few years, we decided this year to get a greenhouse for the more tender veg.
Got courgette,tomatoes,aubergine,peppers and chillies growing.
Have a couple of queries cos i think we are doing it wrong!!!!!
How often should we water courgettes that are in the greenhouse but in growbags?- obviously this will depend on the weather but we have been watering daily even on cloudy days. Got a few good sized ones mid June but all since have either rotted at about 2 inch long or are just not performing at all!
We have also not been ventilating the greenhouse enough and we have mould growing on the tomato vines, will they recover?????
Hope to get some advice from the more experienced greenhousers out there!
Thanks
Vic

[rustylady]

Hi Vic. Welcome to the Grapevine. How big is your greenhouse? Courgettes don't really need to be in a greenhouse - any chance you could move the whole growbag outside? Sounds as if it's been too humid in the greenhouse - poss overwatering and lack of ventilation. At this time of year keep the house open during daytime, this will help. As for your tomatoes whether they will recover or not depends on where the mould is.

[loopylou]

Hi Vic, I would second what Rustylady has said. Try to move if at all poss the courgettes outside. I have a greenhouse but grow courgettes in pots in the garden and have always been successful. They get quite large and bulky too. I water mine every couple of days depending on the weather! If its really hot then every day and feed once a week once fruit started. I may be doing it wrong but its worked for me the last 3 years. If you can get them outside i'm sure you'll see a difference.
Hope all goes well
Emma

[Tomatoking]

hi Vic

As everyone else has advised, courgettes do really need to be outside in the soil. They do tend to take over a bit and you will get a bumber crop. I have watered mine a little this year, mainly because it is so dry.
Some people with little room have grown them in pots or bags, but they do need a lot of watering if you do.

As for your other greenhouse crops, we all have our different ways, and if you look at my blog, it wil give you some ideas as to how I do it, and there is a little advice in other sections.

Peat bags do give a good crop for tomatoes, cucumbers etc, but do need a lot more care when watering, a little and often is the secret to keep the compost moist, on really hot days you should water so that a little seeps out from the small drain slits that should be cut an inch up from the bottom of the bag.
Also be careful not to over water when it is dull, you sould have to squeeze the compost to get water out as a good indication.
Never let the peat dry out though or you will get blossom end rot.

Peat bags do have some fertiliser in to help start the crops off, but need feeding at least once or twice a week, once you have fruit on the plants as there is no reserve like in the soil.

Mr TK

[gamblesgreenhouse]

Hi All, Thanks for the advice!!!
I do have some courgettes outside and i am struggling with these also , as we live in the north of England (Lancashire) it is not really warm enough to grow outside.
As for the tomatoes , the mould is on the trusses and the flower head that the tomato grows from.
Already found a few tomatoes have rotted where they are joined to the plant.
It has been a very wet July this year and i hope that good ventilation from now on will cure the problem, if not there is always next year!!!!
Thanks
Vicki