3 Simple Steps to Upgrade Your Greenhouse (and Giveaway)

A greenhouse can be a great way to start and grow your garden – here are three simple steps for upgrading your greenhouse to the next level!

This post was sponsored by OSRAM SYLVANIA as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary merchandise to facilitate my review.

Here in Colorado, it is foolish to actually plant anything in open-ground yet.

If a random snow storm doesn’t kill your seedlings, then the hail will. It has been snowing for the last three days. So, we have decided to use a simple greenhouse under our back porch to get our plants started sooner. Katie bought me a portable greenhouse for Christmas, and I was excited to get some use out of it. As you might remember, I really enjoyed gardening last year!

The sooner they start growing the sooner they start producing. The greenhouse keeps the plants a little warmer, and the porch protects the greenhouse from hail. Greenhouses aren’t known for looking particularly aesthetically pleasing, but for a personalized greenhouse there are some simple steps you can take.

Add Decorations

First, you can make your greenhouse space feel more homey with some classic garden decorations. Pinwheels, little scarecrows, and other decorations make a greenhouse look a little less like a plant factory and more like a garden. You could add a nearby chair or kneeling pad to make your gardening more comfortable.

 

Garden Lights

Second, you can add some garden lights. If you really want to change the look of your greenhouse get some awesome lights from Osram Lightify – we got the Gardenspot Mini RGB. Gardenspot has nine lights that are dimmable, and they can be set to emit an amazing variety of colors. The plastic of the greenhouse reflects the color of the lights in a fun way. The Gardenspot lights are easy to install with watertight connections, and they are very energy efficient. The Gardenspot lights are very easy to control with the accompanying app. Plus, I believe you can set it to a schedule so it goes on and off at your favorite times. You could even try to use the lights to scare away critters or even trespassers. It is great that you can control the lights from the comfort and safety of your home.

Here it is before the lights were installed and turned on:

and here it is after:

By using adjustable lights to decorate you don’t have to paint, or do something big to change the entire look and feel of your greenhouse space. You can change the color to match holiday’s or different times of the year. You could even use them to do some nighttime gardening if you want to avoid the sun and heat of the day. You can take the lights off the standard garden stakes and place them in your greenhouse in a particular way. In short, the Gardenspot lights are a very easy, flexible, and fun option to liven up a greenhouse.

Add a Drip System

Third, add a drip watering system. What we did isn’t super aesthetically pleasing. We wanted to figure out how to water our plants while on vacation without having to inconvenience a neighbor or set up a fancy system.

We decided to use old jugs with a small hole poked in the bottom to water our plants with a slow drip. Ideally, it would take a little while for all of the water to empty, and by the end the pot should be thoroughly saturated. This might help you to not let your greenhouse be a worry or distraction during a summer get-away. Some added flexibility in your watering schedule could come in handy.

I tend to geek out when I try products like the Osram Gardenspot lights; especially, when they are actually user friendly. I had a lot of fun with Jack calling out different colors to me. I put an Osram light bulb in his room, and he loves to pick a color for when I read him bedtime stories. I like that I can dim the light, so I can have just enough light to read and help Jack fall asleep. The Osram Lightify products we have tried genuinely seem to be of a high quality, are easy to use, and they can really change the feel of a room (or garden) in an instant.

You can enter for a chance to win a Lightify Starter Kit and a $50 Amazon gift card! Just head over here and leave a comment letting us know what Lightify product is your favorite! This giveaway runs through May 7th at midnight MST, and is open to US citizens over 18 years of age. Contest entrants are only eligible to win once per sweepstake, per household as part of a campaign sponsored by Influence Central.