You’ve decided to take up greenhouse gardening as a hobby! Congratulations! Hours upon hours of gardening pleasure and excitement await you in your new greenhouse. If you are new to greenhouse gardening, you may be wondering what greenhouse equipment is considered essential, and what tools are merely matters of preference. This guide to the essentials of greenhouse equipment for the new greenhouse gardener will help you sort through the confusion.
 
Essential Greenhouse Equipment for the New Greenhouse Gardener

1. Gardening Pots or Trays. Garden pots come in clay, plastic, or ceramic varieties, and a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. These containers are necessary for housing your fledgling greenhouse plants.
 
2. Potting Soil. Potting soil is another essential element in the greenhouse. Many gardeners choose to purchase potting soil, but mix it with their own compost and sterilized backyard soil to create the perfect potting mix. As a beginner, you may wish to purchase a bag of basic potting soil to start and venture into soil mixtures as you grow in experience and knowledge.
 
3. Seeds or Plants. One of the best parts of beginning your new greenhouse gardening hobby is choosing your own selection of seeds and plants to nurture in the greenhouse. Choose a variety that makes you happy and challenges your growing skills.
 
4. Watering Can and Hose. Greenhouse plants needs lots of water, and one of your most trusted greenhouse equipment staples is a watering can and a garden hose. You can spend as much or as little as you want on these item, but basic equipment is all that is required.

5. Ventilation. Your greenhouse plants need fresh air circulated in the greenhouse to stay healthy so an exhaust fan (to bring fresh air from the outside into your greenhouse) and a circulation fan (to circulate the air once it is inside the greenhouse) are highly recommended.

 
Other Greenhouse Equipment Essentials

1. Gardening gloves
2. Pesticides and fungicides
3. Benches
4. Trowels, rakes, and shovels
5. Plant supports like trellises, tomato cages, and twine
6. Fertilizers
7. Compost bin

Putting together your own list of essential greenhouse equipment is part of the fun of beginning a new greenhouse gardening hobby. Go ahead and splurge a little on an item you feel strongly about, and add a little personal flare with a pair of pink muck boots, a garden gnome, or any gardening accessory that makes you smile.

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