Greenhouse for the Rest of Us


I don't know about you, but I enjoyed the posts about the greenhouse Ms. Country Mouse prepared for us tremendously. It was fun to see the design, fun to see the implementation, and fun to see the plants (like in the photo above). And of course I've enjoyed the generous gifts of plants even more.

But not all of us have acreage. I actually feel very lucky to live on a 10,000 square feet lot, but the sunnier spots of my mostly shady garden are all spoken for. Yet it gives me great pleasure to see the little plants peek out with their green little heads, and for me watching a seed become a 5 foot beauty in just a few months is miraculous. So, when I was at our local nursery recently and saw a greenhouse on sale for $39.95, I couldn't resist. I took it home, and unpacked it right away.


Of course assemblage was required, but how hard would it be? No matter, a woman who's put together an IKEA file cabinet isn't afraid of a little greenhouse. And actually, I needn't have worried. With one page of documentation and about 10 minutes of work snapping the pieces together the job was done and the little greenhouse was waiting in the utility area next to the bee house and across from the potting bench.


It's a nice spot with morning and noon sun but mostly sheltered from the hot afternoon sun. I'll have 4 shelves for plants, and might put a few gallon puts all around it. I might have to cover the baby plants with  chicken wire to protect them from birds, but I'm hopeful that things will work out.

For really cold nights, I can add the plastic cover that was included in the package. But most CA natives are prone to fungal diseases, so I'll probably go with air circulation over protection. All I need to do now is fill my little pots with soil, put in a few seeds each, and water as needed. I'm already dreaming of baby blue eyes, clarkia, five spot, and a few other seeds I've collected and Ms. Country Mouse has promised to share some of hers. And this time, I'll be better with the labels. Most of the time. I hope...

Comments

I love how the roof shape matches your mason bee house ;) I was so desperate for a greenhouse last spring, I almost got one this size for the back deck. They're plenty large enough for starting seeds. I might recommend a couple of bricks or a tie down though, if it's windy where you are in winter, as they can blow over. Can't wait to see what sprouts!
I had one of these a few years ago, and it worked great to keep my tender plants warm during the winter. Good luck!
Sarah said…
Labeling is something I'm bad at too. Fortunately (?), I don't normally have the money to buy more than one or two new plants a season, so I don't lose track that often. Even with that, though, it can be hard to know if the seedlings are weeds are flowers.