Archive for January, 2010

“The Gardener’s Dreamhouse Is A Greenhouse” by Dorian Winslow

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

When my husband Tom asked me why I wanted a greenhouse I said that I wanted to be able to can and pickle and preserve vegetables and fruits. He replied that those are not exactly things you do in a greenhouse. He has a point.  

I realized at that moment that I had constructed in my mind an elaborate fantasy that involved growing things from seed to transplant to harvest to preserving.  I pictured a factory production line in my kitchen, with canning jars being boiled and cute little labels being printed off the computer.  I would give away my homegrown preserves as gifts or someday sell them on my Womanswork garden glove website. 

cute little jam jars

I am not the kind of person who lets fantasies go to waste.  First thing we did was punch a big hole in the back of our house and put in a doorway that will lead to the future greenhouse.  At that point I knew there would be no turning back. We call it ‘the door to nowhere.’  

Door to Nowhere with Foundation in Progress

Then in October we built a full foundation ‘to code’.  We completed it just before the first snowfall. (read about that in my October blog entry

Poured Slab With Snow

Cozying up to Green house Catalogs and How To Books

There are many things to think about when planning a greenhouse.  I got three books on building a greenhouse for Christmas and on cold days I can be found reading in front of the fire, sipping hot tea and hibernating under a fluffy throw, thinking about the fun I will have.  In my next post I will review some of my reading material. I have also learned of websites for canning supplies, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

How-To Greenhouse Books

3 Winners of Free Gloves: 2010 Gardening Resolutions

Friday, January 15th, 2010

We have decided to give away 3 pairs of garden gloves this week because we liked so many of your comments and gardening resolutions. We are sending a pair to Taylor who is 14, because we were inspired that someone so young dreams about gardening; we are sending a pair to LaManda Joy because we like her idea of teaching 5 people to garden and asking them to teach 5 others; and finally we are also sending a pair of gloves to Ann Carranza who is resolved to plant something in her vegetable garden that she has never eaten before.

Any comments received starting today will be considered for next week’s drawing. Tell your gardening friends to send in their comments. For more details about the contest and to read the comments of our winners and others, click here http://womanswork.com/garden-gloves-blog/?m=200912

Womanswork High Performance Gloves in 3 Colors

Womanswork High Performance Gloves

Protecting Garden Beds in Winter by Ruth Clausen

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

White Pine boughs make a good winter mulch for garden beds

Now that the holidays are over, in northern climates the ground is frozen. Now is the time to apply a winter mulch to keep the soil cold and insulate it from alternate freezing and thawing. The action of freezing and thawing, which occurs throughout the winter season, causes shallow-rooted and fall-planted perennials to be heaved out of the ground and roots to become desiccated. I find that members of the coral bells clan—heucheras, heucherellas, and tiarellas– are particularly prone to heaving.  

At this time of year there are plenty of evergreen boughs and discarded Christmas trees around, free for the taking (save those pennies for new plants). These are perfect to cut up and lay gently on frozen beds and borders. If there is still snow on the ground lay the boughs on top. I never got round to cleaning up all the fall leaves, but the evergreen boughs will prevent them from blowing all over the place. As the weather warms in spring gradually remove the boughs to allow new growth to occur.