Mom's Greenhouse

Our greenhouse is moving along slowly, thank you very much. In the meantime, I have noticed that greenhouses come in all shapes and sizes.  For instance, my mother has a “greenhouse” of the type I would put in quotation marks. She lives 35 miles north of me in Sharon, CT.  This morning we visited a couple of garden centers in her neighborhood and presented the Womanswork line of garden gloves, then we went to her house for lunch. This is her “greenhouse.” It was purchased by mail through one of my favorite gardening companies, Lee Valley, and it consists of a lightweight metal frame with 2 shelves,  covered in clear plastic with a zippered window for entry. She puts her seedlings in there during the day, while the sun is shining , but she brings in her trays at night since temperatures are still low in northwestern Connecticut. In fact tonight they are predicting a frost in her area.

Another type of “greenhouse” is the window extension. You can have this built onto an existing window. It offers sun from the top and 3 sides and is very useful for a few seedlings and potted houseplants.

The next level up in greenhouses is the free standing greenhouse kit such as the one shown below. These greenhouses are often sold as “do-it-yourselfers” and are situated in an area of the yard where they can get full sun.

Finally, there is the type that is part greenhouse and part sunroom. Although our greenhouse will not be ornate like the ones shown here, it is more along the lines of these greenhouses because it is being designed to fit the architecture of  the house. In winter it will get full sun but in summer a large oak tree will shade it so it won’t need as much ventilation and cooling as most free standing greenhouses do.

The Conservatory Greenhouse

Free Standing Greenhouse from a Kit

Window ExtensionGreenhouse and Sunroom

Greenhouse and Sunroom

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