Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a game changer. It allows you to garden throughout the year and take refuge from the wind and cold. You can get a jump start on all the spring veggies; grow tropical plants that thrive in humidity and heat in summer; start cuttings from your favorite shrubs and berries in fall; grow a winter salad garden and shelter frost-sensitive plants.

For me, it has also been a horticultural experiment. I’ve had a little rice paddy in here, a cranberry bog, a tropical jungle of passionflowers, and a desert scape, all at the same time. I’ve grown a patch of indigo, paw paw trees, exotic (to me) wasabi, saffron, ginger, and turmeric. I keep a steady supply of medicinal and culinary herbs throughout the winter, and in warmer seasons, can also find lemon verbena and several varieties of basils.

It has paid for itself in propagation.

I even grow a few vegetables, although I swear, I’m going to quit growing tomatoes! They take over everything! (Oh, and you should have seen the nasturtiums! They volunteered. Who knew they were so tropical?)

I absolutely *love* our little greenhouse! But I admit, sometimes it has been a bit of a learning curve. Along with successes, here are some of the mishaps, so you don’t have to experience the same “learning opportunities!”

The main thing is to have fun with it. And on a typical windy rainy Northwest day of just about any time of year, there is no better place to hang out. Trust me.

~*~