In and Around the Garden

Gardening during inclement weather is an impossible task unless one has a greenhouse, which I do. It’s stacked piece-by-piece against the interior barn wall in the form of salvaged window frames. I even have building plans that I downloaded a year ago from the internet and tucked in the office armoire. The windows and plans are stored away because I need more windows before the construction can begin. Once I have enough (did I say they have to be freebies?), it will take a little nudging to get hubby started on the project.

He can build anything as his construction résumé could circle the state of California. Years of amazing work at occupational job sites, building our house, my garden house, his barn, and other projects at the homes of friends and family members make him a fit candidate. My only candidate.

I can picture the greenhouse as a quaint, attractive glass cottage, unheated because that would defeat the economic purpose of seed germination. There could be power, though, for heated tables on cold wintry days like this. Wouldn’t that be nice? Kind of like a heated bathtub. Of course, if we have the ingenuity to install a homemade solar system, my cottage greenhouse would be perfect in every aspect— seeds sunbathing through repurposed window frames or when needed, sprouting by way of solar heat.

I’ve been hoping to set up a temporary greenhouse in the garage but it hasn’t happened yet. The garage and barn are hubby’s manly precincts. If I were to move potting mix, watering can, and flower seeds into his zone, life would be over. I could sneak one or two flats into the garage but I need a dozen or more to make an impact in the beds. I could put a flat on top of the refrigerator (a great place to germinate seeds because of the warmth from the refrigerator) but for me, it’s all or nothing. So here I sit inside my cozy house on another stormy day, picturing in my mind a quaint greenhouse. And I have to say, it looks pretty darn good.