Greenhouse surprises

theimpropergardener — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:53:05 +0000

We found some motivation today, and decided to tackle the disaster in the greenhouse. I started cleaning up some of the trash that was left all over. It’s pretty messy, filled with old plastic pieces, potting supplies, crumbling sheets of particle board…and a lot of roofing material. We have a ton of contractor bags left over from a bathroom renovation project, so I started tackling the worst corner.

And then…

Lots of animals have been making the greenhouse a home! I’m not sure how I feel about snakes slithering around in there while I’m working with plants, so maybe they’ll catch the hint and stay out…

I can’t figure out some of the bones, they’re a pretty decent size, but I couldn’t find a skull to get an idea of what we’re looking at. Our current theory is that the animal didn’t die there, but rather that children brought the bones in to look at them. At least that’s what I’m hoping.

Here’s a “before” shot of the roofing corner:

I filled two contractor bags, with many more to come. There’s obviously a lot of work to be done, but we’ll get there…

Old pots waiting to be put to good use

And so we start at the beginning

theimpropergardener — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:48:55 +0000

So here we are, with our very own blog. We need a way to track progress on the backyard and all of the wonderful things that are soon to be happening there. Last season I couldn’t commit myself to our house, as we were only renting and I couldn’t get too attached, but now I’m going full speed ahead on planning and improvements.

Last week we ordered our seeds. I’m expecting a shipment so we can plant the following:
Garlic
Artichoke (Imperial star)
Bok choi (the toy choi size)
Bush beans
Sweet peppers
Pumpkins
Potatoes
Lettuce (Iceberg)
Broccoli
Cucumber
Hot peppers (jalapenos)
Corn
Various herbs
-Rosemary
-Basil
-Borage
-Chives
-Dill
-Nasturtium
-Parsley

I grew up with a garden in the yard, and I’ve spent a lot of time doing research…but I’m really just diving into this head first and seeing what comes out of it. There’s a first time for everything.

As part of this process, I’ve started rethinking the greenhouse attached to the house.

Inside the greenhouse

Honestly, it’s a mess. I don’t know if it’s even salvageable, but I’m hoping it is. The biggest problem right now is it’s not airtight, and there are a lot of old wasp nests. I think the electricity that runs out there is still hooked up, so if I made the structure workable, it could actually be climate controlled.

The grape vines are invading...

It’s in a perfect location (south side with nice warm sun), and it was obviously a fantastic structure at some point in time-it’s just a matter of how much time and money we have to sink into it. If nothing else it’s a great place to store some of the gardening materials that I’m sure to accumulate this season.

I can’t wait for the seeds to arrive; I’m looking forward to new growth, learning experiences, mistakes and failures and (hopefully!) successes.

Greenhouse treasures

The Improper Gardeners

Greenhouse surprises

And so we start at the beginning