What the heck happened to the rain yesterday? It was a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. Lucy the puggle dog and I were able to get a boatload of things done and were able to stay nice and dry too.
I love spring days like that.
Now that the weather is starting to warm up a bit, I’ve been slowly moving vegetable starts out to the greenhouse. So far I only have out there, because my second table is still in the house with grow lights sitting on top of it. I hesitate to running a cord from the house out to the greenhouse to hook everything up because it’s still a wee bit cold for a lot of the seeds I am trying to germinate.
Well, that and the whole part about how the HH would totally flip out if he saw a giant bright orange extension cord across the backyard. What would the neighbors think {blah, blah, blah}. I’ve tried to point out the the neighbors don’t even come out of their house, so how the heck would they even see the cord… but then he just mutters something about how they have windows.
I can’t win.
Yesterday we installed gutters in the left side of the greenhouse. So far all I have planted is a length of spinach in the top gutter. I’m hoping to get the other 3 galvanized gutters planted today.
The strawberries I planted in the gutters last week are doing great.
Last year I made the mistake of planting the strawberry crowns to close together. This year I planted the crowns about 12 inches apart to allow plenty of room for their roots to grow. In the fall, after the plants have fruited, I’ll remove the strawberries from the gutters and overwinter them in the garden.
Seedlings, transplants, Lemon the lemon tree and onion and leeks.
It’s looking pretty bare right now, but we all have to start somewhere. Right?
Do YOU have a greenhouse? Where are you starting your seeds this year? Inside, outside, at your MIL’s?
Mavis wants to know.
Thinking about growing food in a greenhouse but don’t know how to get started? Check out Elliot Coleman’s book Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long. I think it’s pretty awesome.
Amanda says
I have everything in egg cartons and toilet paper tubes by the back porch window right now. It is my first year where I can have a real garden and starting my own seedlings.
Bridget P says
LoL whoops! my puter didn’t update your site till now! I just posted on the front yard garden post! Mavis did you see the 5 dollar green house video on youtube? It is made from pallets and other reclaimed materials and it looks amazing!! I bet it could be done for less than 5 dollars if you get the pallets for free (a lot of businesses give them away) and you scour the free ads on craigslist! What do you think?
Susie says
Bridget, that was very cool! Thanks for the heads’ up!
Thelma says
Started most in the house but will start the rest in the greenhouse , we do have elctricity in there. I also live in the PNW, we have a space heater with a built in thermostat & fan set up along with heat mats. Some are going right in the ground!
Mavis says
I think it’s fun to grow both inside and out too! 🙂
Cecily says
I’m in the Tacoma area and I start everything in my greenhouse. Even tomatoes and peppers. I use heat mats, a grow light and a garden heater for when it gets below 40 degrees. I’ve done this for a couple of years and I get fantastic results! Due to the lower temps my tomatoes never get leggy but develope super thick stems (some were nearly 3 in. thick last year!) and strong root systems. I also get better yields than when I start them in the house.
Mavis says
Pretty awesome Cecily! 🙂
Erika says
I planted cauliflower and broccoli seedlings several weeks ago and they’re really taking off now that the weather is warming up. I’m hoping they’ll do well this time around (I’ve always gotten aphids every other year I’ve tried them). We finally pulled the last of the fall carrots and I pulled up the lettuce plants that were starting to flower. I’ll be replacing those with zucchini and yellow squash seeds in the next few days. I also plan to set up my green bean tower and get those planted soon, too. My strawberry plants (which didn’t actually make any fruit last year, just a million runners) are already flowering! Raspberry plants are putting out new growth and my baby peach tree is flowering. Frost killed my little lemon tree 🙁 My seed potatoes should be here soon; I’m planning to fill a 6′ round container garden with potatoes this summer. We’re lucky here in AZ to have an early planting season (I actually wanted to get things done a few weeks earlier, but just had a new baby 2 weeks ago and that’s slowed me down!).
Can’t wait to see how your garden comes along, Mavis!
Mavis says
Thanks Erika! I bet you can grow melons in AZ. I wish I could here.
Cecily says
I’ve successfully grown them in a cold frame.
Missy says
Okay, inquiring minds want to know. What happened when you planted your strawberry plants too close last year? I planted mind pretty close together this year, but don’t want to stunt my harvest if they’re going to get root bound.
Mavis says
All the roots were mashed together when I pulled them up. I had planted them too closely together int he gutters last fall.
Julie's Rants says
Hi Mavis,
Why not get a large enough around piece of pvc pipe, run your extension cord through it, and bury it. Now no one will see it. Problem solved.
Susie says
Excellent suggestion, Julie! I was just going to suggest a different color extension cord, but yours is MUCH better!
Judy says
Mavis, I love your gutter gardens! I’m planning on doing some this year and wanted to ask how you prepared them before you planted stuff in them – do you have drainage holes, and if so, how many in each length? Did you line the gutters with anything before you added the soil / potting mix?
Thanks and Happy Gardening from this Aussie reader!
Mavis says
Hi Judy, I did not add drainage holes but I did line the bottom of the gutters with 1/4″ pea gravel. 🙂
Mavis says
Hi Judy, I did not add drainage holes but I did line the bottom of the gutters with 1/4″ pea gravel. 🙂
Carol says
I’m wondering if you have any bottom line tips for choosing a greenhouse. It’s on my list for installation this year. Can hardly wait! Also, I had the pleasure of listening to Linda Gilkeson talk about year around harvesting from the garden last Saturday. She lives on Salt Spring Island, so I figure her ideas will work for me here in the PNW. I was impressed with the variety of leaves and roots that she harvests from the garden, even in winter. Check her out, if you haven’t already. I think her ideas could help you meet your harvesting goal. Thanks for your down to earth (no pun intended) blog. I really enjoy reading it.
Gayle says
We’re in the process of building the greenhouse this week! Just finished the base and leveling, put in the gravel and pavers. We’re a little behind, but I have a ton of pots and containers already growing in windows, on the balcony, etc. Mine is a 10 x 12 size. Online, I saw that people suggested filling the ends of the “cells” within the clear panels with silicone sealer, to avoid condensation that obscures the view, if not the light. So, we did that. I’ll report later how it worked.
Carmen Bailey says
Love it so much .. we have community gardens here in Lambton Shores On. Ca..we have started seeds for them and for all and lots of flowers!!!Port Franks Community Gardens,, you can find on face book… your awesome !!!
Jai says
Hi, I am Rose grower in Kenya. We grow Roses in 32 ha. Of which 1.65 ha is in hydroponics using Coco peat as the media grown in troughs. Our troughs are placed on raised beds. But the soil keeps collapsing at patches. Then we made stands using Y 8 rods. Its laborious and expensive, working out to be $ 5/running mtr. I don’t want to keep the troughs on the ground fearing ventillation problems.
I am planning to use the galvanized Green house gutters. What do you think? This way, I can keep away from the troughs. This idea is for my next phase of 5 ha. My doubt – in summer, temp of 35 C, will the gutter start getting heat?
Dino says
Hi there, just getting our greenhouse set up and really like the gutter idea and will have to give it a try! Question: is there a reason you went with galvanized?? Should there be any concerns with the zinc… Any thoughts?
Can’t wait to get the planting going!!
~D
Dennis says
Where did you purchase your greenhouse?
Mavis Butterfield says
The place where I purchased the greenhouse is no longer in business but the greenhouse is called a Mangum Glass Greenhouse 12’x14′ and in British racing green. The cost at the time was around $2,200 {I think}.