“The Gardener’s Dreamhouse Is A Greenhouse” by Dorian Winslow

When my husband Tom asked me why I wanted a greenhouse I said that I wanted to be able to can and pickle and preserve vegetables and fruits. He replied that those are not exactly things you do in a greenhouse. He has a point.

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.

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.’

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)

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.