Greenhouse Refresh

To start off the new year, we decided to make big changes in the greenhouse. When looking at the wooden beds that we had put in there originally, we noticed that they were rotting already. Since we had already removed all of the plants from the beds, we decided to go ahead and change up everything! 

We decided to try metal beds to replace them. The new beds arrived quickly and we got to work setting them up and them filling them with soil from the beds that were already in the greenhouse. We had to work in sections because the size and shape of the new beds is very different than the existing ones. We built a section of the new bed and then moved soil from the raised bed, allowing us to add the other pieces onto the new bed and then fill it all with more soil. 

The new set up will actually be less growing space, but it will allow us easier access to the windows and room to create a beautiful seating area. It’s very nice to sit in the greenhouse, especially in the winter. It will be good to be able to make a better space for that and allow us to enjoy the greenhouse in other ways. It will also provide more space so that we can invite people over to enjoy the greenhouse space with us. 

The previous beds were in straight lines since that is easier when you are working with wood, but the new beds have curves and movement to them giving the greenhouse a completely different look and feel. The goal is to create a space that is functional and inviting, to grow as much food as we can, and have a place to hide from the winters in the mountains of Vermont! 

The greenhouse was ready for use in February of 2021 and it has had lots of ups and downs since. We’ve grown a good amount of food in there, but it has also presented us with a lot of challenges. 

The first major challenge was the slugs! They destroyed almost everything I had planted and were multiplying faster than I could keep up with! Luckily, I learned that toads will eat slugs! So I added toads to the greenhouse! We have an abundance of them in our garden and it’s been wonderful to have some of them in the greenhouse helping with pest control. 

Once the slug population dwindled, the thrips moved in and had a great time destroying everything! It took me a while to figure out what they were though. I had to use my macro lens on my camera to even see them! Once I learned about them and determined that they were the ones causing all the damage I found out how to get rid of them. They multiplied even faster than the slugs did! It took some time to reduce their population enough that the plants were finally able to grow and survive! 

The most recent trouble we ran into was the rotting wood in the greenhouse beds. Now that the new beds are set up, I can start over in there. I am very ready for a fresh start and some more successful growing. 

The plan going forward is to grow cool weather crops during the winter months. In previous winters we had kept the greenhouse pretty tropical, but we are changing things up. Keeping it cooler in the winter will help us to reduce the amount of wood we are burning in the rocket mass heater and allow us to work toward being more sustainable. All of the perennial plants that are in the greenhouse now are able to handle some cooler temperatures. 

The greenhouse temperature will not fall below freezing due to the insulation and how it was designed. It also helps that we do have fires in the rocket mass heater more days than not in the winter. If it is sunny, then we do not need to have a fire even if the outside temperature is very low. The sun will heat it up very well and sometimes more than we would like! We do have fans in place to help if we need to reduce the temperature in there. 

Now that the new beds are set up and filled with soil, seedlings are popping up as is hope for what is to come. Soon it will be time to start seedlings for the kitchen garden and the greenhouse will be all ready for that. When seed starting for the outside garden begins, we will keep the greenhouse a bit warmer to encourage good growth from the seedlings. This is a very exciting time of the year with all of the new growth and life springing up all around us!