When Spring And Snow Are Both Predicted
Yesterday's Quick Thinking Handiwork
My Heirloom Tomato & Pepper Seedlings Are Safe & Warm
Our weather is anything but predictable. Spring may officially start tomorrow, but sleet and snow and freezing temperatures are also in the forecast. So after transplanting about 150 tender tomato and pepper seedlings into individual containers yesterday, and then realizing there was no way they would all fit under my one four-foot flourescent plant light in the house, we created a temporary mini greenhouse inside my 8-foot by 22-foot homemade greenhouse. (Click here for a peek at my potting bench and tips on starting your own seeds.)
A two-tiered plant stand was simply covered with thick plastic and clamped to the sides of the structure. There are cardboard "walls" on the left and right, and a large piece of cardboard under the bottom shelf (not visible in the photo). Also tucked under the bottom shelf is a radiator type space heater set on low (600 watts). These are very safe, fairly inexpensive to run, and even have an automatic thermostat so I can just leave it on all the time.
Today is cold and cloudy so I am keeping the mini greenhouse closed up, but when the sun pokes out, I will simply roll up the plastic during the day and roll it back down at night.
This was a spur of the moment, makeshift effort, completely created from materials we already had laying around. I call it Gardening On The Cheap. It may not be beautiful, but it does the job. I do not have a Glamour Garden. The only things I'm really concerned with are the finished products. I can practically taste those luscious, vine-ripened tomatoes now.
Note: This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #24, a deliciously informative event hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen. Food bloggers from around the world participate, and you never know what interesting new edibles you'll discover each week in the Sunday night roundup.
Yesterday's Quick Thinking Handiwork
My Heirloom Tomato & Pepper Seedlings Are Safe & Warm
Our weather is anything but predictable. Spring may officially start tomorrow, but sleet and snow and freezing temperatures are also in the forecast. So after transplanting about 150 tender tomato and pepper seedlings into individual containers yesterday, and then realizing there was no way they would all fit under my one four-foot flourescent plant light in the house, we created a temporary mini greenhouse inside my 8-foot by 22-foot homemade greenhouse. (Click here for a peek at my potting bench and tips on starting your own seeds.)
A two-tiered plant stand was simply covered with thick plastic and clamped to the sides of the structure. There are cardboard "walls" on the left and right, and a large piece of cardboard under the bottom shelf (not visible in the photo). Also tucked under the bottom shelf is a radiator type space heater set on low (600 watts). These are very safe, fairly inexpensive to run, and even have an automatic thermostat so I can just leave it on all the time.
Today is cold and cloudy so I am keeping the mini greenhouse closed up, but when the sun pokes out, I will simply roll up the plastic during the day and roll it back down at night.
This was a spur of the moment, makeshift effort, completely created from materials we already had laying around. I call it Gardening On The Cheap. It may not be beautiful, but it does the job. I do not have a Glamour Garden. The only things I'm really concerned with are the finished products. I can practically taste those luscious, vine-ripened tomatoes now.
Note: This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #24, a deliciously informative event hosted by Kalyn's Kitchen. Food bloggers from around the world participate, and you never know what interesting new edibles you'll discover each week in the Sunday night roundup.
I am so excited to be the first person to leave a comment on your new blog. I love the idea of a blog for gardening records. Every year I get a manilla folder, draw a diagram of what I'm planting where on the cover, and then attempt to write what worked and what didn't work. Some years I do ok, and others I hardly record anything. A blog sounds like a much better system.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see this too! I've found that blogging my garden journal is much easier and much more fun than keeping it in a notebook. Now I get to see yours, YAY!
ReplyDeleteI love the greenhouse, I think I will have Mr. C take a look at the pictures, maybe I can nag, errr, convince him I need one just like yours.
ReplyDelete