Don't be fooled. Inside this thin coating of sweetness is a fiery core of total insanity.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

A Peek Inside the Greenhouse 4


It's time for another peek inside the greenhouse. Usually, Helen at The Patient Gardener's Weblog hosts a meme about greenhouses on the 20th of the month, but her post for May hasn't appeared yet. She's English and her last post was about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. She's probably been distracted by those fabulous display gardens.

So I thought I'd just go ahead and share what's going on with my greenhouse now anyway.


The greenhouse from the living room window

On Mother's Day the great migration began, of plants that were over-wintered, out into the garden. I don't actually know quite yet what I'm going to do with all of them, but I'm sure they're happy being outside in the fresh air.

Former greenhouse residents waiting outside the greenhouse for final placement

I'm trying to make a stylish display at the western end of the greenhouse, but not much success so far. I'll get there eventually, probably just in time to move everything back inside


I've been planting out lots and lots of lots of tiny little seedlings that sprouted from many of the seeds that I sowed this past winter and kept in the greenhouse getting toasty warm.

Castor bean plants waiting to be planted in the front bed

More castor bean plants

The Musa sikkimensis is just as happy outside as in -- it's outgrown the "roof' of the Folly.

More former greenhouse denizens milling in place like children waiting for an amusement park ride

So...what's inside the greenhouse, if all these folks are hanging outside now?

Roma tomatoes and a variety of peppers, both sweet and hot

Sun Sugar tomatoes and basil

One of the Romas already has fruit

I bought my tomatoes at Windmill Nursery in Sumner. I did try growing tomatoes from seed this year, but they were stunted, despite being started in February as soon as the greenhouse was finished, as well as being on heat mats and with the heater in the greenhouse running pretty much full blast. They got a few drinks of fish emulsion as well, which should have helped them take off.

My still small tomato seedlings
I'm torn as to what to do with them. I put so much love and care into making them grow! But I have a feeling they're going into the yard waste bin.

I do have some nice-size squash plants, which are headed for the raised veggie beds in the back garden.

My Bromelaids are still cowering under the table -- they like shade, and I don't want them to scorch. They'll likely end up on the north side of the greenhouse, staged in some way.

Lots of empty shelves

I took some time the other day to organize all the stuff I'm going to store in the greenhouse under the table. For most of the spring, as I planted, I tossed all my little four-inch pots that I used for sowing under the table willy-nilly. Now they're tidy and ready for use next year.

I removed all of my cloches from the beds. Some of the seeds sown under them were successful, and some...not so much.

On top of the table, I'm storing organic fertilizers, tags and now unplugged heat mats. I need to move those boxes of fertilizer, the instructions say "Store in a cool, dry place" and this isn't that.

So, that's what's happening with my greenhouse in May. I hope whatever bad juju has stunted my own tomato starts doesn't transfer itself to the ones I bought. I have high hopes for tomatoes this year now that I have a greenhouse that will give them the heat they need to grow.