Why we might want a greenhouse after all
So why am I writing a
whole lunchtime series about greenhouses when I've been adamantly
anti-greenhouse in
the past? Oehler's less-than-exciting results aside, Toensmeier
and others have shown that you can get more out of an unheated
greenhouse than I'd seen elsewhere. But, mostly, I'm just
trying to figure out how to keep our dwarf
lemon tree growing.
In the winter of
2011-2012, our potted lemon tree provided thirty-some lemons from its
large pot in the East
Wing. However,
a variety of factors worked against our darling tree over the ensuing
year, so we only enjoyed four measly lemons this winter. Part of
the problem won't happen again --- the
cicadas laid eggs in the stems just like they did in
everything else, and I pruned
the roots too drastically in an effort to keep the
plant from becoming root-bound.
However,
the biggest issue is that Mark changed his use-patterns and ended up
putting a wall in front of the windows in the East Wing so he wouldn't
have sun glaring in his eyes while he rested. To tend to the
dwarf citrus at the moment, I first have to climb over a sofa and slip
into a three-foot-wide closet, trying not to hit my head on a
brace-beam. Suffice it to say that I've barely given the plants
the watering they crave and have completely avoided any extra
TLC. And the citrus show the neglect by sitting there and
scowling at me (which makes me want even less to visit their den).
The ailing lemon has
dampened my mood this winter, and Mark and I eventually decided we
didn't want to go through another year of this. We'll either give
our darling lemon tree away, or make it an accessible home by the end
of the year. Unfortunately, there's no window space in the
trailer for a lemon tree, and since the East Wing is now out, any sunny
window would have to be in a newly constructed space.
Two alternatives are
currently in the running. Option one is to build a little nook in
front of the trailer, just like the wood stove alcove but a hair bigger.
Since this area would open into the trailer right by a heat source, it
probably wouldn't be take much extra wood to keep the lemon tree above
freezing therein. As an added bonus, a second round of glazing
outside our south face of windows would insulate the glass and help
hold heat within the trailer itself. (As a side note, I had
written last summer about the possibility of turning our south-facing
porch into a
sunroom, but a winter of cogitation showed us that we really like that
area as a porch and that it feels too big to heat for our small family.)
The second option is to
build a passive solar greenhouse into the south-facing side of the gully. This would be a much
larger project, and has the disadvantage that it wouldn't be connected
to a building, so if I didn't design it well enough to stay above
freezing due to passive solar heating and thermal mass, I'd be heating
what's essentially the outdoors. On the other hand, a greenhouse
down there would give me more room to play with other plants ---
currently I've completely filled up the area under the table and on top
of the fridge with rooting cuttings, and could use more space. In
addition, the gully gets much more sun than the front of the trailer in
the winter months.
Luckily, we have plenty
of time to ponder the project, and the worst case scenario would
consist of one of our friends getting a stellar house plant, so that's
not all bad either. In the meantime, we'll keep thinking....
 This post is part of our Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse lunchtime
series.
Read all of the entries: |
Or explore more posts by date or by subject.
About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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We got a small 6'x6' greenhouse last year for the intended purpose to move our citrus trees out of the house and to allow them to receive more sun during winter. Since it's polycarbonate I can't see in easily so I tend to ignore the plants from time to time. With the day time highs that can reach over 100F even with an automatic vent sometimes my oversight results in some dried up seedlings.
If I were to do it again I would build one with clear glazing, at least on a portion so I could view in easier and see if my plants need attention as I walked by. In our case I think it is best that we have ours in a zone 1 location since those plants can be exposed to some extreme temperature swings. The size of ours allows us to use a very small space heater on a handful of days when it gets below 25F outside (freezing inside). This small size also allows for some extreme temperature swings though.
I hope this helps.
Hi Anna,
I vote for the lean-to greenhouse attached to the house. You could still find lots of room there for your seedlings (perhaps add some shelves) and it will lift your spirits on those dull winter days. You will also be able to gaze at all of your plants and tend to them. You will be gaining solar heat on sunny days too. As you noted, the wood stove is close enough to provide needed heat at night or on sunless days. I have a small (6 x 10) greenhouse and it's the best thing I have ever purchased. I want another one but have run out of room in my city yard for the moment, before we move back to the country. In the winter (Canada - not all cold as last week it was 65 F. here) it warms up to 100 F. (we have lots of sun in winter) and I can go out with my pup and read and have a tea. I leave the door open. I start my tomatoes and cukes early out there with a small heater and a thermostat that keeps it at just above freezing at night. In the day, I don't need it at all but I've had wonderful success with it and can't grow my special heirloom tomatoes without it here (think Alaska-type climate and short 90-day summer). You can also imbibe some needed light in there. It's a win-win all the way.