Greenhouse…

This is my third year as a gardener. I decided in the fall that I would grow everything from seed this year.

I got many of my seeds from farmers on Etsy, where you can order as few as 10-25 seeds of veggies and flowers.

We don’t need more than that since we aren’t a farm. We are halfway homesteading at this point, meaning no farm animals.

I’ve considered chickens but tabled that until next winter to ponder. It would be nice having chicken poop as fertilizer for days.

Farm fresh eggs would also be awesome for our home use only since we use A LOT of eggs for the business.

As I said, that’s next year’s decision.

I started some flower seeds in mid-February, and they have been doing well.

I planted vegetables and herbs the first week of March which are also coming along.

I had to transplant one flower variety to bigger pots. This is what I want to happen but I realized quickly what gardeners said on YouTube that you will run out of room sooner than later.

I quickly ran out of grow light shelves and sunny windowsills. We talked about getting a greenhouse last weekend, and we did.

I saw one small 6×8 greenhouse that I liked, and it would be perfect for my needs. I found one online from Harbor Freight.

We watched several YouTube videos on reviews of the greenhouse I chose. Some gardeners had theirs for 6-8 years and were still using them.

They all said the same thing, it sucks to put it together, and the instructions are shit. Ok.

I went back online and I kid you not, there was a $129 dollar coupon on the greenhouse reducing the price to $229. Yay.

I drove to Bennington and got the greenhouse. I drove home and we started putting it together a couple of days later.

Putting it together was such a pain in the ass! We took advice from the YouTubers when they said don’t tighten anything since you will have to unscrew things several times.

It took us 2 days, the same time as the YouTubers.

We have experience when it comes to doing projects, I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for someone who isn’t handy.

When we finally got the damn thing built I installed the floor using patio pavers we used last summer.

These stones will help retain heat in the greenhouse at night. Marty did find a still in the box greenhouse heater on Facebook Marketplace in Latham, NY.

Today, Marty build me two shelves using all recycling materials we had from previous projects.

It was a chilly day here in Vermont but the sun was shining brightly. The greenhouse got to 90 degrees inside. I brought out some seedlings and the herbs that survived over the winter.

I had to open one of the vents to let some heat out. It felt so good in there. The shelves were perfect and my herb table fit between the shelves with less than hair length in between.

When things like this work out, I feel I have the “other side” helping us. 🙏

We set up the smart heater which I can control from my phone and receive notifications if the temperature gets too hot or too cold.

If things go well in the morning, I’ll be relieved that it actually worked. Fingers crossed that everything survives.

So far, I love my new greenhouse and that it was only a $229 investment which will pay for itself when the garden starts producing food.

I am super excited and nervous at the same time that I have success.

Our girls, Nelly and Roxy loved being outside with us while we were working on the greenhouse.

They don’t care what we are doing as long as they are with us. They soaked up the sun and laid on the greenhouse box.

Nelly and Roxy both entertained themselves putting their balls inside the big box and in between the frames that we were putting together.

This week we will have our foot on the gas as far as our business goes. We are vending at a gluten-free expo at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.

It’s a big deal doing this expo with a lot of product to make to take with us and keeping up with our regular wholesale orders from stores and restaurants.

I had two anxiety attacks last week and finally decided that whatever we do, everything always works out in the end.

I’ll be taking photos of what it takes getting ready for a big event and at the event itself so I can write about it when it’s all over.

Have a great week, this may be the only time you’ll hear from me until next Sunday.