A Greenhouse For The Madman

The greenhouse came early, and the madman is loving it. That really comes as no surprise – he loved the other one. He thinks it gives him a chance to cheat Mother Nature, something he has been trying to do for a very long time.

He calls it “extending the growing season,” not “cheating.” Seems like we have spent our gardening lives trying to extend the growing season. I blame his mother. Sophie always had to be the first in her neighborhood with a ripe tomato.

Cold Frame

Back at the beginning, we tried cold frames. Cold frames are simply boxes with transparent tops that are set over plants in the garden. Their purpose is to protect the plants from cold weather. Someone gave the madman a few old storm windows. So, we built our cold frames out of scrap lumber with sloped sides and hinged the windows on top. We put them against our foundation with its southern exposure.

Alas, the madman was an Optometrist, not a Master Carpenter. And, although his cold frames worked, I wanted something a bit more attractive than scrap lumber in the front of our house. We graduated to commercially available cold frame kits. Our biggest problem was tending the cold frame while working full-time. Back then automatic openers were hard to find, expensive and we didn’t have Dr. Google to help us. After cooking one too many seedlings, we moved on.

Cold frames were not for us, but they still are a great idea. Today, a quick internet search will give you a variety of great options, from full kits to excellent DIY plans. Remember, cold frames work best with a reliable venting system. If you don’t want to constantly monitor the temperature inside your cold frame, invest in an automatic vent opener. Perhaps if they were available or easy to find when we needed them, we would still be gardening with cold frames.

Portable Greenhouses

Our next adventure in season extending was a portable greenhouse. We tried row covers, walls-of-water, cloches – a whole bunch of things that required more effort than the madman was willing to supply.

But we knew when it was time to move on. The madman found an ad for a portable greenhouse (remember when I told you he always reads the back of the seed catalogs with their new product offerings?). He ordered one right away. I’m sure you’re familiar with the type – tubular metal frame with shelves and a slide-on plastic cover that zips closed. By early May of the first year, he had moved a number of his seedlings from the seed-starting area in the basement to this greenhouse. Then he learned that he could cook the seedlings here just as easily as in a cold frame. These greenhouses had to be vented on a sunny day.

We Needed More

We eventually learned to live with this system, realizing it wasn’t perfect. The plastic cover was the weak link because it never lasted. But they were inexpensive enough and we could replace them as needed. We even tried a larger walk-in model, but that died quickly. These structures allowed him to move his plants outside earlier in the spring and gave him strong seedlings to put in the ground. But one day, a robust gust of wind flipped a greenhouse full of his annual flowers upside down as he watched. An angry madman is not pretty. Even I knew we needed to find something else, something permanent. Not just for the madman’s garden seedling, but for our growing collections of citrus, cacti, succulents and other exotics.

We started looking at sunrooms and attached greenhouses. Since we live in a south-facing 18^th century cape, this solution proved totally impractical. We considered High Tunnels and a variety of different greenhouses. Nothing struck our fancy until one year we went to the Hartford Flower Show.

We Found Freedom

Tucked in between equipment, landscapers and plant vendors was a cedar structure – a solar-powered self-venting greenhouse. We walked in and met Pike, the brains behind Maine Garden Products. At that point we knew that if we ever bought a greenhouse, this would be it. Pike carefully explained that the Freedom Greenhouse wasn’t meant for growing tomatoes in January in the Northeast; it would merely extend the growing season on either side. We left that show with lots of thoughts running through our heads.

Where To Put It

A greenhouse needs full sun with a southern exposure. It should be close to a source of water, and it should be easy to get to. On top of this, the madman felt he wanted electricity in it. We spent a summer walking around with a tape measure looking for that perfect spot. Eventually we settled on a spot between the house and the driveway which was perfect the 8’x12’ Freedom Greenhouse. We just had to move a small stone wall.

Making The Base

Then the fun started. Pike would deliver and set up the greenhouse. We just had to build a base to his exact specifications. Although the base had to be solidly anchored to the ground (no frost heaves) and level, the actual floor of the greenhouse was up to us. Some people leave a dirt floor and plant directly into the soil, but we already have a garden, so we opted for a loose stone floor above a rodent control barrier.

Thanks to help from friend Bill, we had the base ready by fall. Also, thanks to Bill, there were a few extra niceties like insulation around the base, electricity and a drain to prevent water from collecting in the center.

Life with the greenhouse was great for many years. Over time, we learned to over-winter cacti, citrus and other semi-hardy plants by keeping the temperature near 40˚ even on cold winter nights with and electric space heater. By March, the madman could move his seedlings out there.

Madman Outgrew The Greenhouse

The only problem with the greenhouse was that it didn’t expand while the madman’s need did. Interesting, his need was the greatest at the beginning and the end of the growing season – the very times Pike had originally suggested for the greenhouse. The madman simply needed another greenhouse.

The madman decided we could put a new Freedom Greenhouse on the existing base and move our existing greenhouse to a new base in the back. He called Pike to order one; but Pike suggested we come see a new design before committing to another Freedom Greenhouse. So, we took a trip to Maine, and came back the owners of the GRO-MOR Greenhouse. Currently, Maine Garden Products has three main greenhouse designs featuring a variety of sizes and options.

With just a few minor modifications, it would fit on the current base. But moving our greenhouse to the back required a new base. We called Bill again who came through even when Pike called to say he could deliver it in October, a month or so earlier than we expected.

GRO-MOR Joins Freedom

Like the Freedom Greenhouse, the GRO-MOR comes in a variety of sizes and wall configurations.  Unlike the Freedom Greenhouse, it has a stationary roof. Venting is accomplished by solar-powered automatic wall vents on the south side and roof vents on the north side. Since the entire roof does not move, the madman expects that this will be a more air-tight system making it easier to heat in the winter. It is also a bit roomier, a feature that will make it easier for the two of us to work together and allow for more air circulation among the plants. We dubbed the new greenhouse “The South Greenhouse” and the old is “The North Greenhouse.”

As the finishing touches are being applied to the South Greenhouse, we have filled the North Greenhouse with plants that need protection from the frost while awaiting bug inspection and soil drenching before being moved to their winter homes. By Christmas, these plants will have moved on.

But this is the beginning of a new learning experience. By monitoring both greenhouses, and some trial and error, we will discover what actually can grow in each location. The madman is thinking cold weather crops in containers. It will be a fun winter with lots of hot chocolate.

Today it’s too warm for hot chocolate so it’s time for some lemonade.