I’m excited to announce the latest in my collection of printable patterns. This adorable fox is simple to make with my step by step tutorial with color photographs.

The pattern can be purchased from my Etsy store with this link HERE

Use the coupon code NEWPATTERN to get this fellow for just $.50 for a limited time.

January. Finally. I’ve been anxiously anticipating the new year and the progression of the seasons. I have known for a long time how the feeling of potting mix, or the weight of a good pair of pruning shears melts stress and lightens my mood. Between the pandemic, quarantines, restrictions, and politics that have overwhelmed me this year I found escape in my garden. It became a haven for me and my family as we weathered the spring, summer, and fall in our own paradise. I began to feel the absence of garden therapy as the brisk days turned more chilly and even more as the snow fell and icy crystals coated my branches.

So in this new year and new beginning I’m finding a new sense of calm and hope when I walk out to the greenhouse to take a deep breath and check on my plants.

This is the first year we’ve heated the greenhouse all winter {I’ve got a post on heating the greenhouse coming soon}. On cold, sunny days it’s amazing to walk inside and find temperatures over 65 degrees when we are in the 20’s outside.

January felt like a milestone in the greenhouse. Up until now the greenhouse has soley been harboring plants to overwinter, I haven’t been actively growing. Enter the overwintered geraniums.

This fall before our temperatures dipped below freezing I took about half of my geraniums to experiment an overwintering technique. I dug up my geraniums from my hanging baskets and containers, rinsed the soil from their roots, trimmed them so they were about 4-6″ tall and placed them upside down in individual paper bags. I stored the bags in a cool basement closet and waited for the calendar to read 2021.

When I opened the bags this past Saturday I was pleased to find firm, green stems, and even some pale new growth! I soaked the roots in water for a while and then potted them up. I’m hoping the early start will allow me to take and root some additional cuttings.

I’ve got a super exciting announcement! I’ve been working hard with my sister over the past several months to launch these beautifully designed washi tapes with a botanical theme! With potted plants, garden string lights, florals, and leafy prints it’s the perfect companion for any gardener.

You can purchase them on Amazon here. Yay for Prime shipping!

I think many garden lovers, especially those in climates with a full four seasons, fantasize about starting tomatoes in February, getting a head start on growing annual patio pots, and overwintering lemon trees. Building a greenhouse was at the top of my yard to do list when we purchased our home three years ago.  It got bumped down the list a bit in favor of things like laying new sod, building a fence, and purchasing plants to serve as the foundation of our landscape.  But last spring we looked at our to do list and found greenhouse construction right up at the top. My first choice, a custom glasshouse imported for England for a mere $17,000 was more than a bit out of reach.  As I researched different companies and kits I found that for my price range, if I wanted something beautiful it would have to be tiny, and if I wanted something with enough space it would be plain and ugly. I decided for the most price friendly greenhouse for its size, the Harbor Frieght 10’ X 12’.

Making the decision to purchase this greenhouse meant factoring in a bunch of greenhouse improvements to our budget. As silly as it may sound, having a greenhouse that was equal in beauty and function was the goal.  I knew my greenhouse would serve as another outdoor room in my garden, and I wanted it to be an escape.

I’d read plenty of negative reviews for this greenhouse.  I was aware that the aluminum frame would need some sturdying up, and that the panels would require some work to keep them from blowing out in windstorms. However I felt that for the price, around $500 after a sale + coupon, I could make it work perfectly for our space.

Major Upgrades We Knew We’d Want

• electrical
• ventilation
• automated watering/humidity control
• benches and storage for plants
• potting/work area with a sink

The Eletrical

We were able to add a light fixture and two outlets to the greenhouse. Sometimes I’ll go out in the greenhouse after the girls have gone to bed, flip on the light and do some transplanting. The outlets are a means for us to use the ventilation system we came up with, as well as plug in our seed heating mats or space heaters if we have a chilly night in late spring.  The metal conduit through which we ran wires for our ceiling light help add stability to the aluminum frame.

Ventilation

The greenhouse came with four of the roof panels opening as vents.  Greenhouse ventilation is important because temperatures in the greenhouse far exceed the outside temperatures during the summer months due to the warm air that gets trapped inside. Although having these events open would allow for some air movement, in order to keep the temperature at a more hospitable range we knew we needed a more aggressive approach to air circulation. We invested in outlet  thermostat  that can be set for both a high temperature and low temperature range. We have ours set  so that at 85°, the outlet turns on the ventilation fan And outlet turns off when the temperature gets down to 80°.  This fan pulls warm air from inside the greenhouse outside, it has louvers on the exterior that only open if the fan is running. To allow for fresh air to circulate through the greenhouse we added an opening with louvers across from the ventilation fan, so that when it runs it can pull air from the outside.  During the summer months we will hear the fan turning off and on throughout the day as it works to keep the greenhouse in or acceptable temperature range of about 85°.

Automated Watering

We purchased and hooked  up  an automated misting system to ensure that our greenhouse had high enough humidity levels and didn’t simply turn into a desert.  We can tell our Mister how often to turn on and for what duration of time. During the hottest summer months I set my misting system to run every 10 minutes for 30 seconds.  That kept our humidity up and also helped lower the temperature along with our fan.

Benches

I wanted to be able to utilize as much space as possible, so my husband constructed benches to run down each side of the greenhouse, with hardware cloth for the top level, and 1″ x 3″ slats for the bottom level. The benches are 2″ wide leaving plenty of space in the center of the greenhouse for a removable island when we need extra space, or a table and chairs for our girls’ tea parties.

Potting/Work Area with Sink

This might be my favorite part of the greenhouse. Having a solid work area where I could put down seeds and divide plants was really important. I also wanted to be able to rinse my garden tools, wash my hands,  and fill up watering cans.  We found our impossibly deep cast iron sink at our local restore, and we used plywood and 2 x 4’s along with our extra hardware cloth make a mold for a concrete countertop.  The countertop supports an old, mirrored hutch that we found a secondhand store. I love having the two big mirrors reflecting the greenhouse and the rest of my garden.

Extras

One of the things we kept reading about the Harbor Freight greenhouse was that the panels would blow out in strong wind storms. Reviewers said that the clips holding the panels in work very effective, and that purchasing additional clips was a good option. Instead of adding more clips we ended up using self tapping screws  to secure each panel to the frame.

Weather is a tricky thing here in Utah.  I’ve spent sunny January afternoons short-sleeved working in my backyard and frigid days in April watching baseball games during snow flurries.  This winter has been really mild, with few snow showers and single temperature digit days.  Today as I’m writing though, we’ve a high of 25, icy winds, and about 4″ of snow with more expected tomorrow.  Feeling like we’ve gone back in time to the beginning of January isn’t what my garden loving soul needs right now.  And as eager as I was to hang up my pruning shears in October for some well deserved rest, I’m twice as eager  now to plunge my hands into some potting soil and admire budding leaves on my lilacs.

Until the weather decides to join me in my desire for spring I’ll have to settle for what little yard prep I can do indoors.  I’ve made my four page long garden to-do list (check back soon for more on early garden must do’s) but I’m ready for some green.

We’ve decided to expand our vegetable garden this year, tearing out more turf in favor of the flavors of juicy tomatoes, and home grown acorn squash.  Weather you’re looking to plant a large veggie patch, or just looking to grow a few container tomatoes on a back patio, starting your own seeds is a great idea.  There’s something about beginning a garden on my windowsill that helps me make it through March.  It can also help save money too.  Buying a seed packet for $1.50 that yields 20 zucchini plants when you’d likely pay $1.50+ for just one feels good.  Extra plants can be given as gifts to neighbors, or you can try selling them.  I had a plant “garage sale” last spring and the sale of my extra veggies funded some new string lights for the patio.

When walking through the seed section of your local home improvement store you’ll likely see accessories like expensive grow lights, fancy seeding containers, and humidomes.  Although having fancy seeding equipment won’t hurt your chances, they’re necessary.

You only need four simple ingredients for successful seed starting

1. seed starting mix
2. a container
3. water
4. light

Oh, and seeds of course.  These components don’t need to be fancy or expensive, with a good batch of seed starting mix and a trip to the dollar store you’ll have everything you need to begin your garden indoors.

Seed Starting Mix:

Do seeds germinate in regular old backyard dirt? You betcha. But to up your chances of seeding success you’ll wan’t to use a special seed starting mix.  This special mix provides the right balance of aeration with water holding capacity and sterility, which means you won’t have to battle any pests while growing juvenile plants.  Depending on the amount of seeds you’re planning on growing, a small bag purchased from your home improvement store might be enough.  If you’re planning on a starting a bunch you might want to consider purchasing the ingredients to make a big batch of your own.  Supplies are easily found at most garden centers.

Seed Starting Mix Recipe

• 1 part vermiculite
• 1 part perlite
• 1 part peat moss

Containers:

Seed starting sets will often include a clear plastic “lid”  these are called humidomes.  They basically create a mini greenhouse for your seedlings, helping increase heat and humidity.  You can create this same effect with any clear covering.  You can use take out containers, plastic wrap, basically any transparent covering will do.  I found disposable casserole dishes at the Dollar Tree that came with transparent lids about 3″ tall.  I’m also using some berry clam shells, and some to-go salad containers.  Most “official” humidomes have a flap that can be opened to let out excess moisture and let the seedlings breathe a little.  You can copy this by removing or opening the lids for a few hours a day or cutting a flap that can be opened and closed. I opted for cutting a flap that could be easily opened or closed without taking the whole lid off.

Make sure your container has drainage!  It might be necessary to poke several holes in the bottom of your container.  Tomato and berry clam shells usually have holes in the base of the container already, but if you’re using a tin container like mine, or a take out container you’ll want to make sure you make enough holes so that water can drain out.  The developing roots of your seedling can easily rot if there’s too much moisture.

Water:

Starting with moist potting mix is crucial for seedling success.  Because seeds are often small, they’re easily washed away or displaced by heavy streams of water.  I like to mist my soil and seeds with a spray bottle, the fine mist ensures they won’t be damaged.  Once my seedlings have started to grow and require more water I’ll set my container in a shallow dish filled with water and bottom water my plants.  The water will soak up into the soil through the holes in the bottom of the container.  I’ll check the soil and take the containers out of the water dish after about 10 minutes. That’s usually long enough for some good water absorption.

Light:

South or west facing windows are the optimal places for catching winter sun.  Light is one of the requirements for adequate germination, so having your seedlings as close as you can to the window is crucial.  Seedlings struggling with adequate light will become thin, spindly, and suffer from etoliation which basically means they’re trying to grow tall stems to reach as much light as possible. These tall stemmed plants are putting so much effort into vertical growth that root development and leaf production can suffer, making for weak plants.  If 5+ hours of sunlight is impossible for you, you might want to consider subsidizing with a grow light.

During sunny days I’ll check the temps in my unheated greenhouse.  It can be as much as 20 degrees warmer than outside if its a clear day.  I’ll let my seedlings spend the  day in there and bring them back inside before the sun and temperature starts to sink.

Other Considerations:

• Soak seeds prior to planting.  Infusing seeds with a straight shot of H2O can speed up their germination.  Don’t over do it, 4-8 hours is sufficient for most seeds.  Those with a harder seed coat (think peas or beans) can benefit from a longer soaking session, but don’t exceed 16 or so hours or you’ll risk rot and damage.

• Adequately label plants!  It’s easy to forget which plant is growing in which container.  If you’re growing both Roma tomatoes as well as beefsteak unlabeled plants won’t distinguish themselves for months.  To label my seedlings I picked up some toothpicks and white stickers while sourcing containers at the dollar store.

• Read instructions on seed packets!  Some plants require the seeds to be covered to certain depths for germination, others can germinate sitting right on top of the soil.

Transplanting:

•  Seeds can be transplanted into larger containers once their second set of leaves appear.  These are called their first “true leaves” and will often look different from the first round they sprouted.  The seeds  leaves that emerge out of the ground are called cotyledons.  They existed in the embryonic seed.  Once the “true leaves” start sprouting from your seedling you can gently “weed” it out of your seed starting mix and transplant into a larger container filled with regular old potting soil.
• Don’t be too hasty to fertilize after transplanting.  Wait for plants to root into their new container and continue producing new leaves.  Waiting a week or so after transplanting should be adequate.

There you have it, seed starting basics on the cheap.  Here’s to an early start to the season, and a little green in the midst of the snow.

Overwintering plants in a zone 5 greenhouse is easier said than done.  All in all we’ve had a mild winter for Utah. Much less snowfall than usual and even some warm-ish (45 degrees or more) days in December and January.  Our first winter in the greenhouse was definitely a learning experience. On non-cloudy days our greenhouse temps were lovely, often 20+ degrees more than the outside temps.  The problem becomes harnessing that heat and providing a slow, steady release during the night to ensure that our tender plants don’t freeze completely.  We lost a quite a few succulents this winter, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this little succulent had made it through.  Hopefully transplanting into some new soil, along with relocation to the sunniest spot will do it some good.

Next Year’s To Do List for Winter Greenhouse Success

• Cover greenhouse air vents with batting insulation
• Use silicone caulk to seal  up loose panels and reduce cold air infiltration
• Increase the number of black water jugs for overnight thermal mass heating
• Look into paraffin wax heaters and solar power options for space heaters

Did you love this post with my denim whale but haven’t had time to make one yourself? Problem Solved. I finally opened my Etsy store, along with my mom and my super talented sister.  We’ve posted a couple of our whales for sale, each as beautifully unique as the up-cycled jeans they were created from.

Check out our store here

I’ve always loved classic rock and roll.  There’s something about a little Marshall Tucker Band or some Steely Dan that’s just good for the soul.  But lately my Pandora station is set to Toddler Dance Radio more often than The Eagles and I listen to a lot more “Head, Knees and Toes” than I do Boston hits. But yesterday my sister stopped by and reminded me of a little Earth, Wind and Fire.  The lyrics to “September” are as much poetry as anything written by Longfellow, and defintely worth a little space on my wall as some seasonal decor. You can download  an 8 x 10 printable page here.