It's November 1 and we have our first frost warning in the Atlanta area.
It always creeps up on me. We have glorious warm weather all Fall and I'm lazy about planning for my tropical plants on the porch. I have to scurry around, drag things inside, kill random bugs I've brought in with my plants and try to keep the dog out of the dirt.
It is not fun.
But this year I'm sharing a different story. I planned ahead. I have (what I hope) is a great solution to my "plant problem."
We purchased a very basic, not charming looking, utilitarian "greenhouse" type thing from Tractor Supply for about $100.00. We are not 100% sure it will be completely successful but the investment isn't large and far less than replacing the plants I have no place to overwinter each year. For the past couple of years I have had what I called a 'redneck greenhouse' on my porch. It was a ladder draped in sheets and plastic dropcloth with my plants shoved against the house wall of my screened porch. I used a lamp to keep the plants under it from freezing. It was not the best solution but my ferns survived. This year when we couldn't go shopping for plants in the Spring we were so happy to have the plants that survived to use on our porch.
So this structure from Tractor Supply is a small step up from the 'redneck greenhouse' of years past :) Yes, I would love a charming, 'real" greenhouse. I had one at our previous home and loved having it so much. But if this gets my plants through our Winter (which can be fairly mild) I will be ecstatic.
It is 6 x 6 feet* (more on that later) and it is tucked behind our garden shed in a utility area of the backyard. It is slightly visible from the back porch. We put it together in a few hours. This is a progress picture - we still had a couple of steps to go.
I chose to put down landscape fabric and cover it with pea gravel. I love pea gravel and will use it any time I can. A brick floor is very charming in a greenhouse and retains heat but this was a quick fix. (The lower back flap will be secured for those of you curious about that. I was waiting on a piece of pipe at this point. Once you slide it in the rod pocket the back is secured.)
And realized that 6 x 6 feet* was not as large as it looked. My ferns are huge. My palms are huge. It's going to be very cozy in there. My advice, go bigger than you think you need to. I had 6'6" between our shed and the fence so I chose what would fit and mostly be hidden by the shed. I honestly need another one to fit everything in!
I'll keep you posted since this is completely experimental. This structure will work if we have a mild winter and I can keep the temp regulated and the cold winds out.
Fingers crossed.
What a great idea. I have no clue what I'm going to do with my ferns for the winter.
ReplyDeleteWe shall see... but I have wintered ferns over inside the house. It's just messy and with as many as I have this year and how huge they've gotten I know inside is not an option. My mom used to cut hers back, put them in our unfinished and unheated basement where there was a window and water just enough to keep them alive. They would make it through and then come back in the Spring. I think some people have luck with this in garages too. I guess it depends on where you are and how cold it gets. I wintered some over one year in a bathtub we didn't bathe in. They made it but what a mess to clean up! Good luck.
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