In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

• Ask a question

« Eco-friendly lawns | In the Garden front page | New nursery in Natomas »

October 17, 2007

Dreaming of a greenhouse

It seems every gardener’s dream, at one time or another, is a greenhouse. We all imagine stepping into a warm greenhouse when the weather outside is cold and stormy, of having a place to sit with cup of hot tea in hand, perhaps a garden catalog or two and let ourselves breathe deeply the warm, rich air.

I used to have a 6x12 greenhouse, and it was a treat to go inside and shut the stormy weather out. Unfortunately, the roof was torn off during a severe storm when wind gusts reached 95 miles an hour. Already old and a bit decrepit, the little building just couldn’t take it any more. I turned the site into a flowerbed, but still think about that greenhouse when I'm in that part of the garden.

A friend has a large, sturdily built greenhouse where he grows cacti and succulents. Each day after work he sits in the greenhouse, unwinding after a long day on the job, looking at his plants. Another friend has a small greenhouse filed with cymbidiums, vines, seedlings and whatever else strikes her fancy. It isn’t heated in the winter, but it’s still a pleasant to slip inside on a stormy day to get out of the weather.

I recently received a catalog in the mail dedicated to greenhouses. If you’re in the market for a build-it-yourself greenhouse kit, browse through Charley’s Greenhouse & Garden catalog. Page after page after page is filled with different styles of greenhouses, some very simple to assemble, others looking very professional and substantial. There are attached greenhouses, freestanding greenhouses, budget greenhouses, and custom greenhouses. If you’re a real do-it-yourselfer, you can even get ideas on building your own greenhouse. The catalog also offers all the items you’d need to keep the greenhouse warm in the winter, cool in the summer.

Of course, the catalog contains many other gardening items, such as garden carts, pruners, watering cans, hoses, and seed starting supplies. I’ve never ordered from Charley’s, but, according to the catalog, Charley Yaw and his wife Carol have been in business for more than 32 years. The catalog is free.

Ask a question

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.