World events can rock you pretty hard, but surprisingly so can little things like crummy weather. I’m telling you: weeks of snow and no sunshine can mess with even stalwart seasonal affective disorder naysayers like me. All that bright snow outdoors, which otherwise perks up the darkest day, can wear you down!
Enter, sunshine. Time to run out to the old greenhouse for some personal light therapy.
Doesn’t look very bright and cheery, but it was 75 degrees in there. Can you find Penny?
May as well throw back the covers to see what’s growing. Here, mache has self-seeded and is crowding out the resident lettuces.
Here’s a closeup of the mache. I couldn’t help but nibble.
And speaking of nibbling, I might as well bring some of the greenhouse’s celery to the bunnies. I wonder if our heretofore picky goat T-bell might like to try some.
Hmm: what do you have here? Hey, that’s rather tasty…
Burp! (Excuse me!)
Looks like the bunnies will need another bundle. And: I feel a lot better.
Have a great weekend, everyone, and be sure to support The International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent or find out how else you can help through The Center for International Disaster Information.
Glad you came to visit!
Got something to say? Email me at fastweedpuller at gmail dot com.
fast grow the weeds 
Your goat is SO cute!
Yay for adorable goats and greenhouse therapy. I have never had my own greenhouse but I’ve always made it a habit to make periodic theraputic stops over at retail greenhouses near me in the dead of winter. I feel so much more hopeful and cheery afterwards!
75*? Seriously? Honey, grab another lawn chair. I’m on my way over.
Now I’ve got greenhouse envy. Again. I got a nice spot in the side yard; gonna go out there and assess the sun over the course of a winter day.
Thanks.
75º!
me too, greenhouse envy!
Greenhouse envy here as well. My hubby says we can put one up it’s just finding the space and time. But I’m SO ready for real sunshine and longer days.
At least when we have below zero days its often accompanied by sunshine this time of year, I guess it’s a trade off.
I’m with you guys. It’s totally–fresh greens in the winter? yada yada. Sit in warm humid air with a garden catalog in February? WAHOO! It is definitely the time of year when the season of GE (greenhouse envy) and spring fever is nearly upon us! Could I fit a lawn chair in the weeny 8 x 10 hoop house that I can fit in my yard?
I was in my hoophouse today in a tank top, but unfortunately I did not have a goat with me.
I bet it would be nice to have a hoophouse on really rainy days… like today. Your mache looks great, I forgot to plant mine this fall, darnit anyway.
Goat looks very happy and spoiled.:)
Sigh!! I was working to get a hoophouse up while the weather was still warm. Didn’t succeed – the weather changed before I was finished. Only part of the frame is up and the plastic cover won’t go over it until next spring. I was hoping to grow some plants in it this spring, especially bush tomatoes to get an early start on them.
Oh well, I’m making a cold frame in my workshop and will start some plants in it for early salads, etc. One slow, doddering step at a time!
I totally agree with you. I loved my polytunnels just so that I can sit inside with the warm sun baking them and water dripping down the sides with the snow OUTSIDE.
Wendy, she’s really sweet, too!
Carlie, isn’t it true? I mean we complain so much when it’s hot and muggy outside but wow in the winter you sure need it, right? I like going to arboretums too in the winter; there’s a great one in Lincoln Park in Chicago that is a lot of fun. A bit of a hike for me though, luckily we have a couple in the back yard.
Amanda, done deal; there are already 2 in there! I’ll brew the tea.
CC, give it a try, why not? Like I said, it’s got other purposes, like, helping one’s psyche.
Aimee, yeah, and one would help you get out of the rain!
Judy, I told my husband that it would be a perfect winter–and I didn’t care what the temperature or the snow level–if it would just be sunny for a few hours ever 3 days. Every 3 days means it would get pretty hot in the greenhouses and with another 2 days of cloudy/cold weather they wouldn’t get too stressed. But obviously the clouds don’t listen. BUT: great news that your hubby is on board!
Sara, I am sure you can fit a chair in there: you might just have to span a lettuce bed or two. But I am telling you, before I was a gardener, I loved winter! Now, well, it’s just too long. The greenhouses shorten it considerably, and I get to the end of January and think: whee! the salads look great, still! And spring is months away still.
Aw, MW, I certainly didn’t have her in there with me; there’d be no getting her out, just like those chickens. BUT: tank top! Wow, your Vitamin D is just fine.
Mike, yeah, it’s great when it’s raining and you still have a yen to dig. Mothers’ Day is my day to be alone in the gardens and more often than not it’s pouring out there…but now that’s just fine 🙂 And: let your mache go to seed, you won’t be without it again.
Dennis, isn’t that the way. My tarp-covered oven beckons to me every time I walk out the back door. I guess it just needs to happen for you to really really want something. The cold frames sound like a great step though. My experience with the tomatoes in the greenhouses is they do great if you start them really tiny in there (hoping, of course, it’s not too cold for them, meaning it doesn’t get below 45 or so) and then the get used to the cold and do great. Having a hoophouse does shave about a month off the tomato ripening time…and extends it another month or more if you can still tolerate them in the fall.
OG, it’s a nice, quiet feeling, just sitting in there and slowing way down. Here’s hoping your spring comes early this year.
I want a greenhouse and I want it full of green things. COME on SPring!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Hi El – I see Penny outside the door waiting for you like a good dog does. I also love the Lincoln Park Conservatory or the Garfield Park Conservatory (even better in my opinion!) in the dark of winter. You have reminded me of them – I think I will go this weekend!
Hey Linda! I am with you: that green weather can’t come soon enough! Have a happy end of winter, though; it’s still soup season 🙂
Angie, that dog always has my back. Of all the creatures, she picked ME, the one who probably needs the least amount of watching. Yeah, the Garfield Park conservatory is fabulous; didn’t get to it much because I was a carless Chicagoan at the time…but I really liked hopping a bus to go to the zoo and the conservatory. Have fun if you go.