For the Fall 2021 One Room Challenge we are building a whole room — a greenhouse! And we will be racing the snow to get it done, too. I’ll let you in on the inspiration board as well as plans for my dream greenhouse — a place for starting seedlings, overwintering tender perennials, and extending our short Colorado growing season. Be sure to check in on all of the other ORC projects on the ORC blog here.

Week Two. I have been struggling all week with how to write this post, because it isn’t actually Week Two for us. We started this project about four weeks early for several reasons. First, snow. Last year we had a huge snowstorm on September 9, and while that is unusual, we needed to be far enough into the project that a big storm like that wouldn’t derail the entire thing. Additionally, because we are working outside, our working hours are shorter. We can’t do much late-night work for fear of offending our neighbors. Plus, it gets dark quite early now, and the days will only get shorter as we go along. So this is truly a weekend project.

Given all of that, we started early.

So, how to catch you up on where we are and tell the story going forward? I’ve decided to do it thematically week-to-week. You’ll see where we are, but in a few weeks, for example, I will do a lengthy post about making our greenhouse warm in the winter and keeping it cool in the summer — and at that time I’ll show you everything we are doing toward that effort even though some of that is already done now.

All of that is to say, over the next six weeks some of what I write will be chronological and some will be thematic.

Why Build a Greenhouse?

So why are we building a greenhouse? Honestly, it’s kind of Monty Don’s fault. Last fall I started watching the BBC’s venerable gardening show, Gardener’s World. Until then I thought of greenhouses as follies for the wealthy and for collectors of rare plants. I never imagined I would build one!

But Monty changed all of that.

Monty Don is the host of Gardener’s World which is, quite frankly, the best gardening show on television. Of course, it’s a little hard to find here in the US, but between BritBox and Amazon Prime, there are several seasons available to gardeners in the US. And Monty’s books are fantastic. I devoured The Complete Gardener — and then turned around and read it again. It is beautifully written, impossibly helpful, and deliciously organized.

But it is his weekly teaching about cultivation — growing from seeds and cuttings — that convinced us to build a greenhouse. We don’t have a garage or a basement — natural places to begin seedlings. Nor do we have sunny windowsills. Our spring comes quite late, and growing many things from seed here challenging as a result. So to have the beautiful garden I seek within a reasonable budget, I need a place for cultivation. Thus: the greenhouse.

Monty has three greenhouses and a five acre garden. I won’t begin to compete with the master, but I have watched keenly as he talks about how he uses his greenhouses — truly tools, not follies at all.

My greenhouse will be the same. I’ll have a place to begin plants from seed in February and March while snow is still thick on the ground and our temperatures are quite cold. But come May and June, I’ll have small plants to bring instant color as the rest of the garden emerges from a winter’s sleep. I’ll also be able to take cuttings, root them, and propagate my own plants — turning one plant into many. I’m particularly excited about this prospect! Additionally, I’ll be able to store tender plants like my dahlia tubers in the greenhouse over winter.

Building a greenhouse is an investment, but over many years it should pay off, too.

I’ve written more about Monty, what I have learned from him, and why he is the gardening mentor America needs here.

Greenhouse Inspiration

I am fortunate to have an in-house architect, my husband, who designed the Greenhouse, but since he had never designed one before, we looked far and wide for both inspiration and technical knowledge. I collected many of those ideas on a Pinterest board which you can enjoy as well.

Additionally, I found some beautiful greenhouses on Instagram which also informed what we designed. The hastags #greenhouses , #greenhouseinspiration , and #greenhousegoals are filled with beautiful greenhouses from the modest to the majestic. I spent many happy hours admiring the work of others.

The Greenhouse Progress

So, where are we now in building our Greenhouse? Actually, we are pretty far along. We have been working on this project in every spare moment, and I’m excited about the progress.

What have we done to date?

1. Foundation: trenches dug, filled with gravel, pressure-treated sleepers in place and tied together and secured into the ground

2. Framing: done!

3. Sheathing: all four walls covered in OSB then we cut out the window openings.

4. Roof Framing: we have a butterfly roof. Done!

5. Framing for ventilation: panels with round openings. More on this later!

6. Fitting & Installing Central Gutter: the roof will drain into a central gutter which will then fill two rain barrels to be used for watering in the greenhouse.

7. Cladding: we have begun to install the cladding — beetle kill pine just like our new fencing. The upper portion is done, and the lower portions will be done as the windows are installed.

8. Interior Sheathing: in progress. We painted more OSB white and installed the two largest panels. Smaller portions will be installed as we go.

9. Insulation: almost done. We have installed two layers of rigid insulation in most of the recesses inside the greenhouse.

10. Interior Bracing: two braces were installed in the center of the greenhouse to support the central gutter and to brace for snow loads.

11. Roof: installed! There’s just one more step for the roof — securing the far ends on the butterfly “wings,” but otherwise the roof is installed.

12. Windows: we’ve made 2 of the 12 windows so far

We are working to get the Greenhouse enclosed as quickly as possible. That way if we have a cold snap and a freeze, I can move tender plants inside quickly. According to the forecast, next week it will get down into the mid-30s at night, so it will be time to start thinking about moving plants around. I have some work to do to get things ready this weekend!

I think the best way to bring you up to speed, though, is through a video. So here you go: let’s raise a greenhouse from the ground in under a minute!

Goals for this Week:

1. Finish the roof.

2. Finish the windows.

3. Build the cold frames along the back and side wall.

4. Install the water barrels.

5. Build the door and install.

6. Prep garden beds for the first frost.

7. Pot up any plants that are frost-tender.

Lots to do! I certainly have my Jobs for the Weekend!

The Greenhouse Design Considerations

• Heat: a greenhouse that doesn’t require heating except perhaps on the coldest of nights as we won’t be running power to the Greenhouse -- at least initially 

• Hail: We get frequent hail storms here on the Front Range, so a glass roof is pretty-much out of the question. It must be plastic.

• Space: I want to be able to overwinter some plants in the greenhouse as well as starting seedlings and plants from cuttings. 

• Sunlight: I hope to be able to retreat to this warm, sunny spot on cold days -- allowing me to be outside without being freezing. Perhaps even being able to work on a laptop while soaking in some Vitamin D. 

• Water: I’ll need to be able to water plants in the winter -- preferably without having to use the hose. 

Given all of those constraints, we did a lot of research on keeping greenhouses warm -- and cool. We have worked to maximize the amount of sunlight all day and will be using several layers of plastic to create an insulating layer. We will also be creating a Trombe Wall of sorts to store heat during the day and then radiate that heat into the Greenhouse at night. Any space not needed for sun exposure will be heavily insulated to keep heat in during the winter and out during the summer. We have designed a water-collection system to fill two rain barrels inside the Greenhouse which can then be used to water plants as needed. And the interior has been space-planned for storage as well as work area and spaces for plants of all sizes.  More details on all of this and how it works to come!

The DIY Greenhouse will be part science experiment, part engineering problem -- and there will be some fun design challenges, too. I am really looking forward to getting all of these pieces in place and letting them work their magic!

To Linda Weinstein, the creator of the One Room Challenge, I offer my most sincere thanks. Thank you for offering this kind of opportunity and for opening it up to anyone. And to Better Homes and Gardens, the ORC media sponsor: thank you for making this possible! And to all of the other ORC participants: I’ll be sure to stop by to admire your work! It is always fun to do this together!

Ok. Gotta get back to work! Be sure to follow along on Instagram for daily updates. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter below so the weekly updates will pop right into your inbox.

Cheers!
Angela

The Fall 2021 ORC Schedule

• Week One | Sept 30 | The Before

• Week Two | Oct 7 | My Gardening Guru

• Week Three | Oct 14 | Garden Beds

• Week Four | Oct 21 | Materials & Methods

• Week Five | Oct 28 | Construction & Gardening

• Week Six | Nov 4 | Making it Beautiful

• Week Seven | Nov 11 | Water-Wise Gardening

• Week Eight | Nov 18 | Before & After

Thanks to my sponsors for this project! Interested in being a sponsor? Let me know!

Don’t miss a single update!

Sign up and each installment of the One Room Challenge will come directly to your email on Thursdays! And be sure to stop by the One Room Challenge Blog to check out the other creative renovations happening across the country. You can also follow #oneroomchallenge and #bhgorc on Instagram for more inspiration! Be sure to follow me as well!

@MidModernMama

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