No real garden is complete without a greenhouse. It allows you to garden much more cheaply and ensures you have a wider range of plants and a longer growing season. Now we have more space we have invested in a second hand greenhouse, bought on EBay for £265 from a lovely guy, Leighton, in Devon. We've gone for the largest we could find and afford after careful investigation (the complete gardening book by Geoff Hamilton is still my bible). He suggested getting the largest greenhouse you can as you soon run out of space in it. He also stressed how important ventilation is so you need an adequate amount of windows that actually open (second hand ones need to be checked to ensure they work correctly before you buy them). Leighton helped take the greenhouse apart and we parted good friends. We hope he'll pop by and see how it looks when he's over in Cardiff.
Because we have both been working full time there has been little time to get the greenhouse erected. We have this week off work so are hunkering down to get the job done. Luke has dug over the ground we are putting it on and is now laying a base whilst I am cleaning the glass and metal of the greenhouse. Boring but worthwhile. Let's hope a few of the angry wasps don't make a (sorry about the pun) bee line for us!
June 18th.
We had a break yesterday and drove down to Cornwall to visit Luke's Dad. A trip to Fowey, reached by the car ferry was very pleasant. We had a pub lunch with Trevor (Luke's Dad) and his girlfriend Julie, who drives the local bus. A group of unsuspected pensioners were dive bombed by a huge and hungry seagull who disappeared with one of their sandwiches, grabbed straight out of a hand of one of the group. The pub had a sign stating that if anyone had their food stolen or spoiled ("natural causes") by the seagulls then they wouldn't get a replacement or reimbursement. I guess it happens a lot. Anyway, after wandering along the little main street, punctuated by stops to nose in shop windows, we caught the ferry back and drove to Hannafore where we sat on the grass and looked over at Looe Island whilst eating clotted cream topped icecreams. As Trev said, "This is the life" and it was. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday, hey?
Now we are back and hopefully ready to tackle the huge job that is the greenhouse. How I long for it to be up and ready to use. Today Luke is going to carry on with the other two sides of foundations whilst I am meant to be laying the blocks it will stand on. Sure to be some grumbling going on before the day is out!
Tonight Luke's Mum\and stepdad are coming to stay so we have to be done and dusted in order to welcome them. Best crack on.....
Half past eight and our work is done for the day. These long evenings will allow us to garden longer for normal for a little while longer. Who can believe we are almost at the longest day of the year? I've been reading about biodynamics, the waxing and waning of the moon and such like. It sounds pretty interesting but for now I am just getting out there and planting away.
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