Tour Outside the Greenhouse

I periodically give a tour inside our greenhouse to show what’s growing there, but the last month or so I have been busy landscaping outside the greenhouse. Last year we put up a new greenhouse, which is situated right next to where the old one was located. I ran out of time last fall to finish the landscaping, and with spring and summer gardening chores behind me now I finally have time to finish the outside and get it like I want it to look before winter weather gets here.

front view of greenhouse

The first job I tackled was around the front of the greenhouse. I extended the mulched area, and added a few extra rubber pavers at the entrance. I always have potted herbs and other plants sitting around, and it is good to have a weed free and level place to park them.

before work

after work

I have a potting bench inside the greenhouse, but I also have a cedar bench outside. Often it is too warm inside the greenhouse to work comfortably, and I prefer to work outside whenever possible. I had to remove a lot of old concrete pavers and level the soil where the bench sits, then arrange the pavers in the new location and landscape around the bench. The ground is still not perfectly level but it works. I also got a new container for potting soil to replace one of the old ones that was in bad shape.  And I put down mats made of recycled rubber in front of the bench which are comfortable to stand on while I do potting chores.

area for outside potting bench

another view of potting bench

Now I need to finish work on the back side of the greenhouse where I have the cold frames. I want to put down more of the recycled rubber mats around the cold frames, which will not only keep down the weeds but also provide a good surface for my knees when I am planting and weeding in the cold frame beds.

back side of greenhouse

I also want to work on the mulch and weed barrier on one side of the greenhouse. I am trying to keep things away from the exterior of the greenhouse, which should extend the life of the redwood. There’s also a cold frame sitting there that I need to swap with one that has seen better days.

side of greenhouse

I figure with another work session or two I can wrap up the project and then move on to planting fall and winter crops inside in the greenhouse beds. I hope you have enjoyed this update on the greenhouse, and I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres!