Checking in on the greenhouse plants

Last winter was the first year for my temporary greenhouse, and I was out there almost every day checking the temperature, seeing how the bamboos were doing, and just enjoying all of the green during the blah days of winter. I'm not sure what's different this year -- maybe the novelty of having a plastic sheeted refuge from the cold has worn off, maybe I'm too busy with other things, or maybe since the bamboo in the yard is larger this year I've got enough green to look at -- whatever the reason I haven't been going out to the greenhouse very much this year.

In fact, I think I've only been out there one time since moving the plants into it, and that was to check for leaks and to add some magnets to flaps on the roof (to keep the wind from lifting the flaps). So this weekend I decided to go out there and see how everything was doing.

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The other day my wife said to me "the greenhouse looks a lot better than it did last year".

It's not really a thing of beauty but I had to agree with her, and it's held up quite nicely to the wind, rainstorms, and snow we've had so far this year (last year's design dismantled itself in the wind and I had to redesign on the fly, resulting in a not so attractive structure).

The only drawback to this year's design is the lack of a good door:

this is the door.

here's another look.

That's pretty much it, a wall-length flap held closed by bricks. Maybe that's another reason I'm not coming out here very much -- too hard to get in! Anyway, the bamboos near the greenhouse are doing pretty well, with only minor signs of cold damage:

Inside the plants are doing great, as expected:

Since this is an unheated greenhouse, it still gets cold in here. Cold enough that some plants (like this maypop) have suffered some damage:

This other one looks pretty good though, considering it's supposed to die back to the ground in the winter here:

I can't remember if this bamboo started looking like this before I moved it in here, or if it's a recent change:

In either case the plant will most likely be fine, sending up new shoots and leafing out again when it warms up.

This garbage can full of water is the only heat source in here:

It absorbs the heat from the sun during the day, then releases that heat into the greenhouse during the night. It's a time-proven, simple, and cheap way to help keep the interior a bit warmer than outside. Our recent heatwave has melted all but a thin layer of ice, although I expect this will freeze quite a bit later this winter.

The open container of water also provides plenty of moisture to the air, which is something the plants love:

It's not so great when you accidentally brush the roof with your head and get some icy sprinkles down your back, or all over your camera. I'm glad to see it though -- it means there are no major air leaks in here and I won't have to worry about watering the plants.


I think I noticed a couple of new shoots on some of the bamboos, and now I'll have to check on them every couple of days or so. I can't resist the power of bamboo shoots -- I must watch their progress so closely. It's almost an obsession. So I'll be out here a lot more often now...

...at least until I start some seeds inside.