I’m so excited to share our little homestead with you. First off, I should give a little background. We moved here in December of 1999, and never really thought we’d stay! But the 30 acres of secluded forested land, a sweet cabin, and gorgeous creek captured our hearts, and 12 years later, we’ve created an amazing home in a rental house and property!
So, to begin, my favorite place… the greenhouse! This was our wedding present to ourselves 5 years ago, and it has been the best investment ever made. In our narrow hollow, it tends to be cool even in the summer, so the greenhouse gives us extra warmth for successful peppers and tomatoes. In the winter, it’s amazing to have another dry space. And we can grow year-round greens and brassicas.
So, come on in!
In case you are wondering, this is an Oregon Valley Greenhouses structure (I believe it’s the Low Profile Quonset), and it is 20 feet wide by 48 feet long. In the foreground, we have beets and carrots, all overwintered, and to the right, a sandbox (to keep the kids entertained!).
Overwintered kale, chard, broccoli. We use raised beds because we have very clayey soil. Beds are amended with compost and a whole lot of goat manure (more on that in a few days).
Arugula!
And here is my seed starting set-up for now. There is a heat mat under there, giving the temperatures a boost by about 10 degrees. I hope it’s warm enough as we had snow today!
So there is a quick peek into the greenhouse. I’ll be spending a lot more time in there in the coming weeks.
What a beauty! Ours is a little smaller and we can’t perma-plant in it. But, I live in Texas where the weather is slightly more stable.
Love that baby arugula! It looks so fun in there =)
Yes -the year round planting is the best!