Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Greencloset: Confessions of a Townhouse Dirtoholic

The weather continues to change in our high deserty-mountain world and suddenly I'm no longer as satisfied to only live vicariously through friends and family kind enough to post (on blogs and Facebook) pictures and detailed descriptions of their yards and gardens over which I hungrily pore again and again.

How's that for a dramatic, run-on opener?

Hello, my name is Jessica, and I'm a dirtoholic.  I need it.  I need it under my nails and against my skin, in my hair and around my knees.  I am compelled to dig in it and inhale its pungenty-sweet, rich scent.  I admire newly turned sod like I would admire a bouquet of fresh flowers.  I inhale the scent of fertilizer like a fine French perfume.  I require dirt.  With a primal, demanding, instinctive requirement.  And I require it now.

However, there are new obstacles to me indulging my dirtoholism.  I am currently living in a new and unknown environment where the daily spring temperatures can flirt with the 70's and then nightly temperatures will dip a toe down into the upper 20's.  And wacky temperatures aside, the Townhouse's cute little cement patio does not afford me much - okay, ANY dirt.  Therefore, I must become creative and open to new and previously unknown ideas.

So, temperature and dirt being my main issues/obstacles:


I bought a greenhouse.  

The Sweetheart and I (okay, mostly I) made it our project for our little Girls' Weekend while Jason was away on Navy work.

Inspection by Sweetheart is a must.

It's less of a greenhouse, and more of a greencloset really.  But I think it'll get the job done.

 
The inaugural occupants for the greencloset are the herbs I've been so desperately missing since we moved away from those beautiful, mature plants growing happily at Albany House.

Left to right: sage, rosemary, German thyme, basil - and the two little guys in front are more basil

Here is the basil before I transplanted it.  I just love the cute little chubby faces of baby basil.

And here's another cute little face.  I think I was born to raise little things.  I love them so.

The greencloset made and the baby plants transplanted, I tucked them all in.


Soon we will add some seedling trays to the mix and the little greencloset will become quite cozy in the colder evenings.


Goodnight little plants!  I hope you sleep warmly enough.

I set up the greencloset on the other side of the glass sliding patio doors that open out of my little kitchen.  I'm hoping any warmth escaping through the glass will help out the greencloset.


The placing works well for our little patio and also looks quite nice from my kitchen.  I can look out the patio doors and see my herbs growing and - hopefully - happy.  

Just like me.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jess, you have a cute little "greencloset". It looks like a great size to start seeds in and grow herbs. Nice job.

Pressing on and pressing in.... said...

Plus, you will have a nice little sauna for the winter months! Win win!

Karen said...

I like the greencloset! One good thing is that it keeps away bugs and animals.

Anonymous said...

"Inhaling Fertilizer like a fine french perfume" lol I like it.

Rebekah said...

Perfect!

Anonymous said...

I want to move somewhere it is still 20 degrees at night. Growerssolution.com has a greenhouse that looks like a British Secret Garden. I am so tempted!!

At a wedding once, a lady told me how she loved gardening without gloves, loved becoming one with nature and the dirt. She was so sincere and passionate about it.I can't stand dirt beneath my fingers - so give me those gloves! LOL