Freezing My Enemies

My greenhouse is a mess. 

It looks terrible, but I knew it would when I made the decision last month to let it freeze. 
The past few years I've kept it just above freezing inside in order to keep my container plants alive without having to bring them into my house during the winter months.  It's not that I don't like houseplants, it's just that small houses and large plants (like my citrus trees) don't go together very well. 

Having the greenhouse available during the winter months to house the citrus and other pots of tender perennials means that I don't have to try to keep them alive by crowding them into our living space. 

We like to have room to stretch.

But there is a downside or two to keeping an outside structure warm during the coldest months of the year:  It can get expensive if I use electric heaters to do the job, it can get burdensome if I burn wood in the barrel stove continuously, and it can get pretty cozy for all those plant pests that would otherwise have been eliminated when the temperatures dip below freezing.   

That was three wasn't it?  Three downsides.  Oh well, at least I noticed the discrepancy.  Do me a favor and just pretend you didn't notice it, though.  Then we can still be friends.

And that brings me to the main reason I decided to freeze my greenhouse--all those pesky pests that aren't my friends and whom have been wreaking havoc on my plants the past few seasons.  White flies, aphids, ants, spidermites, and who knows what else have been steadily increasing in numbers inside the warm "winter retreat" I've created for them.   I won't venture to guess how much they've increased, since I've already proven how lacking my math skills are.  Let's just say it's a lot.

So when the new year rolled around this past January (as opposed to it rolling around in February or March) I went out to the greenhouse and took stock.  I realized that I didn't have nearly as many potted plants as in years past, and that it might be possible to squeeze them all into my sitting room without making us feel like we were living in a jungle all winter.

So I tried it.  And guess what--it worked!  Here they are, all clustered together by my front window. 

I didn't think they'd get enough light in this space, since the window faces north, but apparently they get enough. The french lavender is starting to bud out, the rosemary is shooting out new branches, and the lemon tree is loaded with more blooms than ever before.

Hmm.  I guess that worked out alright.  Plus, since they're all together and out of the way in this one space, we still have plenty of space inside our house.  Thank goodness, because that means Will has room to do this...

I can't decide if he's practicing to be a ninja warrior, a Jedi knight, or circus performer.  But as long as he can hone his moves without whacking one of my plants, it's all good.  And it's always good to be prepared for an attack.

Unless you're an enemy bug living it up in my greenhouse.  I kind of like it that they weren't prepared for my freeze attack.  It worked out in my favor, which is my favorite way for things to work out.

And before long the greenhouse will start looking better, because I'll be back out there digging in tubs of soil that have spent the winter resting, and planting seeds that can sprout up this spring without fear of being eaten alive by hungry bugs.

Never mind that they'll eventually be eaten by my hungry family...what they don't know won't hurt them.

Although I can't say as much for anybody who gets in the way of Will during his training sessions!