Planning the dome

Planning the dome is quite exciting. My brother is putting pen to paper and searching geodesic dome designs and use on the net. I, too, am searching, dreaming and planning.

My husband sees the building process as something to look forward to, plus he knows all if the great things it will bring. He even has some fanciful ideas that won't eventuate because although having an entertaining area and fireplace sounds good, it simply won't be that big. And those things are best left for outside.

Mum and I look forward to the serenity of the space and my plant choices will be guided by her as well.

We plan for the dome to be well insulated, with some form of double glazing, probably polycarbonate. There will be a high opening window and some low opening windows, creating air flow, which is especially important to let out the scorching Summer heat. The south side will probably have a section that is thicker or painted or otherwise made to be a better 'heat sink' to keep it warmer in Winter.

I am so keen to start thinking about what I can grow. I have ideas about tropical plants, but it's probably just wishful thinking. I actually don't know what kind of temperatures will be possible to maintain in Winter.

A few degrees above the 0.9 degrees overnight that my current green house experiences would be good. Although that means I can keep some frost tender things alive (like my marigold seedlings), just a few degrees more and the possibilities are endless!

This year we ate the last of our fresh home grown tomatoes at the end of June. Perhaps we can have home grown fresh tomatoes all Winter next year...

I love planning!

Seed Sowing September

With the warmer weather becoming more common, I seem to be thinking about the garden so much more. My lack of posts is actually due to my excitement at being able to make an impact in the garden again and certainly not due to a lack of interest... Too much time planting and sowing and not enough blogging...

September really was seed sowing month and the green house is now so full if trays and pots I can hardly get in. I recall this time last year when I didn't have my green house, in fact it was just dream of mine. Until my husband saw the look of absolute delight on my face when in a friend's new green house. It didn't take long till he ordered me one!

My friend's is twice the size of mine and I loved it, but assured my husband that I didn't need one that big, perhaps just because I just wanted one and didn't care how big, just that I was getting it!

I love my green house, it is my happy place. I heard my just turned 4 year old daughter say to my Mum the other day "Mummy goes to her green house when she is cranky because it make her feel happy". Did I say that to her at some point, or did she observe that herself?

I think of how I can possibly fit a chair in there too as the compulsion to visit it, to see the germinating seeds, the budding flowers, the just out of season vegetables lures me to stay...

So my green house is full and I still have more seeds to so to ensure successive crops... and my husband commented that "perhaps we should have gotten you a bigger green house".