Thru the Shed to the Neighbor's . . . Greenhouse?

[digitS']

Actually, it would be my greenhouse ! And, I kinda wouldn't even have to leave my backyard .

I have had a polycarbonate greenhouse in boxes for 8 years. Yep, I got it on clearance and never quite came up with a place to set it up. I already had exceeded the ground coverage ordinance for my lot. The 2 original ideas I had for placing the greenhouse would have been in 2 distant gardens. I finally realized that I really, really wouldn't be able to attend to it at such a distance. So, there it has sat for 8 years in my carport .

The back fence neighbor showed up at my front fence yesterday. Turns out that he has been recovering from heart surgery :/. I thought he had just retired from his job at the hospital since I noticed that he wasn't going and coming from work. Nope - he's back at work and claims he hopes to be there for another 10 years (Yay for him)! What he can't do anymore is work in his garden.

It is a small affair, about the size of mine here at home. He wants to continue to have access to his raspberries, also. I would have little interest in this since I can have just about as much gardening land as I want . . . as long as it's 20 miles away . But, I mentioned putting my tunnel on that side of the fence and he was receptive to the idea. A tunnel could go up and come down every spring. The growing beds would stay in place and crops could be continued thru the summer . . . yeah, I could have 2 tunnels . . .

Then, it occurred to me. Maybe I should put the greenhouse-in-the-box over there. It can be dismantled, probably, without too much bother if and when that is required. Further - I would really want to have a small shed on the northside of it. I'd already asked about installing a gate in his board fence - what about replacing an 8' section of the fence with a little 2-door shed? One door where the fence was and the other door opening into the greenhouse!

Steve
making plans for a 4' by 8' shed

 

[lesa]

That sounds like it will work perfectly! You win the prize for being the most spread out gardener on TEG! I can hardly keep track of my gardens and they are all on the same plot of land! The shed to the greenhouse, kind of reminds me of my chicken coop. It is accessible by me from my backyard- but the chickens go out on the other side of the fence into a chicken yard. Accomplished by cutting a small opening in the fence around the chicken door. Where there is a will, there is a way! Good luck with your project...

 

[897tgigvib]

That's the start of another GOOPP!

I like how you do that.

 

[thistlebloom]

That sounds great! Another garden and you won't have to drive to get to it!

 

[897tgigvib]

Does this make 5 gardens now?

I'm going to talk to the guy who owns a lot of real estate near here if he'll let me put a garden on his property.

I say "near" here very relatively. It's about 5 very rough miles including a drive across a creek with no bridge. So far I am at 1 and a half gardens. My nearest neighbor lets me share his which is pretty small.

 

[baymule]

Bribing neighbors with fresh veggies is always a brilliant idea!

 

[digitS']

Lesa, have you got the chickens in a neighbor's yard?

Yep, Gardening On Other People's Property - goopp makes me strong! Also makes the petroleum industry $$. At least, my rototiller doesn't run many miles with my Cultivating Peace, spading fork tilling .

One of the reasons that the greenhouse idea occurred to me is because the neighbor has let his garden run to weeds the last 2 years. It wasn't in such great shape before that and had hollyhocks, fireweed, bindweed, even century plants crawling under the fence to get into my chives!! At least, I can put down landscape fabric for a few years to try to get the things under control in a new greenhouse.

And, it is 8' by 16' - really, with the shed (I'll see how much I can open it up on the greenhouse side), it will all but double my greenhouse space. I really think I can leave heat off in the thing until well into April since the other one will handle things until potting up gets several steps underway. I've no good idea at all about a small (propane?) heater for it.

Big Time! The friend at the big veggie garden wants me to take over an additional 1/4 acre. He will get help from me with plowing the 2 1/2 acre field that it is in, that way. Like so many in the "exurbs" - he has no real use for the little fields around his home. The 10 acres or so that he owns are just an expense for him to maintain that he tries to subsidize a little by growing hay crops. He needs to plow & reseed that ground.

Now, do I want that many more square feet . . ? Well, whether I want the extra burden harvesting that garden or not, the plants that begin life in my severely crowded 180sqft greenhouse would get some relief by being quartered in my immediate neighbor's yard .

Steve

edited to add: Bay', I used to give the guy over the fence an assortment of tomato plants every year until he stopped gardening. People who like gardening react to those things like you are handing them a basket full of puppies .

 

[897tgigvib]

GOOPP, the gardener's version of sharecropping!

 

[digitS']

Not 5, Marshall.

I once had 4.

It would take quite a contortion to think of it as 4 again since 2 are already in the same place and this 1 in on the other side of my chives. And, I already count my own yard as a greenhouse/tunnel space & not a garden, anyway.

Steve
okay, maybe it's 5. . .

 

[lesa]

Steve, I guess I should have mentioned that the fence opening goes into another fenced off section of my property. Wouldn't it be funny if it was the neighbors!! This is going to give you something fun to plan and think about all winter! Can't wait to see what you grow in there...