I’m in the process of buying a home that comes with a pretty large greenhouse in the backyard (roughly 15×20+), and I’m trying to figure out how people actually use these in real life.
The previous owners clearly got a lot of use out of it, but I’ve never had anything close to this before. Up until now, I’ve barely had a backyard, so this is all new territory.
For those of you who have larger greenhouses:
- Are you actively using it year-round, or does it end up being more seasonal?
- What are you mainly growing? (veggies, herbs, flowers, tropicals, etc.)
- Has anyone turned part of it into more of a sitting/relaxation space, or is that not really practical?
- Any “wish I knew this earlier” advice?
One other thing I found interesting: there’s a wood-burning stove in the corner, but there’s also a radiator heater installed. Curious how people typically use heating setups like that. Is the stove more of a backup or for specific conditions?
We both enjoy gardening and are excited to get into it, just trying to learn from folks who’ve already gone down this path.
Appreciate any insight!
by Smart-Elk-2334
34 Comments
You inadvertently bought this? I’m green with jealousy
This is super cool. Dang.
I wish I could teleport that into my backyard!
You have a greenhouse with a stove in it 🔥🔥 💚💚💚.
Fill it full of cactus, and conophytum. Plant tomato and pepper starts in very early spring. Grow cold tolerant vegetables, spinach, peas, radishes, lettuce in the dead of winter. But that’s just me.
The way it’s set into the ground makes me think it was meant for year round growing – that helps with earth heating in winter. Lookup Walipini method.
Dang! That’s a beautiful one if you ask me. How big is this?
Crying. This is DIVINE
You extend your growing season by starting seeds during winter or early spring then moving the starts out of the greenhouse and planting into the garden after the last freeze. Or you grow tropical plants like fruit and exotic flowers. It sounds like you want to relax there so perhaps visit your local tropical garden/arboretum for some ideas.
What a beauty..
Wow. Congratulations on the coolest backyard greenhouse ever. This thing even has a built in fireplace and everything.
Good God, I’m jealous. Fill that sucker with plants and comfy places to sit and they be some heating if it gets cold out because you might not be wanting to use the fireplace constantly. Maybe a hammock
Have I mentioned I’m jealous?
It seems kike it was purposely placed by that pine tree I wonder if that blocks high summer sun and lets in winter sun.
Is it connected to your house?
This is rad.
Beautiful!
Mine is pretty but not terribly large (only 12×10).
We had it installed last spring, so we’ve used it year round for exactly one year, lol.
We have power and water, so I have heat and light. I overwintered some annual fuchsias, grew some early spring veg, and kept my strawberry jar of succulents happy. I have a ceramic greenhouse heater.
Throughout the winter, my spouse would go out and play a musical instrument (he plays several, so it’s not the same one each day).
I kept a tomato plant alive all winter. All of my seed starting has happened out there. I’m planning on growing a small cantaloupe, a Thai pepper and some eggplants out there, along with some tomatoes.
Ours opens to a patio (with double doors that lead out to the patio), and we used it as an entertainment space, putting drinks and snacks on the benches (plant tables).
I would literally die for this greenhouse.
What’s behind the double doors?
Jackpot
Oh, Hun, that greenhouse is amazing! I don’t know much about it, but that would absolutely be my happy place!
Absolutely stunning.
I would start all of my veggie and flower seeds in there! If there’s electricity, add some grow lights and heat mats and it could stay warm enough for seed starting.
Putting a greenhouse under a tree is an interesting choice. Which way is south?
https://preview.redd.it/1me07wclx1xg1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=7846df4e5b5dd2d486ffacbcf04127422d5c2633
I am happy for you. Give it to me.
This is a dream of mine.
This is well built. Restore don’t upgrade.
Actually use mine? Like if I had one? I’d grow seedlings in it. Light a fire when it gets cold.
Wow…this is one of the coolest I’ve seen so far…😲😲😲😃🥳🥳🥳👌
Good luck and lots of success for you with using it!🫶🌱💚☺️
jeeesus, you hit the jackpot, my god.
Congrats I guess. I’m not mad, buuuut.
This looks like a very workman like greenhouse. By that I mean, meant to churn out bedding plants/veggies for transplant into a garden. Mainly it’s how “bench” oriented it is.
Unless you’re heavy duty landscaping and vegetable gardening, I DO think this would be more enjoyable in a conservatory style with large specimen plants that can tolerate some coolness and yeah…some chill out areas to (as one commenter put it) be-bop around w/ the plants.
Totally amazing. Have a look at Charles Dowding in the UK. He has fantastic greenhouse and you can see how he uses it. He even has a compost pile inside to keep it warm in winter. I’m not sure if there’s a special greenhouse tour but there might be! Check him out on YouTube.
This has got to be the coolest greenhouse I’ve ever seen. If it could talk, I bet it would have some cool stories to tell.
Get. Digital thermometer with memory (many have apps to connect) and graph temps through the first 4 seasons.