Mainstream Greenhouse?

While we're spending the lottery money...I sure would like a greenhouse.

I've recently learned that gardening can be a year-round prospect, that some vegetables actually prefer or need to be planted in winter. We've got some lettuce sprouting here at Casa de Crazy, as well as carrots, peas, and (hopefully) spinach. Without much sunny window space, we're limited as to what we can do in here, which leads me to a long-held dream: Greenhouse.

Now, I wouldn't turn my nose up at a simple little stand-alone like this:

Or its somewhat bigger brother:

Or, if we're dreaming big, something like this:

I know, I know...dream on.

This is Casa de Crazy in July:

Don't let the shade fool you - the front of this house gets fried all day long. I shot these pics late in the evening!

To one side is a nice little spot for a green house:

Right where the trailer and red car are sitting, I figure I could have a respectable little structure, either attached to the house or free-standing...and it would already have the level concrete foundation! Bonus!

However...while crawling around in the Blue Nowhere drooling over greenhouses, I had a thought...why not on the front of the house?

Attached to the lower storey, where those two windows are? Something like this:
Yes, I'd have to level some ground, and yes it would take away some outdoor growing space...but imagine how awesome it would be!

For now, it's windows and doors and any little bit of sunlight we can find...but I don't mind dreaming in green.

How 'bout you? Keen on a greenhouse? What sort would you like to have?

Oh, and if you're interested in perusing a nifty little site, go visit these folks...I like 'em. They have a section on doin' it cheap. My kinda folks.

Through Winter's Night...

...I dream of gardens.

I dream of carrots and peas and okra;
I dream of spinach and lettuce and cabbage;
I dream of tomatoes and onions and potatoes;
I dream of beans, and artichokes, and broccoli;
I dream of cauliflower and pumpkins and squash;
I dream of zucchini, and wax beans, and cucumbers;
I dream of eggplant and garlic and peppers of all sorts;
I dream of watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries;

I feed these dreams with compost and ash
anything organic that isn't an animal product goes into the pile
paper is burned, the ash spread about
leaves collected and given to the pile, too

A friend, a Love, has moved here
and with his strong hands
his capable hands
he stirs the pile,
feeds it,
makes it rich

He talks to the earth, tells her stories of what may be...
and she listens and hopes.

I feed these dreams with Baker's Creek
and the Seed Saver's Exchange

Dreams of heirlooms passed down,
to me
and my son
and (perhaps one day)
his children

I dream of gardens, abundance
of feeding my family
with sunlight and rain
of one day planting trees, groves...

through Winter's night,
I dream...
~~~~~

I am truly blessed - Someone has moved here and sees the yard and its potential, and is happy to be out there even in the bitter cold, making it ready. We pore over catalogs and talk about planting times, sprouting indoors versus dropping seeds directly into the earth, of Winter plants and Spring plants and our hopes that one day we (well...honestly, he) will produce enough to sell or can or give away...

I would love to lessen my dependence on the corporate farm culture, on things produces by bullies and chemicals and laboratories.

So I dream...

How about you?