Gardening in the Southwest has its challenges but the use of a greenhouse may be the answer to growing beautiful vegetables, fruits, and flowers in your yard.
I received a greenhouse from Sunnydaze to facilitate this post. This post may contain affiliate links. Two years ago, I finally decided to give gardening a chance and I am glad that I did. For many years, I have wanted to grow vegetables in my yard but for many reasons never started a garden. I was busy raising my 5 kids and just did not have the time to start a garden in the backyard. Then there was the challenge of living in a desert area of the Southwest. Growing food requires plenty of water and New Mexico gets very little rain here.
For many years before I started my garden, I enjoyed receiving excess vegetables from my neighbors who had gardens in their yards. I so wanted to grow organic vegetables in my yard but I just never gave gardening a chance. Then the pandemic of 2020 left me with extra time on my hands and a strong feeling of food insecurity. My youngest boys were older and no longer needed my attention. Seeing all my online friends starting gardens made me want to start a garden. The gardening bug got me and I started a garden.
Two years later ~ I am addicted to gardening
Growing food in the Southwest has its challenges but I quickly learned how to grow veggies in a garden. The first year I grew simple plants like beet greens, kale, and tomatoes in a small garden plot near my house. I was amazed at how well my beet greens grew and I loved eating fresh green vegetables for dinner. So the next summer, I expanded my garden and made a swingset garden. I planted many varieties of vegetable seeds like chard, cucumbers, zucchini, and even watermelon!
My garden did well and I enjoyed eating organic food that I grew. I even started a compost pile with an old kiddie pool. I learned many things about growing plants in a garden and I even learned about garden bugs. I discovered squash bugs on my zucchini plants so I only grew 2 zucchini. I also discovered that grasshoppers love eating kale plants. Thankfully the grasshoppers did not touch my beet greens and tomato plants. My garden gave me plenty of tomatoes, basil, and beet greens.
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In the past two years, I also discovered many fruit trees in my neighborhood and even learned how to harvest prickly pears. My husband and I became leaders of our church's food pantry and I loved being able to take home the excess produce from the monthly food drives. So my two deep freezers are filled with beets and carrots. I learned how to make carrot juice and beet powder. I was also blessed with a case of Roma tomatoes and you have to try this recipe for Roasted Tomatoes Made In The Air Fryer.
Will A Mini Greenhouse Help My Garden Grow Better?
Now I am in the stages of planning my garden for the summer and I am investing in some new garden items. Since I will be traveling more this year, I will be adding a water drip system to my garden. That way I don't have to rely on my boys to water my plants. Another garden tool that I have purchased is a mini cloche greenhouse. I have wanted a greenhouse for a while but I just could not find one that would work well for my needs. So many of the greenhouses that I saw online were either too big or too expensive. I was concerned about the bigger greenhouses being destroyed by the winds of New Mexico.
So when I discovered a Sunnydaze Mini Greenhouse, I knew right away that this was the perfect greenhouse for a garden. This mini garden greenhouse has many benefits to help with gardening. The greenhouse would create the perfect environment for my vegetable plants. From protecting the seeds from the birds to keeping the grasshoppers off my kale, I was glad to have a greenhouse for my garden.
About Sunnydaze Mini Greenhouse
+ Portable cloche mini greenhouse for flowers, vegetables, and plants
+ Made from a durable iron tube frame with a UV-protected polyethylene cover
+ 3 zipper doors allow airflow in and out of the greenhouse
+ Creates the perfect growing environment for plants
+ Protects plants from inclement weather
+ Includes 4 metal stakes
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Setting up the Sunnydaze Mini Greenhouse
The greenhouse was simple to set up and I loved how easy the iron frame connected. The included metal stakes would help keep the greenhouse from blowing away on a windy day. I chose to place the greenhouse in the garden area near my house so it would have additional wind protection. I liked that the mini greenhouse had zipper doors so I could access my garden plants. In the heat of the summer, I could open the zipper doors to lower the temperature inside the greenhouse.
The benefits of using a mini greenhouse for a garden
Using a greenhouse for my garden had many benefits. I would be able to start my garden sooner as the greenhouse would create a warmer space for the garden seeds and garden plants. Keeping the garden soil covered with a greenhouse would keep the birds away from the vegetable seeds. Last year, I had to replant many of my vegetable seeds after the birds ate them. In the summer, the greenhouse will protect my kale plants from hungry grasshoppers. Kale is supposed to be a vegetable that gives a great yield.
8 benefits of using a greenhouse with a garden
~ Extends the garden season
~ Protects plants from predators
~ Stops birds from eating the seeds
~ Creates the ideal temperature for growing plants
~ Grow a wide variety of plants
~ Protects plants from bad weather
~ Keep the beneficial bugs inside, like ladybugs
~ Saves water
~ Organic vegetables
How I will make my greenhouse look attractive in my yard
Some people may not want to install a greenhouse in their yard as they may not like the way it looks. So my advice for those folks is to look beyond the appearance and realize the benefits of growing organic food in a greenhouse. Then use outdoor decorations around the greenhouse to make it look nice. I love shopping at Riverside Designs for outdoor steel metal art. The Coastal Collection from Riverside Designs has a wide variety of durable metal wall art and metal home decor. These unique metal pieces are made from steel and are designed to be used outside.
I have many of the Riverside Design metal art pieces inside my home. The Wacky Sun metal wall art and the alligator steel wall decor add a nice touch to my beach-themed bedroom. So I purchased additional metal art to add to my backyard decor. The coastal metal art will make my mini greenhouse look awesome.
Let the gardening begin
Spring is still a couple months away so I have not built my mini greenhouse yet. My garden plot is not ready to grow plants yet. I have a couple steps to do to prepare my garden for spring growing with a greenhouse. Right now I have cardboard on the garden dirt to kill the weeds. The cardboard will allow me to start my garden using the no-dig method. Then I will have to buy some soil and mix it with my compost soil. The garden will be ready for the greenhouse and plants in March. I will make sure to update this post with my mini greenhouse photos and my review of the mini greenhouse.
Sunnydaze has a wide variety of greenhouses to select from. So make sure to purchase your greenhouse before the gardening season. That way you will have the best selection of greenhouses to choose from. Sunnydaze sells so much more than greenhouses for the garden. They have outdoor items like furniture, fountains and so much more. Go take a look as I know that you will find plenty of items to buy from Sunnydaze. A Sunnydaze greenhouse is a must-have product for a successful garden!
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How to use a greenhouse
+ Place seedlings inside to prepare for your garden
+ Keep potted plants outside year-round
+ Place over your garden to keep birds and small animals out
+ Use over your garden before the seeds sprout to keep the birds from eating the seeds
+ Use over plants in the spring to maintain the ideal temperature
+ Use to grow tropical plants
+ Protect plants from frost
About Sunnydaze Decor
Sunnydaze Decor provides thousands of high-quality indoor and outdoor products that bring relaxation and comfort into people’s lives. This includes outdoor fountains, fire pits, hammocks, and much more. Our goal is to transform our customer's living space into a relaxing and stylish area through excellent customer service, fast shipping, and top-quality products.
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