SAN FRANCISCO, Ca., December 18 — What does "growing season" mean to you? Maybe "they said this herb could grow in this climate, and I want my money back"? Maybe "January’s a long way away from fresh tomatoes"? Hmmph. Tough luck, green lovers. Guess you’ll have to keep waiting on good supermarket produce, visit the occasional botanical garden for a dead-of-winter breath of fresh air, and leave the off-peak growing to the Del Montes of the world, right? Wrong.
How did Italian explorers and a tax repeal give you gardening in any weather? In the Beginning. Well, the Romans (of course the Romans) first had the notion of using heated pits and translucent rock covers to kick off the whole greenhouse concept. One of their emperors, Tiberius, was put on a cucumber-a-day regimen by his doctor, so his fawning attendants would wheel out cucumber carts to give the prickly little panaceas a little sunlight, then wheel them back under cover at night.
The Italian explorers of the 16 th and 17 th centuries really got the greenhouse idea some momentum when they hauled back scads of delicious exotic plants to wealthy friends, family, and patrons, who set about finding ways to grow the plants on home soil. Massive plant-protecting structures started popping up across Europe, with glass letting in the rays in famous monoliths like the conservatory at England’s Kew Gardens. But glass structures really began to multiply in the mid 19 th century with England’s repeal of the glass tax. Soon curved roofs (more light allowed) began creeping into vogue, and greenhouses started the slow process of moving beyond palatial estates and grand civic structures and into backyards of green-thumbed commoners. Innovations The greenhouse market has seen huge advances in the last few decades, with strong-but-lightweight frame materials and innovative coverings helping make smaller, more effective models. You can still buy structures that put the average metropolitan studio apartment to shame, but you can also find adorable, tiny, cost-effective growing models — and every size in between. What’s In It For You? Architecture. They’re made to be beautiful on the inside ( blooming plants and flowers will do that for you), but some of the designers must have figured, well, if they’re taking up a good chunk of your space, it might as well be a pretty good chunk. Assembly. Rome might not have been built in a day, but the construction workers’ cafeteria could have been. Things like pre-assembled paneling; zippered, collapsible designs; and push-fit assembly mean you’ll be planting seeds in a matter of hours, not long, dark, cold months. Adjustable temperature. No, we don’t mean gas furnaces come included. But insulated covering to keep heat in and cool out, adjustable vents, and handy Dutch doors all accomplish pretty much the same thing: heat control. And without all the political oil-war debates to go along with it. Meet your match: Whether your aesthetic eye prefers a resemblance to Swiss chalets, mosquito shelters, or translucent barns; whether you’d like to nurture a few select plants or feed a vegan orphanage; whether you prefer one door or two... we’ve got a model to cultivate those cucumbers. But we also have our druthers, which happen to include these favorites: | | Save & Share |  10% off on $1000!
Take 10% off any greenhouse over $1,000. Enter coupon code GRNHSE at check out. Coupon valid through 12/28/2006 at | | |
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