Several weeks ago our new greenhouse arrived. Unfortunately, it was in four huge boxes and there must have been more than 1,000 pieces, some plastic, some metal, some cable and many shapes of polycarbonate.

Slowly the thing came together after working on it for several days here and there. First the roof, then the walls, then the door. By the time everything was done, most of the snow had melted and the weather outside was getting nice.

But inside the new greenhouse, daytime temperatures were getting downright hot. In fact, the day I did finishing touches on the greenhouse, I was working in a T-shirt, while it was approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  The only problem is, when the sun goes down, the heat inside the greenhouse dissipates just about as fast.

To circumvent some of that, I placed black rubber mats on the ground inside the greenhouse. When the sun is shining, it will quickly reach past 100 degrees. I need to regulate that somewhat but the rubber is really absorbing the sunlight. When it gets too warm, I'll start stripping out the rubber to keep it more stabe.

The latest thing we did was order an oil-filled electric heater to warm the greenhouse at night. As soon as that heater arrives, several plants will be going outside. I'd like to use wind energy and our long-term plan is calling for just that, but we are going to seek out some grants to help pay for it.

This spring is upon us so we are going to have to get items started quickly. 

Onions have been planted and the peppers are next. Along with that will be celery, melons and the like. It will be good to get a jump on the growing season for a change, since seed orders got messed up last year.

Since we spent some money on our "green" greenhouse, we are going to try to utilize it as much as possible and hopefully we can stretch our growing season later in the fall with late summer plantings.

The greenhouse itself is green, or at least the framework of it is green. The rubber on the floor can be considered green since it is collecting heat for at least most of the day and warming the inside to tropical temperatures. Eventually, it will be completely "green," but it's a work in progress, as they say.

As long as we have onion and peanut seedlings, I'll be happy this year. Then, we can plan for greater innovation for 2009.