The Night Club, is what we call the Greenhouse

It finally happened! After many years of struggling to get it together, we finally built what we call The Night Club. It got it's name one cold winter evening in February, as we were driving home towards the house and there it was, the lights bright and dancing proudly reflecting against the surrounding snow. It looked like a brightly lit up night club. It was a joy to drive towards slowly along the long private road leading to the house from the main town road. It made turning off the town road an absolute joy, seeing the bright light of growing things as we crunched along the gravel heading directly at it.

Since then, The Night Club, has proven a wonderful structure. An addition, we put onto our home. There is an aero garden inside set up through the winter full of various kinds of leafy greens and fresh herbs. There is a big shelf I have filled full of rosemary right by the door to the house. When you open it up, the smell of rosemary invades the little sitting area we use as a library and reading nook. There is also a large and deep red wood raised bed that was hand crafted as a winter garden. I start all my plants now at the cute little potting bench my mother was kind enough to get me for Christmas, last year. Once potted, the plants go to live on several lit shelving units my father gave me for Christmas last year, where they grow until it is time to harden them off so they can be planted in the spring outdoor garden.

The Night Club, in all it's lit up glory, built onto the side of the house.

The Night Club, has been a dream of mine for the last 10 years that finally got made real. We bought a kit and materials from Janco. They make a pretty nice greenhouse it turns out. Ours is equipt with everything we need, from a winter heating system, to a fan, and ventilation. We had it wired for lighting, grow lighting, and for the Aero Garden for winter use. A plumber, ran a line from the basement to the greenhouse so I could have a hose in there for watering. We changed up and went through the proper steps with piping etc, to add a heating system that runs on gas, the same gas that fuels our stove. We replaced our gas canisters outside, so things should run well. The structure itself took quite some time to erect, and there were permits to pull and inspections to pass. None of this would have ever happened without a wonderful construction company called McNamara Contracting. In my area of Central MA, I spent two years calling around desperately seeking someone to come view the plans and sign off that they would build it, so I could then obtain the materials necessary from Janco to get the project started. It was like no one wanted the work. No one would come out and give me a quote or even look at the plans. After two years of trying... I finally made contact with Tim, over at McNamara. He had never built a greenhouse before, but sure he would come take a look. He decided it was something he and his guys could do. I loved his guys. Often especially out here construction guys can be very rough and a little scary. Tim, sent these unbelievably kind and wonderful men to my home to do the job. He managed the entire project, got in the electrician, and the plumber, and got everything done to meet code and pass all inspections. He pulled the right permits, and did a highly skilled professional job for us. We ended up using him to do some minor alterations to my studio as well as to the kitchen. It was more than I expected to spend. It was also just after the ending of Covid, everything has been more than any of us expected to pay. That seems to just be the nature of the beast these days. But the quality of work they did was incredibly high. The skill level of those working at McNamara, was high, the personability of the crew that built the greenhouse was high. I go out there every day, and I can't help but experience again the way the greenhouse has changed our way of life here at Wildflower. So thank you McNamara, I couldn't have managed this project myself. You showed up when I needed you most.

I love hearing the gravel of the floor crunching under my feet. I love the way everything is automated. Such as the heating and fan system. It makes stuff so easy to run. I love the money I save not buying starts in this region where we have a short growing season. I love being able to pot my starts, and just hang out in the sunshine in a room made of glass. in mid July, I will start some seed for the winter garden just as I did for the summer garden. When it is ready, I will move it over to the red wood raised bed, where the grow lights my husband Macgyvered up for me, will supplement the winter garden's light needs and will come on on a timer. I can't look around The Night Club, without seeing something contributed to my farm by pretty much everyone that matters most to my life... Walking into the greenhouse feels like a big warm hug. It has become one of my favorite places to spend time.

Pikku in the doorway hanging out with me at The Night Club.

Come the end of August, early September, the starts for the winter garden will go in the The Night Club's giant raised bed. Come Thanksgiving, and through the winter in general, without needing to spend a fortune buying food at the grocery store, we will have plenty of healthy foods full of nutrients to eat. And we will wind up spending less than 30 cents on the dollar as we would have started everything from seed. Between the savings from the greenhouse in relation to grocery bills and spring outdoor garden starts, the Greenhouse, which will last 20 plus years likely closer to at least 50 or perhaps even longer, will have more than paid for itself in well under 15 years. Just a bit over 10 actually. The Nightclub, will be part of the legacy we leave to our children. It will be a legacy of food security in a world with a changing climate that will dramatically impact food production and cost. The Night Club, while some see it as a money dump into a black hole, actually is an investment into our long term self sufficiency and security in a world in which Covid, has showed us and is still showing us how unreliable the societal structures such as the supply chain actually are. To this day, I have trouble finding fresh food at the store. Buy it today, it used to stay good for about a week. Today often it comes already moldy. Or it is gross and worthless in well under 48 hours, which really blows since in this state food prices are up something like 22% compared to the rest of the country where they are on average up about 6%. Already, the Greenhouse, is saving us money, and providing far higher quality that stores and the worthless supply chain are presently offering.

I did a test run of the raised beds, we planted, carrots and radishes, some herbs, a lot of peas, some lettuce, wax beans, and green beans. We are eating those all the time. We just finished the lettuce now I am trying a few of my cucumber starts and they too are doing great.

The Winter Raised Bed Garden.

On the shelves, all the starts did fabulous and we are getting stuff into the spring garden as quickly as possible now. There will likely be so much produced in The Night Club, that it may be possible to sell the excess starts to neighbors and friends at a discounted price compared to what is available in garden stores. Saving friends some money and helping The Night Club, pay for itself even faster than planned.

There is a wholeness of self I have found in the bright sunshine of the greenhouse. A kind of health and a sense of peace and calm that I never knew before. There is also a joy as well as a vegetable in every seed planted. My job is to go out every day nurturing that joy and all those living things. Caring for them, and bonding with them. While many seem to feel so lonely lately, I don't know that I share that feeling. I have so many plant friends all around me and we spend copious amounts of time in a room of glass full of sunshine together.

The Potting Bench was a gift from my mum.

The greenhouse, offers a great deal of fulfilment.
I am so very happy we finally got it built.
I hope while this nourishes our bodies, it can nourish the souls of our readers.
I will probably write regularly about what goes on in the greenhouse.
It is a new adventure for us here at Wildflower.
Thank you so much for joining us on it.
Amanda Of Wildflower Farm.