What's going on in your greenhouse?
Mine's really just a little see-thru shed to winter-over the tender pot plants, but sometimes I squeeze in some projects.
On the left are some seed of the species Clematis texensis and the other bakery box contains three stems of sedum that have rooted and made rows of babies, as tidy as peas in the pod.

Botrytis is about the only thing growing in mine. This is what happens over here when we havve a mild start to the winter. If it was colder the mould would not develop. It usually goes by January, but it does do quite a bit of damage. Price I have to pay for squeezing so much in.

I put plastic on my Gazebo and a heater......So now I have a greenhouse.......Gee, I hope my tape holds.....

Would an electric fan help slow down the mold Terry? I use one when I have to resort to keeping the door closed and a heater on during our short-term freezes. An electric element heater sure dries out the air and soil - which the plants hate, but so would the mould.

Less drying than the element-type heater is a little radiator-looking one than circulates heated oil thru the casing. Is only warm to the touch, not hot. Works like the hot towel racks in UK, but larger and use same amount of electricity as a light bulb.

What kind of heater are you using David? Hope your tape held well last night. My thermo read 26F this morning!

I have a all metal heater from back in the 80's It has a thermostat and has always worked fine for me......I had Moon vine growing on the Gazebo and did not want to put the plastic up till the bloom was over.....That almost cost me.....Next time the plastic go's on in plenty of time....

My greenhouse is naked at the moment. Kenny's been saving old windows and such to cover it in a more permanent way than the sheet plastic we used last year. The Texas sun had fun with THAT! Even called in his buddy the Texas wind to throw the remnants all over the field! I heard them giggling at me as I watched the pieces fly.
So, I figured I could tough it out for a few months without any place to start more babies while we waited for time to fix it. Well, I was wrong! ;-) Last night we put shelves in the big living room window next to the wood stove so I can pot up the cuttings of vanilla vine and roses I just got in trades. They're now tucked in their little plastic tents and happy as can be! I think it adds the final touch of class I was looking for in my decorating scheme. ;-)

Know what you mean Linda, my den is usually in a state of greenhouse, crafts and garage overflow. really pleases the family. They are always so glad when I need a guest room - have to break down and excavate it.

Vanilla vine.. the orchid... source of vanilla beans? We must talk !

Yep, vanilla vine the orchid and source of vanilla beans! I'm so excited about finally getting a cutting! I did an extensive search online and didn't come up with much in the way of rooting cuttings of it. The lady who sent it to me said just lay it on top of some moist potting soil, so I have it laying on top of some moist paper towels inside a plastic bag with a puff of air in it. She didn't say anything about rooting hormone ~ think I should try that, too? Anyone else know anything about it? Am I doing the right thing? Anything else I could do?
According to what I found online about it's vigor, I'll have plenty to share if I get this one started. One website for a nursery said, "Come take a tour of the greenhouse. The vanilla vine will accompany you the whole way." !!!

A fan would probably help, Maggie, but I would have to find one that was safe in the damp atmosphere, and I would have to find a space to fit it in.

Never enuf space in a grnhouse, is there Terry!?!

Well, at least your moon vines are annuals David. I lost my Mandavilla by procrastination this year :-( and just when it had reached the roof top. Usually I cut it off the trellis and take the pot into the greenhouse before the first good freeze. In Nov it was still so full of blooms against the white wall... and like u, couldn't bear to do it earlier. Then forgot to do it in time. boohoo.

Bout your vanilla, Wingie,,, I have no experience with rooting it, but was thinking you might like the clear plastic 'bakery box' trick more than the bag. It won't have to touch the leaves like the bag, and you can poke a vent hole in it, both of which might help prevent possible rot. I began using the boxes before the greenhouse was built, when I would start things in the dry house air. Notice in the pic above, that I still rely on them in the early stages of rooting and germinating,, mostly out of habit even tho the grnh is a lot more humid than the house. The meter reads 50% humidity most days.
When u decide to re-cover your grnh, you might consider the clear corrugated material we chose. It is somewhat new on the market - better than the old grnhse stuff, is hail-proof and guaranteed for 15 yrs. Home Depot carries it.

Wonder if you've been to this site ,wingnut. http://www.infoweb.com.au/orchids/vanilla.htm It has some information on the Vanilla Orchid and a few links to other sites.

What a great page Terry! but discouraging! Sounds like we would need an airconditioned greenhs to carry it thru summer here or give it good humidity in the a/c'd house. But us gardeners never say never anyway, right? There is woman in my area who raises orchids for the florist trade. I shall check in with her too. Thanks for finding that link for us.

Wow, Terry. I think that article should have been entitled, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Vanilla, but were Afraid to Ask." Don't think I'll try to grow it. We can buy huge bottles of real vanilla from Mexico very cheap here. It is so wonderful. If you use the full amount of vanilla a recipe calls for, it really has a strong vanilla flavor (I'm not complaining). The plant is very pretty, but sounds like way too much work for me.

I brought some back from Mexico Caro and then heard it was not safe to use. Interesting to see that referred to on the link.
Gail, are you familiar with this Mex vanillia subject ?

Well, I'd not heard that. I've used it for years, and no adverse effects that I'm aware of. It sure tastes and smells better than anything you can buy at the stores here.

Yes, great link ~ thanks, Terry! I hadn't seen that one yet. I'm not really into doing that much work for a plant just now (not until we build the "pit conservatory"! LOL!!), but I consider everything hardy until I've killed it myself, so looks like I'm gonna' try it anyway.
I've used the vanilla from Mexico for a while now as well. Haven't hear anything about it being bad for you, but I'm not the be-all and end-all source of info on that one either. Kenny and I do go to Piedras Negras every time I run out and we get a hankering for REAL Mexican food. There's a little old man who runs a quaint little cafe in the mercado there ~ incredible enchiladas and menudo! The little man is the waiter, cook, bartender and busboy all in one! We sit outside on the patio to watch the shoppers go by and see the pigeons flock around when the little man empties our finished plates in the street. We used to go to a nearby Mexican restaurant, but I guess the INS has raided them too many times ~ the taste-quality has gone WAY down.

I've used the Mexico vanilla I bought in Cancun waaaayyyy back when. But haven't used any in years -- kinda like the stove...

what are they saying is unsafe? The growing methods or the bottling or ??

Okay Gail, here's an 'extract' from above link - "a USA website posted the following warning: "Cheap Vanilla bought in Mexico can be harmful." This referred to Mexican vanilla containing Tonka Bean or manufactured from Tonka Bean which has been banned in the United States for many years because it is poisonous and carcinogenic."
They also explain the various forms of vanillia flavorings, including the following...
Ethyl Vanillin is an ingredient used in imitation vanilla which is three times as strong as artificial vanillin, and is a coal tar derivative.
Imitation Vanilla made from synthetic substances

All things considered, I'll take my chances with the Mexican vanilla

Oh, man ~ sounds like I'd better baby this little cutting and figure out how to make it spit out some beans! ;-)

Caro - I agree. Sounds like the artificial is worse. I do think the Mexican vanilla has more flavor.

What's going on in your new greenhouse room Caro? How's it working out?

Well, the real purpose of the room is working quite well. It buffers the media room from the north wind and the rain no longer can blow between the French doors.

As far as the secondary purpose of the room, overwintering plants, its ok. Nothing has croaked, I don't have to worry about water spilling on the floor, and they are in out of the weather. Since its on the north side, its lacking the ideal sun exposure for a greenhouse, so its really more for overwintering than growing.

We have a large screened in porch on the SE of the house, which we are drawing plans to convert into a greenhouse/atrium sort of room. It already has skylights and we will replace the half walls and screens with sliding glass doors and windows. That will be more interesting plant wise.

You would think I would have a greenhouse to extend my season here. But so far it's just a dream. I hope to add one attached to the back of the house someday. Until then I'll be envious of all your wonderful sun porches, etc. and continue to depend on my grow lights that take over one of my rooms to start seedlings under.

How about a new variety of coneflower - "Snowball"?

Love it.

We need to find you a publisher MK!

Caro,, how 'bout an update pic of the glass room on its 'being built' thread - an interior pic of it of it at work?

Aint gonna happen. Its not like I have arranged plants in it to look like "House Beautiful." More like, chunk em in there quick before the cold front hits!

Mine is usually a mess too Caro, but I seemed to have played-Martha a little this year, cause some of it is looking kinda pretty. But you'll not see the suffering looking parts in a pic here either ;-)