Along with a place to start her own plants from seed, the greenhouse behind her house has become a special place for Stephanie Stube to spend time with her son. “Something about the inside of the greenhouse always calms him down whenever he is fussy,” she said. (Photo courtesy Hartley Botanic)
Stephanie Stube said she knew what she was getting from her husband Brian for their second anniversary, but two years later, she’s still amazed by it every day.
She said she made no secret about wanting a glass-windowed greenhouse space outside their McLean, Va., home, to grow her own plants, so when they agreed to pull the trigger on a six-pane Hartley Botanic Greenhouse, the details mattered to Stephanie.
“It was such a big leap to invest in one,” she said. “I’ve wanted one for years and years.”
As a young gardener with her mother and brother, Stephanie said they didn’t grow their own plants from seed and having a dedicated space to do it properly and extend her gardening season to tasks year-round really appealed to her.
“I wanted the space to grow things from seed and I didn’t want to take up the space in my kitchen to do it,” Stephanie said.
Add to that Brian’s allergies to scented plants and a heavy deer population that often decimated outdoor plantings and it had become clear an indoor growing space was the answer.
The 10 foot by 12 foot structure was completed in November 2020, and the Stubes incorporated raised bed gardens at the front of the greenhouse with two archways leading to the entrance.
“It’s nice just being out here, too,” she said. “My greenhouse is my ‘She Shed’ and a perfect way to grow and enjoy everything I love.”
And there’s a wide range of plants she loves. Along with many types of house plants, scented and unscented, she is growing tomato, lettuce, micro greens, ginseng root, turmeric, bok choy, Thai basil and pumpkins.
“I grow an assortment of flowers and edibles but have found myself gravitating towards growing more edibles since flowers are seasonal,” she said. “My husband also has an allergy to strong scented flowers, so the greenhouse is a great way to grow the plants I love without bothering my husband’s allergies.”
Pumpkins were a plant that were particularly challenging in Stube’s great outdoors.
In the Mid-Atlantic’s hot and humid climate, most plants succumbed to mildew infection or deer browsing.
“I tried growing them so many times,” she said of pumpkins. “Last year I only got two.”
This year after starting seeds in her greenhouse, she plans to move them out to the archways and encourage them to grow upward around the structure, in part for aesthetics but also to improve air movement through the plant and try to discourage deer.
“The greenhouse has allowed me to get the most out of my garden and to grow so much more,” she said.
She said their future plan is to integrate irrigation into the greenhouse for easier watering and better plant growth.
The greenhouse also has become a special place for Stephanie to spend time with her son, making it a gift that keeps on giving.
“Something about the inside of the greenhouse always calms him down whenever he is fussy,” she said. “That might be down to the warmth of the greenhouse or because there is so much for him to look at. It’s special to share it with him.”
