The Greenhouse

This weekend we decided to clean out Dad’s greenhouse.  For a self-confessed neat freak / non gardener like me, the question that springs to mind is why would anyone want to make a structure out of glass?  Seriously, it’s just gonna show the dirt!

Okay, so I do actually get the purpose of a greenhouse.  I might not appreciate it when I have to clean it, but I do get it.

We started by emptying all the plant pots, bags of compost, weed killer and grass seed that attempt to hide in this see-through storage room.  Actually no, I lie.  We started by finding me a pair of gloves to wear, after I picked up the first plant pot and discovered all the spiders, woodlice and slugs that were attached to it.  Ugh.

Once the contents of his somewhat cluttered greenhouse was spread across the lawn, I started hosing down the inside of the greenhouse, while Dad rummaged through the collection of plant pots on the lawn to decide what he actually needed.  I’m still struggling to figure out how he managed to acquire so many in the first place.

I quickly discovered that a hose was not going to shift the dirt, or even the strong willed cobwebs that were still hanging in place, a little crumpled and twisted, but still present.  I reverted to a bucket of soapy water and a brush, and scrubbing commenced.

The whole process took all day.  With one break for lunch and a couple of minor intervals when a wasp decided to evict me. Yes a wasp has that much power.  Especially when I find myself in an enclosed space with only one exit and the entire thing is made of glass.  That’s just a recipe for disaster…

Eventually we put everything back in our nice clean greenhouse.  Yes I do mean everything.  The unwanted plant pots are tucked into one corner waiting for the local jumble sale next month, in the meantime they need to be kept somewhere.  Obviously the see-though glass house is the most logical place to store stuff right?

I stepped back and admired our handy work… With a sigh I realised that it doesn’t really look that much different.  It’s just stacked a little neater.