So i am moving and loosing my great covered porch and my orchid have gotten a taste of fresh humid DC air and i dont think they are going to speak to me if i drag them all indoors. I would like to figure out a way to keep them out for a very long as possible, though i realize that all winter is probably really if not totally pushing it.
here are the facts i have to work with:
- i have a sturdy 10'x10' deck i would like to use, it has two tall brick walls on the south and east side.
- I'm thinking lean too style to let the kitchen door(east wall) and or the office sliding door (south wall) open into the space.
- i live in the DC metro area (7a i think) so it will get cold eventually, but no week long blizzards, usually. but yeah we get below freezing for at least one spell of not a few and it does snow from time to time (but not last year for instance)
- i have a small collection of about 60 orchids and will work hard to control that number since i will be moving in a year or so across county and i already know how much of a hassle that is with 'chids
- i still want to take up all the space i can so i can have it for multi use
- most all are intermediate, not too cranky of plants
- i am renting and cant trash the place or change thing up a lot
- i hope to sell the greenhouse before i move in a year or so. though may get to sell it to the owners of the house if it works really well as a sunroom.
- I'm not made of money, but do understand paying for something i really enjoy
- i would like to use the space also as a warm mosquito free place for my soon to be 2 years olds to play, so i will be putting all plants up on counters and hopefully a sitting area in there.
- i guess I'm looking for a sunroom to put orchids in really
- im handy with tools, but don't have weeks and weeks to tinker on something, i have twin toddlers, yeah i know, im crazy for doing anything but the orchids need a bedroom too
so thoughts? links to awesome things? i have been searching the nets for a few days and I'm burned out, hoping folks know of great things i have missed. there have been some ones that may work if something better does not come along.