The Little Greenhouse That Could

Posted November 18, 2010 by Featured Instructor

I’m a spoiled kept woman on top of a mountain. Ever since my husband, Cord, and I built our first sustainable greenhouse out of 90% reclaimed materials on the very peak of our mountain, I have reigned as queen. Thirteen years later it is still rocking out food 365 days a year. We turned materials headed for the landfill into organic, year-round food for our family and friends.

Stored water as thermal mass does all the work. All you need is sun and, boy, do we have it here in the West. The water both cools and heats the space, stabilizing the spiking temperatures you’ll find in an all glass greenhouse. If you have a dream to own a greenhouse – and you know it shouldn’t use fossil fuel to operate in a sunny state like Colorado – then this design is for you.

This greenhouse works better than I can ever tell you. I especially like being inside during a wild raging blizzard, the quiet warmth feeds my soul and the smell of flowers lifts my spirit. I want you to experience shuffling through the snow – at any elevation – before going inside the greenhouse to have a cup of tea in the dead of winter. Experience the smell of earth in your private jungle.

Featured instructor: Penn Parmenter
Penn and her husband, Cord, will be instructing the sustainable greenhouse class at Denver Botanic Gardens. Penn and Cord have been gardening and growing food in the Wet Mountains north of Westcliffe, Colorado since 1992. Their three abundant gardens sit on a mountain at 8,120 ft. and feature numerous high altitude growing methods.

Learn how you, too, can grow in high altitude by joining Penn and Cord Parmenter’s class, Sustainable Greenhouse Design at the Gardens. The popular class is offered on numerous dates for you to choose from – Saturday, Dec. 4 (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.); Sunday, Dec. 5 (Noon-4 p.m.); Saturday, Feb. 5 (1-5 p.m.); Sunday, Feb. 6 (Noon-4 p.m.).