When we decided to make new beds in the yard, we had no idea the problems we’d have with the new onion/lettuce bed. The bed itself is great, on a great spot and the veggies grow nicely, but the storms are a big problem. The bed is directly under the balcony and when the rain is pouring all the water ends up in the new bed. 

This is why my hubby built a temporary awning out of scrap nylon. This cover worked a couple of times, but the last storm broke it completely and it was time to build something more permanent.

So this weekend my hubby and I went to build a new awning. What started as a simple cover with a couple of sticks and nylon turned into a whole project. We couldn’t build something windproof without making a wooden frame, which we had to screw in the bedsides. We also had to add small wood pieces that would hold the nylon in place and additional small wood joint beams. We also added part of the awning to protect the brassica crates, which required more wooden frames. In the end, we ended up building almost a whole greenhouse.

The structure is now strong enough to survive the wind gusts, with nylon that can slide the rain off, and since this is greenhouse nylon, it will help the veggies grow better. Now we concluded that if we add the front nylon during the early spring, we have a greenhouse for less delicate seedlings. I can sow cabbages, lettuce, early flower, radish, and chard seedlings here. I can also start onions and garlic here, and once they are ready I can transplant them into the garden. I can also use the covered space for winter lettuce production. 

So I guess our complicating over the build turned out to be very useful, and now I have a new cold frame greenhouse in the yard.