The new GOOD LIFE
There’s never been a better time to go self-sufficient. In our ongoing series, Sally Coulthard shares tried-and-tested tips from her Yorkshire smallholding
Author and seasoned smallholder Sally shares her Yorkshire plot with sheep, horses, hens, ducks, geese, an orchard, a vegetable garden and a pond
My childhood home was a Victorian townhouse, one of many built on the outskirts of Leeds, when it was a busy industrial and textile powerhouse. For aspirant 19th-century house-hunters, it would have been the epitome of Victorian fashion – heavy decor, dark imposing fireplaces and, out in the garden, that most sought-after of all structures – a greenhouse.
Greenhouses were, in their first incarnations, places to show off. Many of the early ones were designed to house fabulous collections of exotic plants and demonstrate an owner’s worldly interests. They were more about growing pineapples than everyday plants. By the time my parents lived in our house in the 1970s – when everything Victorian had fallen out of fashion – the greenhouse had become a symbol of pennywise, good-life-style self-sufficiency.
For me, the greenhouse sits somewhere between these two extremes. There is something eternally glamorous about sliding open the doors and stepping into a balmy greenhouse filled with greenery. Never mind a shed, on a warm, sunny day the greenhouse is the ultimate in delicious seclusion. On a practical level, it creates a microclimate, extending the growing season at both ends. Without it, my heatloving plants – such as tomatoes, aubergines and cucumbers – would be at the mercy of the Yorkshire summer. It also saves me money, allowing me to start off many of my vegetables and herbs as seeds, rather than buying expensive plug plants later in the season. Many people also use their greenhouses to grow delicate or tropical plants, or to bring tender varieties indoors, but I use every scrap of space for food. Last year, even though the greenhouse was unheated, I was still picking tomatoes and basil well into autumn.
When it comes to buying a greenhouse, the options can be dazzling. It’s a truism to say that you get what you pay for, but if there’s one thing you should invest in, it’s toughened glass. Many cheaper designs use thin horticultural glass, which, when it breaks, forms dangerous shards. Manufacturers often say not to buy this if you have children or pets, but I’d add myself to this category, having tripped over in the greenhouse more than once over the years. Look for models with toughened or safety glass, or polycarbonate (which is much lighter but isn’t recommended for very exposed or windy sites).
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