I could smell the citrus blossom as soon as I walked in....

 

Tonight when I got home from the store, I went straight out to the greenhouse. The first thing I noticed as soon as I walked in the door was the sweet smell of citrus blossom. I went straight to the back and looked for the blossoms. It was on the lemon tree, hidden under a leaf. There was ONE FLOWER. Only one. I couldn't believe that I could smell that one flower 16' away from the door I had entered in. Isn't that just amazing. Then I had to focus. I had a mission. On our way home from Gabriola Island yesterday we stopped at Dinter Nursery of course. We wanted to pick up a new minimum/maximum thermometer for the citrus house. It is predicted to be a very cold winter. So I hung it right above the lemon tree so that if that end gets cooler we will know it. We are going to get a smaller supplemental heater to put in the Citrus end of the greenhouse, just in case our old large heater just can't cope with the new 8 X 18' greenhouse size. Also it is about 35 years old and I just don't want to push my luck.

 

 

This is the new thermometer hanging above the lemon tree.

 

 

If you don't know how to read a min/max thermometer I am going show you. This is the reading on the thermometer this morning. Since it was reset yesterday, the low in the citrus house was 13 degrees Celsius and the high was just over 21 degrees. You read the temperature at the bottom edge the blue liquid. Red is below zero and black is above zero degrees. The numbers on the outside are Celsius and the inside are Farenheit. The left side is the temperature low, and the right is the high. To reset you just push and hold that long skinny button in the middle.

Bearrs Lime Tree planted into the greenhouse.

The Bearrs Lime is officially planted in the greenhouse. We also moved the Owari Satsuma Mandarin Orange tree in in its pot. We will plant it next week some time. This was the weekend they had to go inside. My garden calendar says so!!

Lime tree waiting to be planted

Lime planted and being watered

Another angle with the orange tree in the background

Lime all trimmed and looking adorable

The far branch of Mandarin Orange is so heavy with oranges, it is bending to the ground. We are using our food recycle green box to support it. There must be 15-20 oranges on it. I will count for you. It weighs about ten pounds.

IT IS OFFICIAL, WE HAVE A CITRUS HOUSE !!!

Virginia Creeper cuttings. Thank you Mom.

 

I love Virginia Creeper. For me, it is the bright red in the fall. It is the brightest red autumn vine we have here on our Island. My mom has some beautiful, red Virginia Creeper at her place. I took a few small cuttings and then my mom arrived the next day with some huge cuttings for me. So they have been trimmed, rooting hormoned, and planted.

 

And this is what the little cuttings look like in the greenhouse.

Tia's first glass {of her first batch} of Kombucha.

 

This is my cousin Tia's first glass of Kombucha, out of the first batch she's ever made. She is incredibly talented isn't she!! She is a natural food girl who makes almost everything from scratch.

We have a Citrus House!!!!

 

How cute is this!? Tree planted, fed, pruned and watered.

 

Today is a red letter day. I am so happy. After dreaming of my citrus trees being planted in the soil inside a greenhouse, the first tree is planted...in the soil...in the greenhouse. Thank you Allan and Noel. I drew the circle where the hole had to be dug and they did the rest. {tennis elbow} I put Gaia Green under the root ball and they snugged manure and soil around it. It is still in clay though, so I will work at adding to the organic matter content.

 

The Meyer Lemon Tree with our hole measuring stick.

The hole partially dug. It took a shovel and a pry bar.

Meyer Lemon planted and being watered.

A different angle. Before it was pruned so it looks a bit lopsided.

Beamer the Garden Cat is always near by.