This is not a story about climate change, at least not the kind that is occurring on a planetary scale. It’s a true account of my successes and failures growing vegetables, semi-tropical fruits and other exotic plants in a free-standing hobby greenhouse located in Ottawa, Canada, where winters are cold and long. I share the many lessons learned through my experiences in building and operating a hobby greenhouse as well as a more recently built sunroom attached to my house. I also describe how I have successfully grown edible figs, and ornamental plants such as agave, hibiscus and elephant ear.
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The Greenhouse Effect by Tony Manera is an incredibly informative book that seeks to educate the reader on activities revolving around growing a greenhouse or sunroom. In total, Tony Manera discusses eight lessons that he learned while planting and growing plants in his greenhouse, in Ottawa, Canada. In the second part of the book, the author continues to relate his experience in constructing a sunroom and offers insightful advice that will guide any reader interested in the topic.
For many, gardening is a therapeutic hobby that helps them interact and be in one with nature. There is something special about being able to cultivate the vegetables or fruits you need. The added nutrition is also an added plus and so is the delicious taste that results from using fresh produce in cooking. For Tony Manera, it has been a journey spanning over a decade. In one of the lessons, he shares how his loquat plant failed to fit in his greenhouse. He decided to raise the greenhouse which was quite a risky affair. Sadly, he finally opted to remove the plant and destroy it. In this case, I learned the importance of considering the height of the plants that I plan to plant in a greenhouse to prevent facing similar challenges.
I really loved the images in The Greenhouse Effect. I firmly believe that a book about gardening without images is just half-baked. The best part of the photos was their clarity and the beautiful colors they exuded. The mix of different shades was exhilarating. At one point, the image containing the outstanding yellow color of the Black-Eyed Susan flower is followed by a beautiful array of ground cover from the Phlox.
The information provided by the author is told with unmatched clarity. There are hardly any formatting errors. The book also makes for a quick read given its clear structure and brevity in length. This is quite appealing for those of us who do not like being bogged down by unnecessary information or having to dive and swim through too many details to get to the main points.
Despite its size, I was surprised by the completeness of the information contained. Tony Manera does a great job of pinpointing the important points and including the very necessary details such as giving specific temperature ranges, including important tools and devices that are important when constructing a greenhouse or sunroom.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Green House Effect. Tony Manera’s advice will definitely come in handy when I start a similar project. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
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