One of my favorite hobbies is gardening. There is something so relaxing and almost theraputic about it, to me. My mom is a farmer's daughter, so it's only natural that the love for planting and harvesting be passed down and instilled in me. I love to create visual loveliness with bursts of color through plants and flowers. I love planting a late spring/early summer garden for home grown veggies, too! Our growing season has come to an end, but I am already looking ahead to next year, and trying to plan out what I might like to have in my 2013 spring and summer garden.

The Elite Easy Grow Mini Lean To

I have a raised vegetable bed in my back yard, which is so nice to have, but I have always wanted a mini greenhouse to cultivate plants from seed in the early spring. I don't have the room for a full scale greenhouse in my yard, but to have a miniature greenhouse, like the one pictured above, that could just butt up against the side of my house, would be convenient and practical. This would be a perfect venue to house green plants that need to be kept warm during the cooler months! A greenhouse heater would be needed for that... but it would be well worth the price, to keep my potted palms thriving.

For folks like me, who are short on space, planters are a big help! I would just use a tiered indoor planter to start my seeds inside of my mini greenhouse, and then I'd pretty much be set. I plan on planting squash, zucchini squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. I may even choose to start some flowers from seed next year. My favorites are impatients, begonias, petunias, etc. My husband is a big fan of purple flowers, so I try to stay away from shades like pinks and oranges. I may be needing a few new wooden planters for my front porch next spring, as well as a new strawberry planter. The planter I used for strawberries this past season was very disappointing. 

My favorite garden and growing products come from Two Wests & Elliot. Their selection is unbeatable, and they have so many affordable options for gardeners like me- who are on a budget. I even love the smaller greenhouses that I have found, because they're just the right size for my little helper (my son). He is already showing that he loves to get into the dirt and help mommy with the gardening- and it would be such a neat experience to have him help me plant seeds, water them, and watch them grow!

Winter will be welcomed, but I know that a few weeks into a cold snap, I will be longing for spring, and itching to pull out my gardening gloves. I think I'll be putting a few of these mini greenhouse options and planters on my Christmas wish list this year!

Are you a gardener? 

What will you plant next spring?