Preface It is early spring, and outdoors the trees are just starting to send out leaves. But in the greenhouse you bite into a fresh, juicy tomato that you have just plucked from a vine. Nearby, key limes and oranges await harvesting, their citrusy aroma wafting through the warm, humid air. Flowers, including fuchsias, orchids, and paperwhites, add their heady fragrance to the mix. These are just some of the pleasures of owning a home greenhouse. And there is more than just the sheer joy of picking produce and flowers out of season that makes a home greenhouse so appealing. A greenhouse can be a warm, inviting place to put chairs or a hammock to relax in, or it can be an addition built onto your house that helps to provide home heating when the weather is frigid. One day after a winter snowstorm in Rhode Island, I brushed the snow off the greenhouse that is attached to my office.

Once the sun hit the greenhouse glass, the temperature inside quickly reached 78°F (25°C). Just by opening the connecting office door, I was soon enjoying all that warmth and humidity without turning on a heater. I felt like I had been transported to Florida despite the snowy outdoor landscape. Greenhouses can be used for other purposes as well. You can create a fish-tank system that circulates nutrient-rich water to irrigate an exotic mix of lush tropical plants or hydroponic strawberries. You can store tender plants over the winter months. You can even start a small business propagating and selling specialty plants. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

As soon as you buy or build a greenhouse you will probably want to know more about keeping your plants growing year-round. I would suggest you join the Hobby Greenhouse Association, whose members use the website and quarterly magazine to keep abreast of news and information in the home greenhouse world. Oh, and I edit the magazine, so I know that it's full of inspiration and practical information, much like this book.