Let's see those greenhouses!

[huntoften]

I was fortunate enough to have an existing concrete patio that I built my greenhouse on. Concrete is nice...just hose it off to clean it. If I build another one, it will likely be built over my gravel driveway. I'd never want one built over bare dirt or grass...too much mud and weeds to contend with, but if you're tryign to keep costs down, then that's a way to save money.

[Wi-sunflower]

Yes 6 mil poly but 2 layers with the air blower for that balloon look. That helps a fair amount. We also heat with a Taylor Water Stove. You can see hose lines on the floor. That's loops of hot water that come from the stove and a large tank of water in a corner of the greenhouse.

I germinate in the house in late Feb and March. When we can get to the greenhouses and stove we move out there, usually around early to mid March. In 08 we weren't able to get to the greenhouses til the first week in April due to heavy snows. Awful season for me.

I will put the flats in a concentrated area and add another cover at nite. My heat systen doesn't keep things at recommended temps at all, (usually 40s at nite) but it does keep them alive. The more dificult conditions seems to produce very strong plants and has worked well for me.

Carol

[huntoften]

Carol...I agree on keeping the greenhouse cool and not babying those plants. If you keep it tropical in there, the plants are weak and get shocked when they have to go out in the real world. My seedlings get chilled, baked, beaten, dropped, pinched, whacked, and sometimes I call them bad names. When they do make it to the garden though, they are meaner than a junkyard dog and ready to GROW!

[Mjdtexan]

Originally Posted by Wi-sunflower

My heat systen doesn't keep things at recommended temps at all, (usually 40s at nite) but it does keep them alive. The more dificult conditions seems to produce very strong plants and has worked well for me.

Carol

I think you hit on something key right there. I am new to this but that makes a lot of sense to me. I have 6 Roma tomato plants right now that I am actually treating kind of bad. I took 6 cuttings of Roma last fall and stuck them in dirt. No rooting powder or anything. I just stuck them in the dirt (in folgers cans) and watered them like crazy. They took root, winter came, and I stuck them in the house in a window. Now that spring is coming they live their nights in the garage and spend their days out in the sun. They look horrible right now. A couple of them are flowering now though.

Back to the subject. I am going to lay fabric down, then add 4 inches of rock or gravel, which ever is cheaper.

[Wi-sunflower]

Yup, I've never been able to keep things at "recommended" temps, high or low. Everything is manually opened or closed. Sometimes the heat will get up over 90 even with everything open. Everything you mentioned, Hunt, and then some. As the plants get bigger and we are at markets all day Sat, the plants will often be horribly wilted by the time we get home. I water the heck out of them and come Sun morning, you can't tell they were flat the evening before.

You need an extra week or 2 of growth compared to the idea greenhouses. But they are hardy as all get out by the time we plant. I have quite a few customers that swear by my plants too for those same reasons. They don't always look so great by then, but they are raring to grow.

Carol

[JulieTA]

My hubby just installed my little greenhouse (8 x 10) and had to build a foundation, because everywhere on our property slopes. He built up the foundation frame with treated lumber to repel termites, but the floor of the greenhouse is untreated wood. It's just a little bit of heaven on a cold winter day! I just don't know where I'm going to put all of these 5000+plants, though...:-)

[desertlzbn]

I am building a lean to type off my pottery workshop, and right now I am looking for some film, or if anyone has any input, if panels are better. Does anyone know the best place for film, and/or panels? at the best price, and for the best warranty?

[Wi-sunflower]

Just don't use hardware store type film. It breaks down in less than 6 months.

Greenhouse film is best bought as close to you as possible as the rolls are heavy and shipping will kill the price. The best is if you have some kind of supplier where you can pick it up yourself. The rolls come in a 100 ft length and generally it's hard to find anything less than 20 ft wide. The last stuff I bought 2 springs ago was about $400 for a 28 x 100 x 6 mil roll. 2 layers with the inflation blower works about the best for me.

4 mil will work for about 2-4 years if you are carefull with it. 6 mil is more expensive but lasts a lot longer and is more forgiving of small snags. There are lots of "additives" and coating that can add a lot to the price of basic greenhouse film. But I've had good results with just the basic "2 year" or 3 year. Whatever they have around. It usually lasts at least another year or 3 beyond what they say.

I have also used just plain "menards" type corrigated clear fiberglass panels on 2 of my smaller houses. The fiberglass will turn rather yellow in about 3 years, but it should be good for a lot longer than that. The trick is to be sure to get a ton of silicon sealer between the panels in the overlap. Also on the nails or screws as they will eventually leak and drips can cause "washouts" in your pots. One of the houses I made lasted for about 10 years til we moved. The other lasted about 8 til the wood of the rafters rotted (they were much older) loosening the nails, and a storm took the whole roof off in 1 piece.

What I haven't used is the 2 or 3 layer "honeycomb" stuff that is similar to the lightweight stuff the postal crates are made from. While it is supposed to be quite good, it is pricey, at least for a big house.

Carol

[Alpinejs]

I bought 6 mil. plastic from the paint dept. at HD, knowing that it was only good for a year. What I didn't know is that when it disintegrates, it breaks
into dime sized pieces and is a major problem to try to clean up. Once I got
the job done, I ordered 6 Mil. UV plastic from a greenhouse supply. UV plastic
should last about 4 yrs. and then not break into a million little pieces.

[JackE]

I have a small greenhouse for the tomato and pepper seedlings but it gets real hot in there on sunny winter days and I have to remember to open it up and run a fan. All it takes is to forget one time and I can kiss all the transplants goodbye.

What works better for me is an 8X12 cold frame on level ground, 18" high, covered with unfastened transparent poly panels. I put the panels on top at night, lay 2X4s on top to hold them in place if the wind blows, and run a small electric heater with a high quality greenhouse thermostat set at 40 degrees.

During the day I remove the panels and let the plants have some sun for awhile etc. It rarely gets below 25F here, mostly just light frost, but during rare hard freezes I put the plants in our cold locker over night with a 300 watt light bulb. On some occasions I have brought them all into the house and spread them all over the living room floor - to my wife's dismay!

Jack