A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Growing under Glass ??? on greenhouses

My husband and I are thinking about building a small greenhouse, anyone here build one? Any helpful hints???
Thanks
NJ

Welcome, NJ. There are a lot of questions I have for you to think about. What zone are you in? Will you need to heat or cool your greenhouse? Will your greenhouse have any protection from the elements? (wind is hard on most of them). What do you want your greenhouse to do for you? Like early start on your veggies? Orchids?
And then here is a link with some others who had greenhouse questions to. And some got answers.
http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-9343334139835571%3Ajmhk2u-wsr6&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=greenhouse&sa=Search

Thanks Jonni. I am in zone 6. I would like to start plants vegetable and flowers. My husband works at a school and the vo-ag instructor made a green house using a product called poly-tex, and gave us the remainder of it. We should have enought to build a 6x6 greenhouse, all we'll need to purchase is the material for the frame. I did start some plants last year in my house but I started way too early, just anxious as I never did that before. I will check out the link.
NJ

zone 6 is actually a pretty good zone for a greenhouse. If I had one here in my zone 9-ish I would need to cool it most of the year or things would fry. You lucked out on the poly-tex. I love freebies. Please let us know how it goes.

So are we! And I just found your post while trying to figure out where to post my greenhouse questions. So not to hijack your post, NJ, but anyone out there with a greenhouse who has made mistakes in designing it or constructing it-- mistakes that we can avoid? And do you all with greenhouses do the passive solar thing? Or do you have fans, etc?

thanks!

My friend built one.....Where it will get all day sun.
They connected it to a heated garage where it is piped into the radiators an heats the place.( coal furnace)

It is built of the large plastic pipes , with heavy plastic for that purpose.
I envy here.. But she has 3 or 4 single sons to do the furnace daily.

She say why not build one,(I am retired) I said I don't know if I have enought time left >LOL

Too much work ..

Hers is rather large.

We put in hold for now. I've been looking at some of the hobby greenhouses, it would save us building one and I can take it down after I'm done with it. I have no intention on putting in a furnace or anything...I don't have that kind of time--although maybe if I win the lottery............
NJ

If you have winter, plants need heat in the green house.
This lady was smart enough to build against her sons huge machine shop, heated with a furnace......And she has the heat piped in thru radiators.. Excellent idea.

But of course the sons take care of the furnace for her.
b

I was thinking to start plants in the spring not so much over the winter....
NJ

That will work......
All day sun is the best way to do that ..
No harm in trying .. Wish I could.........

good luck

b

up

You can buy special brackets that fit stud lumber. It all just slides in together then you wrap it in plastic film with cut outs for ventilation. I've seen a neighbour with one, i'm impressed enough that I plan to try it out this summer.

Wish I took a pic.

surely the neighbor will let you come by & see his again---Assuming it is still there this year.

Hey, Tamara.
I just got a book in the mail with farm buildings & such in it. DH says it is kinda high priced but it does have a greenhouse os so in it. if you would like to look at it to get ideas, I can send it off to ya.
I will not be using it.


Did you see this Tamara?? it was in another thread here.

http://www.hobby-greenhouse.com/FreeSolar.html

There'll be no green house built again this year, sadly to say. The new grandbaby will get all the extra $.

yea I was thinking so--but hey--you can still work out all the logistics & such, right???

Yup, I've been dreaming of it for years.

My Daddy says ya gotta have a dream...I think he is right.

I dream of it too.....My friend has one, but it is connected to the sons heated building where he repairs stuff an she has constant heat.

Up here it is the highest point of the mountains an the wind is like No tomorrow.

b

THAT would be great. She is one lucky lady !!!

Guess she deserves it .
7 kids husband dead when the oldest was 18.

oh my that is SO sad. yes she does deserve it.