Greenhouse

[Justin Snyder]

I thought some of you gardeners might find this interesting. I have a little plastic greenhouse to the side of my house. I have been unable to pick my vegetables for a week so I went out today and picked some. Mostly onions and peppers, but some squash and tomatoes and some black raspberries from the patch in my back yard.. You can see what happens when you neglect a greenhouse for a few days.

[Josh]

nice greenhouse, Justin.     I've always wanted a garden but never take the time to plant anything.  I tried having a cactus once but it died.  It really sucks to find out you are less nurturing than a desert, LOL> 

[mullet]

Fried or pickled cactus is pretty good .

[Timo]

That's pretty cool Justin! I have been thinking about one (on a very much smaller scale) for some time,but just haven't pulled the trigger on it.....I keep telling myself that I don't need any more food on my plate. Looks like yours is doing well.

[Justin Snyder]

Josh, you probably pampered the cactus to much.

Timo, that is only 13X24 but it produces a lot of vegetables. The most important part is it uses a fraction of the water that the outside garden uses. Of course fresh tomatoes and squash for Thanksgiving are a plus also.

[stickbender]

     What kind of material is that on the frames, covering your greenhouse?  I have some ideas for a green house in Montana. , using PVC pipe.  Nice garden!   And nice onions!!

                                                                                           Wayne

[Justin Snyder]

It is two layers of 6 mil plastic and a tiny blower than blows air between them to provide the insulation. During the spring it runs about 15-20 degrees warmer than outside, but once it warms up outside I open vents at the ends and turn on a fan to circulate the air. Mine has metal hoops, but if you search PVC greenhouse you will find several sites with plans and some videos. After building several, I recommend the rounded top not the type with a point on top.

[stickbender]

     The round type is what I have in mind.  I have had a plan in my mind for some time now.  I want to pipe water to the PVC, and put those tiny mist valves in the cross members.  When I want to water the plants, I will just turn on the faucet, and after about 15 minutes, I will turn it off.  I will also have some drip lines.  I will have upper vents in the ends for air flow, to regulate the heat in the Summer.  The base pipes will be larger, and the water will help keep it stable.  I will put a black screen over the frame, and then the Bisqueen or what ever other form of sheeting I can find.  I will put another layer of plastic sheeting on over that with a spacer so there will be an air space there.  I am going to paint the pipes black, so that during the early
 winter the water will be warmer, and I will have about six one hundred watt bulbs arranged to provide heat, and light for growing.  I have considered putting in a couple of ultra violet lights also.  I will have both ground beds, and raised box beds .  I plan on doing a lot of experimenting.  I will have a regular Garden also, but the Green house, will be for year round veggies, and hopefully some pineapples, and I am thinking about an orange, and lime tree, and some coffee plants.  I can keep the orange and lime trees small by pruning the roots, and limbs.  I have been going over this for quite a few years, as to how I want to build it and how I want to garden in it.  Lots of changes of course.  As for the water in the pipes during winter, it will have drain plugs in various sites, so when it gets too cold, I can drain the water, and water by hand, and use the straps, and pegs to hold the unit in place, in strong winds.  I will have to fence it off of course, to keep the deer from pawing at it, and the bears from tearing it apart to get at the produce.  This is all down the road.  So every time I see something like you have or someone else has, I get ideas, and more info, to add to what I already have.   Thanks for your input, and again nice veggies!  Makes me hungry for some onion soup!

                                                                     Wayne

[Justin Snyder]

Wayne, my first greenhouse had the misters, I really learned to hate them. They water the walkways to much and make a big mud hole. I finally put a drip system in that one. When I built this one I only put in the drip system. I used a pressure reducer to drop the pressure to about 30# then ran 3/4' pipe with a 1/2" threaded riser at each bed. On top of each riser I put fitting with 8 adjustable output nozzles. I then ran spaghetti line from the one of the nozzles to each plant. No wasted water or mud holes. This is all on an automatic sprinkler valve that runs 3 minutes, 3 times per week (maybe 1 quart or water). Not much water at all when you consider that I live in a desert where the temp is 108* and the RH is under 10% right now.

[Pat B]

When I had my native plant nursery my coldframe frame was made with 2" PVc pipe and my mist house was made with 1" PVC pipe. The covering was made for coldframes and acted like a cloudy day so not to scorch plants.   
  We grow spinach all winter and lettace until after the first of the year under a fence wire frame and 6mil plastic sheeting. We get temps in the teens on a regular basis and lower sometimes and this simple cloche works well. Nice to have fresh greens during the winter months. 

[Justin Snyder]

Pat, mine has one layer of clear plastic and one layer of white to keep the sun from scorching the plants.

[stickbender]

     I plan on the first layer to be shade cloth, and then two layers of plastic sheeting, with a spacer inbetween.   But it evolves as I go.   Thanks.

                                                                                Wayne