I'm growing peppers in large pots, basil in small pots (both on heat mats), and tomatoes in a hydroponic setup. I also use it for seed starting (about time to start more rounds of broccoli, lettuce, etc.) Of course, although it is warming here, it is unusual to have highs over 70-75 degrees F in the summer, so greenhouse growing is essential. Our second greenhouse, which can be seen in the thread on making greenhouses out of old windows, is growing tomatoes and cucumbers quite well right now. I love my greenhouses all year! Jim

Hi Greenhouser,

Did you start perr. seeds yet? I was at the neighbors tonight sharing seeds. Here in WI we are having a strange spring cold and wet.... I wish everyone would post some pictures of their plants they grew this winter in their gh for us newbies to learn.... Maybe I will post some of mine.. Rinja were are you???? We started together....Pictures please... I wonder where ole dawg is too.... Sherry are you out there with them catis and wndyacres.... Show them pictures.... Barb

I grow mostly orchids in the greenhouse so it is used year round. Frost protection in winter, shade and humidity shelter in summer.
I do start some seeds in the GH, but it is mostly to protect the seedlings from grasshoppers and other bugs.
Once the seedlings have hardened, they go outside in pots or directly into the ground.

I usually dont take a lot of pictures of the greenhouse around this time of year. All I see is green green green!
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In a couple of months I should be seeing some color :)

I have ripening passionfruits, papayas, and a few jaboticaba, all probably within the next 10 days. There are dozens of lemon, strawberry, and 'Nana' guavas, looking forward to trying some guava jelly this summer. I have a new female papaya starting to bloom, so it looks like I may get some papayas next year, too. I just picked up about 50 gal of great potting mix, so I can finally start potting up some things that are long overdue. I have 5 or 6 different bananas which stubbornly refuse to bloom. And I have a dragonfruit plant which, if it doesn't bloom this summer, will find it's way out of the GH this fall.

Ahhh papayas sound yummy. What kind did you plant?
I'm quite fond of the Hawaiian cultivars and the Carribean ones with red flesh.
The Mexican varieties are great for cooking in soups when green.
I have a poor guava "tree" planted outside that always dies back to the ground during winter and then grows into a shrub again in summer. Rinse/repeat every year and I dont know if it will ever get mature enough to bear fruit in these conditions.

It's good you can use your GHs year round. Here in Middle TN my GHs are over 100F every day even with covers. The HFGH is left unused but the Rion serves as an excellent potting shed once the sun goes behind the trees.

I decided against starting more perennials because I have no where left to plant them. I don't want to start another flowerbed.

To: javan 9b

Temperatures over 70 should be fine to grow stuff. What are you growing that needs more heat?

To: wetfeet101b

Some of my phals are in full bloom as is a bright red orchid of some kind. It came from HD without a tag. It's a pretty little thing. The flowers are small but very bright.

greenhouser, Tomatoes, climbing cucumbers, basil, and peppers all need more heat than most locations outdoors can give them around here. However, we can grow brassicas, chard, and some varieties of lettuce all year outdoors. I love our climate, but I love our greenhouses for certain crops as well! Jim

Javan that is great to be able to use year round.... Vegges sound so yummy...

Wet feet thank you for sharing your pictures. You have a nice setup with your shelves. I bet those are pretty when they are in bloom.

Stress baby my banana was doing so good, I decided to take it outside well it got very windy and broke it. Boo hoo. I am waiting till the end of season to buy another one. They are nice....

This is my first year with the gh. Here are some photos of plants. I cant belive I did not kill them. LOL Sure is a fun hobby I wouldnt give it up fro the world. We went today to get all the stuff for our misting sytem and we will be building some more shelves next weekend for the other side of the gh....Here are some of my first babies...... Barb
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Rosepedal,
You may be able to save the banana plant if the trunk snapped due to wind.
If the root ball is healthy is can still sprout new shoots.

Javan:

Cole crops only do well here in the cooler months of spring and fall. Chard will do well all summer in the heat if kept watered. It's close relative the beet doesn't do well once the real heat starts. All the heat lovers do well here if kept watered.

I have cuttings of roses that have begun to root and just started some Lavender and Russian sage

Aphids on Cosmos & Lettuce, worried about them moving to the cucumbers.
Stephanie

WOW you guys are doing so good!! i'm so hoping i can get my gh going in the winter, (be usable) i am going to try an fill it with water and let the sun heat it. but have maybe 4 of them (in the corners?) and maybe 2 in the center, and see how that works. and we are planning on caulking all of the panes except the one's that open to vent. and in the winter i'll think of something so they won't let in all the air!! LOL hmmm....anyone have any idea's??

so I am totally new to all of this. I built (with my own two girly hands) a nine foot tall, at the peak, 10 by 12 foot green house. I love this so much! We live in WA and have wicked winters and hot summers and tons of bugs/birds/squirrels. I have a gorgeous Japanese eggplant, rows and rows of onions and peppers and tomatoes galore!

Any advice for a rookie? I am excited to hear what you all say, I am watering and talking to my plants like a mad woman, but know little else to do. :) Thanks

Michelle,

I would recomend looking at everyones posts before you caulk. Alot of us use insulation tape in our seams and than we screw the panels so they dont blow away in the wind. I have to say after a very cold and snowy winter. The insulation helped alot especially with the heating bills of the gh. You also might want to rethink the water barrels not enough room in the gh. I know how much you plant and there defianately wont be any room. LOL.

Hi lovinggh,
I talk to my plants too. Kids are raised. I am actually cussing at my triple purple datura to bloom. It is taking forever to open. LOL Nice that you are handy building your own gh. That is neat....Post a picture would love to see your handy work...... Barb

I have orchids and plumeria seedlings in mine. Plus, some hoyas that weren't doing well outside. They sure have perked up. The temp seems to hover at about 85 to 90. My exhaust fan has only come on a couple of times.
Hey, wetfeet, where do you get those wooden boxes for your orchids?

Wow, i have a new greenhouse attached to the home, just starting. I have purchased a couple of plants (on sale tropicals) thats all. Living in Colorado, we are trying to figure out what to grow and how extreme the temps and humidity are going to be. Being from Australia I would like to grow tropicals & orchids as well as annual seedlings for my summer outdoor garden. I was wondering if there is anyone out there also with a greenhouse in my area or zone with the problems that I am going to experience? any help advice woill be greatly appreciated. thanks, Gail

The first problem you'll probably experience is the cold this winter so you'll need to insulate with bubble wrap (check with a local mover before buying elsewhere) and get a good reliable heater. Other problems I experienced were insect pests and too much humidity in my Rion GH last winter. For some reason I didn't have those problems in the smaller HFGH.

Starting to get my containers prepared and washed with 10% Clorox. About the end of August, I will plant my salad greens along with some tomatoes and peppers.


John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

CO, zone 5 is COLD! Prepare to purchase a really good heater. Speak to your neighbors about the climate you now live in. They can surely clue you in on what to expect come winter.

HI Gail,

There is a guy here in WI that took his Dryer hose and attached it inside his gh coming from his house. It gave him free heat and humidity. Maybe you could do the same. All the snow and cold we had last winter the heating bill was not bad at all I was shocked. We did insulate the heck out it though. Maybe too well..... Gotta have fresh air too. Happy weekend everybody..... I have to go buy my new plant some goodies. My plants get more than me. What is up with that...... Barb

Pelicanhead,
I bought my first plumie it is a puu kahea. I am so excited I could not sleep. What a addiction. LOL

What did you do to insulate your GH Barb?

Does anyone have any ideas for a nice structure for an entire garden - to support sun shade cloth and bird netting? I have been erecting a jury-rigged structure out of 8' steel fence posts, pressure treated 2x6s, etc. for our 12-16 tomato plants each spring and would like to have something permanent and nicer looking. I have considered using PVC pipe, but couldn't figure out an easy way to frame in a door to the round pipe. I also considered building a stick frame structure but that seems expensive and overkill.
Thanks for any comments.

Hi guys, BARB, I'm alive, sorry I've been laying low these past few months. Got my shade cloth on but by then it was cooking inside my GH so it all had to come out...The rest of the time I spent nursing seedlings and trying to keep them from cooking outside. Had to try to keep them shaded. I gave a ton of stuff away, sold a good amount (easily enough to pay for all the seeds I bought)

I had also been collecting bricks and sand for the floor of my GH, of course, I got ahead of myself when the darn thing finally did get errected this past spring...you all know that mess...I had stuff planted in there before I put a floor in..

so now all my shelves (free standing) thank goodness...will come out and I'll get a machetti and hack away the weeds and sometime later when it's cooled down (like NOVEMBER) I'll get the bricks in place and by then it will be getting close to time to plan on where to put my potted tender/tropicals and patio plants/ferns etc

Meanwhile, I'm still planting veggies, herbs etc. I've got about 1/3 of the bed around the GH that still needs to be filled in...

I'm trying to keep up on 60 tomatoe plants, and a bunch of other stuff in my garden, mainly the BUGS...The GH is also my storage shed for planting containers...

I've missed all you guys, sorry I've been incognito...I'm anxious to get stuff prepared for winter..and of course will be stayed tuned for the related topics of interest. Still no electricty out there, DH has promised!!! Will have to get him to do it before Sept. when college football starts, I become a widow and he doesn't move much from the couch (well from the couch to the computer room and back again :)

OH ya, and about a month ago we had another storm and my back 3 panels on the upper section blew out again..I had them all back in place from when we had tornados in the area...and duct taped in place (so I thought)...Will have to start re-reading the back wall reinforcent threads, Cant have that happening all the time...so that will be ONE more thing to fix before the cold comes..fortunately that gives me a LONG time still...the heat is just getting going here. UGH.

Glad to see all the familiar "faces" still around...and Barb, you must surely be considered more than a newbie by now, with all that you have done :)

Rosepedal, Uh oh, the addiction begins. Last count I had around 100.

I am so gla dto see everybody is still here....

Greenhouser what is the ratio for soils for begonias you use. I wont say what I did but they are quite unhappy. I know yougrow them.

Rinja I am so glad your plant sale was a huge sucess. Wow that is a lot of tomatoe plants. I bet you are busy. Just keeping up with them. I have some plants taller than me. I AM 5 10. They are fun to grow. Oh I have a variegated tomatoe plant too. I plan on saving seed from. We can trade this fall if you want too. You probably already have it though. LOL. I bet those bricks will be pretty all laid down. Lucky you. I wish we went that way.....

Jeffjesse We placed pink board around the perimeter (inside the gh) and buried it under the gravel. We used insulation tape in all the panels and srewed them down no leaks there. all the cracks were insulated. I have to say this past winter I really did not feel any leaks neither did my plants they all survived. I had it stuffed. Lol

Pelicanhead I am so envious of your zone. Lovely plumies 100 is not enough LOL. I was born and raised in Ramona, Ca. We built more shelves on the other side of the gh this weekend for my tropicals I have been collecting. When they are finished I will take pictures. Have a good day everyone. I have to go to Post office for a trade on brugs. Oh no another addiction..... Smile

My begonias do fine in almost any light mix. I don't really have special mixes for the majority of my plants. In my climate they don't do well in heavy soils. Those on my porch right now are in a mix of sand, perlite, peat moss and bagged compost from Lowe's. It's fast draining and they seem to love it. They tend to rot in heavy potting soils that are mainly soil and compost.