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hitexplanter

Changing seasonal GH for winter use

19 years ago

I have seen several good ideas on this forum over the last couple weeks and would like some more targeted thoughts.

The set up is a garden center in central Texas highs 100F+ lows 20's -. Oriented North-South. Is 24X30 feet. It has single white poly that blocks 55% of sunlight. This set-up was obtained by Polytex.com as a seasonal GH but I have plans as Garden Manager to protect and grow plants and start veggie and herb from seed throughout the November.-March time frame to be ready for extra spring sales beyond what I can buy in from local growers. I have been in the nursery biz for almost 20 years now but this is the first time that I have managed a garden center by myself. The GH has single clear 6ml poly end walls and has 4mm double wall poly carbonate side wall that slide for ventalation (almost useless IMO). Each endwall has 2 6 foot sliding doors with 4ml poly carbonate on the outside with big gaps at the top and bottom. I am trying to prioritize and winterize in a logical and economical fashion.

1. I have so far sealed the gaps around the base of GH.

2. Sealed the doors the best I could and still have them open and close for access to customers and for venting as needed.

3. Used 4 32 gal black plastic garbage cans along mostly dead space on the south wall for heat sinks.

4. I am still in the process of applying tek-foil (aluminum coated bubble wrap) on all the North wall.(no sunlight).

5. I am evaluating and consider poly coverings. I plan to go to double poly with inflating fan. I am leaning toward Koolite 380 from Klerk's but want to get with rep to get about 70% usable diffused light. The single layer white that is in use blocks too much for winter but worked well for our summers. I am looking at a compromise. Can see this at klerk.com (I have used their koolite in Hawaii and the results were very dramatic but never in a double poly and HOT Texas summer set up!!

6. I am debating how many more tubs (heat sinks) to place along the rest of south and west wall.

7. I am considering using black weedmat to get additional heat gain to the decomposed granite floor.

8. The owner gave me 2 1500W cheap electric heater says that will do it. I told me he'll know in a couple of days with the first freeze. It only held 35F at about 30F outside. (granted I lost a lot of heat through gap area not done yet and the areas along the base and sliding doors allowed more gaps because of the near 60 mph wind that came in with that front.

Another front comes in tomorrow and will get in the mid 20'sF with at least freezing temps at night the following 2 days.

Short term I am going to try and finish sealing north wall and adding more tubs, maybe the black weed mat if the benefit outweighs the cost. I am also looking to deal with the flimsy poly carbonate sliding side walls. I opened them some this last summer so I don't want to do anything to not make them functional.

Mean while I have to water and tend to a couple thousand plants that are winter hardy outside but will need attention as well.

Ideas short term and long term are welcome as well but remember this is a retail setting and I have to work around that and anything I do need to make economic sense for a commercial operation cost verses ROI (return on investment).

P.S. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to lay out the scene a much as possible to allow for the broadest exhange of ideas based on the reality at hand.

Thanks for all the ideas already generated just by reading various posts already. I look forward to sharing my growing experience and exhanging of practical ideas for the Greenhouse environment.

Happy Growing David

Comments (2)

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    hitexplanter,

    ""start veggie and herb from seed throughout the November.-March""

    The answer to that one is easy!

    Build another greenhouse.

    Hoop houses are easy and cheap to construct, use 1/2in pipe and fittings. Don't cement any of the joints so you can take it down again. Use cheap construction plastic. Make your benches from 4x8ft sheets of plywood on top of trashcans filled with water. You only need a small greenhouse to start 1000's of seedlings. A 11ft by 9ft hoophouse with 2 benches can start 9216 seedlings in standard 288 plug trays.

    When you need to transplant then of course you need more room, so add another 11x9 hoophouse.

    By March you need even more room so then you put all those plants in your existing structure.

    I start seeds, then expand like that as and when they need more space. That way I am not heating a big greenhouse when there is not a lot in it.

    Just a thought...

    Oh by the way, I forgot to mention I build the flimsy hoophouses that would never survive outdoors in my greenhouse.

    (The picture is from the fall when I was shrinking my greenhouse space as the weather got colder. Opposite to the above I know, but the expanding and contracting of the heated area thingy still applies)

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:305121}}

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Thanks for the thought and maybe next year I can figure out space for on 11x9 foot space but I have too plants overwintering outside for this year. I also have the GH half full with hibiscus,bougenvilla,ferns and assorted others so heating is essential and maximising the cost effectivness is the issue for now. I will be bumping up many of these plants over the coming weeks and this will fill 3/4 of the GH. I will then have about 1/4 to do seed for spring. I am looking to offer some herb and veggies that I otherwise can't get through my growers at present but know my customers want and will pay a premium for.
    Thanks again for the thoughts and Happy Growing David

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