Busy1, Thanks for all the details. I'm going to save this to my Favorites list so I can find it next year when I'm starting seeds.

With the plants you overwinter, do you partition off only the part with the overwintering plants and heat it, or do you heat the entire greenhouse? I may or may not overwinter plants in my greenhouse (which is only 12' x 24' so I consider it my 'first' greenhouse and hope to have a second and larger one later on). I have the option of heating the sunporch instead, and overwintering plants there, and I haven't decided which one I'll use to overwinter plants.

Is your foilback wall permanent or do you put it up for winter and take it down when the weather warms up?

What percentage of light does your shadecloth block?

Can you shade the greenhouse enough to use it at all in the warmer months, or does it just retain too much heat? (I am afraid I already know the answer to this question.) I've considered using aluminet shadecloth. I know folks in Texas who use it and really like it and believe it is worth the extra expense.

In the winter months, I hope to set up a cold frame and grow some cold-season crops that overwinter well. I may not heat the greenhouse at all except once I start raising seedlings in it.

When you said your greenhouse runs east to west, do you mean your 16' wall faces the east and the west or that the 48' wall faces the east and west? My greenhouse runs east-west, so the shorter 12' wall faces east and west and the 24' wall faces north and south. I picture yours running the same way, but want to be sure I'm understanding it correctly. I think that for me, the east-west run will be fine, but since we are very limited here in terms of having appropriate flat land, it would have to run that way no matter what. The only suitable location for a second greenhouse is long and narrow too, so the next greenhouse will run east-west as well.

And for all of you thinking I am crazy to be mentioning a second greenhouse when the first one isn't even finished yet....don't blame me! Tim put the thought of a second greenhouse in my head by saying, several times, "the next greenhouse that we build, we'll......blah, blah, blah....". So, even though we aren't through building the first one yet, he's already thinking of what he might do either the same or differently the next time. How can a gardener's heart not rejoice when the non-gardening spouse is already planning a second greenhouse?

Dawn

With the plants you overwinter, do you partition off only the part with the overwintering plants and heat it, or do you heat the entire greenhouse?

Unfortunately, i have to heat the entire greenhouse. With the exhaust fan on one end of the GH and the vents on the other end of the GH, i would not be able to regulate the temperature.

Is your foilback wall permanent or do you put it up for winter and take it down when the weather warms up?

I have tried it both ways, i just leave it up now. I'm not gaining or loosing any light either way and i dont have to worry about storing it somewhere else.

What percentage of light does your shadecloth block?

Honestly i dont know, it was used when i got it. I did'nt know much about shadecloth at the time. I would guess it is around the 50% mark. I had bought some remnents that were 60% and it was darker then what i had already.

Can you shade the greenhouse enough to use it at all in the warmer months, or does it just retain too much heat?

During the cooler months, it is alot easier to pull the heat out without the use of shadecloth. Mainly because the outside air is much cooler and does'nt have to exhaust as long. I usually take the shadecloth down during the winter months.

during the summer months,even with shadecloth it will still be 100+ degrees inside with the exhaust fan running. It is pulling warm air inside(slightly cooler) then the inside air.there is not much you can do in it in the summer. According to the size and shape of my greenhouse i have the exhaust and vents sized right.

In the winter months, I hope to set up a cold frame and grow some cold-season crops that overwinter well. I may not heat the greenhouse at all except once I start raising seedlings in it.

I would try and go that route if at all posible. unless you have money to burn, i would'nt run the greenhouse when not needed.Not that i have money to burn.Usually the only time heat is needed is cold clowdy days and nighttime.

When you said your greenhouse runs east to west, do you mean your 16' wall faces the east and the west or that the 48' wall faces the east and west?

My 16' wall faces the east. that is why i said i leave the foilback insulation up. I dont loose enough sunlight on the north side to worry about.

My greenhouse runs east-west, so the shorter 12' wall faces east and west and the 24' wall faces north and south.

That is the way mine is set up also. I have limited flat land also, and water and electricty was another determining factor in why it had to be set up like that. I dont remember if i mentioned it or not, but i also ran a frost free water hydrant inside the GH. I dont have to worry about frozen water hoses.
I also have an old kitchen sink on a stand inside also. It come in mighty handy when it is freezing outside and you need to rinse something off. One of those mud room/utility sinks would not take up much room, you might think about that.

And for all of you thinking I am crazy to be mentioning a second greenhouse when the first one isn't even finished yet....don't blame me! Tim put the thought of a second greenhouse in my head by saying, several times, "the next greenhouse that we build, we'll......blah, blah, blah....". So, even though we aren't through building the first one yet, he's already thinking of what he might do either the same or differently the next time. How can a gardener's heart not rejoice when the non-gardening spouse is already planning a second greenhouse?

I know 12x24 will look big while it is empty, once the plants start filling it up, you will want another and another....

I turned one of those portable carports(12'x21') into a Gh in town at my business to use as a holding GH.So i have a pretty good idea of the space you have available. I used some leftover GH film to cover it. If i can remember to take the camera(if i can find it)i will post some photos of how and why i did it the way it is.It really turned out nice.

I wished i knew how to use a different color when answering back.
Robert

Robert,
I wished i knew how to use a different color when answering back.

I've linked from one of the GW faq pages...

Keith

Here is a link that might be useful: How to use HTML code

Robert,

Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions. I know that this must be a very busy time of year for you. When do you start selling plants at the store? Do you have onions and things in stock now? Because if you do, we need to remember that when someone in your part of the state is looking for something.

You did mention the frost-free hydrant, and I'm going to have one right outside my greenhouse door, but only because it was there first, and we chose to put the greenhouse right by it. I want a laundry room type sink, but I want it just outside the greenhouse so I can wash off the harvest there before I take it inside. What I have in mind is something like your portable carport with a long outdoor worktable and a big laundry sink so I could wash off the produce outdoors before carrying it inside. The less dirt I carry inside, the cleaner the kitchen will stay, which is a plus since time spent cleaning the kitchen is time not spent in the garden.

I always knew I'd want more than one greenhouse, but was surprised Tim already was thinking along those lines. On the other hand, he understands me and how I think. Also, I think he looked at all the flats of seedlings I have on the front porch, side porch, sunporch, and in the potting shed (which is just west of the greenhouse) and knew that just those plants alone would fill up the greenhouse the minute it is done, so clearly another one will be needed. Also, he'd rather have me at home in the greenhouse than running loose at the mall.....

Dawn

Yes I do have a few plants now, just some cabbage and broccoli, onion set, and onion plants.

I try not to start too many as there are several business's that sell the trucked in plants. With a small population and so many stores selling plants i just cant see having to throw out so many.

Here are some pics of the town GH. I dont know how well it will work out since i dont have a way to vent it other then the windows and door. I need to get some shade cloth for it.

I put the middle peice of roofing tin back on for a couple of reasons. Mainly so it would be out of my way and give the structure some extra stability. The side peices of tin are there to keep them out of my way also and seemed like a good place to store them so they did'nt get messed up.

It looks bare in there but i have more tomato and pepper plants started at home then will fit in there. Need to get busy and build some more bench tops.

It looks really great! What a great way to build a greenhouse quickly. I look forward to hearing how it works out.

I hope you're having the gorgeous day there that we're having here. Sunny, clear, warm, low wind.....everything a gardener could ask for except that it is so dry.

Dawn, I also have sunny, clear, warm (50), low wind, and it's too wet to garden. LOL We just did a little gardening but it all went into containers.

I am hoping that the high side of my garden gets dry enough today to get a few more things in, but it may take another day. I have a few Yukon potatoes that I would like to put in and would like to plant some spinach and some little sets for green onions. We are still having very cold nights.

Dawn, Tell us what you have planted out so far. We have been busy trying to get the more permanent things done; i.e. strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, jerusalem artichokes, etc. Of course, I do have the bulbing onions planted and some edible pod peas. I think I have eight flats under lights plus two still germinating and many more to plant. Everyday I think of things I need to have planted.

In the garden I have onions, leeks, lettuce, chives, cabbage, shallots, scallions, garlic, mustard, kale, peas, potatoes, radishes and seeds of carrots, beets, swiss chard and kale. One of the lettuce mixes is Franchi-Sementi's mesclun mix and it has some non-lettuce-y things in it, but I don't remember which ones.

There are a few herbs up and growing---lemon balm, chamomile, several kinds of mint, some tiny basil seedlings (I forgot to look and see if they've frozen on this week's frosty mornings) and it looks like the rosemary, which I thought froze during the snowy cold spell, may have a little green near its base, so maybe it will come back.

The strawberry plants from last year's new planting are up and look great, but I haven't planted this year's new plants in the ground yet.

I need to get my carrot seed and cabbages planted, hopefully tomorrow if the fire weather doesn't keep me out of the garden and at fires instead.

I'm in pretty good shape, all things considered. Broccoli won't go into the ground until around my average last frost date, and I just haven't gotten around to sowing seeds of any other herbs yet. I'm making progress every day.

I'm like you, everyday I think of other things I need to get seeded, planted, transplanted, etc. and it is hard to get it all done.

Our nights have been pretty cold too. We were in the 20s Monday night and 35/frosty here this morning at our house, although Burneyville went down to 28. I'm so tired of the cold nights, but we keep having them as regular as clockwork 2 or 3 times a week.

My 'early' tomato plantings in pots have tiny baby tomatoes on a couple of the plants, so we should be harvesting the first tomatoes in April if I don't forget and leave them outside on a cold night.

I am so hungry for fresh tomatoes I can't stand it. I guess I'll have to take a bag of deydrated ones out of the freezer and thaw/rehydrate and eat some tomorrow. Of course they aren't the same as fresh-from-the-garden ones, but they'll keep me going until the garden is producing.

I planted some of that mesclen mix also (thanks to you) but just in a flower pot. You have planted a lot more things than I have but my soil temp is still only at 52 while yours appears to be running 68-69. That is quite a difference.

I have seeds for many herbs but I know so little about them that I don't really know when to plant. I don't really have the place ready for them either, but I suppose I could start them inside.

I dehydrated a few cherry tomatoes last year and wasn't too pleased with them. First of all, the humidity was so high while I was trying to do it that it took days to get them dry. (I now have a range to do them in). Anyway, I thought I would put them in the freezer and see if I thought they were worthwhile in the middle of the winter. Mid-winter I opened the freezer in the bunkhouse and the bag fell out and broke and about half tumbled out on the floor. I swept them up and threw them out for the birds, so I still don't know if I like them well enough to dry them. LOL

Robert, very nice greenhouse. Loots like easy to build but very sturdy GH. How much $$$ you spend on the materials? What is other structure facing GH? -Chandra

biradarcm ,

I did'nt keep track of all the materials because most of it was left overs from my hoop house. The cover was the last peice off a roll and it was just barly enough. if it was'nt for the door being in it, i would'nt of had enough.

there was probably less then 20 2x4's to frame in the ends. I hauled the gravel out of a small creek with my tractor and hauled it to town on a trailer. then had the joy of wheel barrowing it inside.

I used some plactic batten strips to screw down and hold the plastic, which is 6 mil greenhouse film rated for 4 yrs.I got the batten strips with the hoophouse frame when i bought it. I used the aluminum channel and wiggle wire on the hoop house, so the batten strips were just used peices that had been laying around.

i dont remember if the plactic was 21' wide or 22 'wide to go completely over the top. the actual frame length is 20' long. 12'wide

the windows were donated from my BIL and the door(36"x80") was new, less then $200. the portable carport was $599 (assembled wherever you want it) last year. basic 12'x21' with 5' sidewalls.

It would probably be close to $1500 if you bought all the materials new.If you shopped around you could probably lower the cost. the greenhouse film would probably be one of the more expensive items.

the other structure is another portable carport that i use to put the potting soil,peat moss stuff under to try and keep the weather from destroying the bags. I used a couple of peices of tin off the other one to go along the bottom sides. Good place to store it and protect it from damage and it helps keep a little more of mother nature out.

I used screws to frame in the Gh so if i need to take it apart it will not be as hard as pulling nails.

The only disadvantage of using a carport for a frame is the side wall studs are built 5' apart from the factory.

So you can't go by the usual 2' center theory for stud walls.

As a plain Gh, it took probably 3 days to go from carport to Gh if you had a little help(which is what i had, a little, being the key word) and no interuptions.