Matt, how cool is that? Is it a temporary set up in which you will remove the cover once the outside warmth commences? I like it!

MIke

This is staying in the GH so it can get good growing temps into the high 80's low 90's. The plan is to get 8 -9 months of growth and see how it looks in December. Maybe get some heating cables :)

Can you take a picture of the whole set up? I am curious about it. Is it made with plastic rolls? How will you keep it from blowing away?

Awesome. Definitely following your progress. I'm planting an owari this spring and plan to use a flowerhouse 4" pop-up greenhouse with it this winter (with additional blankets, Christmas lights, etc for the coldest nights).

You northern folk do some strange things when it comes to growing plants, here we just dig a hole and plant our citrus in the ground, though sometimes we have to protect it in the winters. Regardless, let me wish you the best of luck with it.

It's pushing the limits here. I think they'll do better then in a container. Thanks Ike

Matt as long as you don't get heavy snow or a hurricane , I don't think it's going anywhere. Great job.

Ill be sort of doing the same thing with all my potted trees this week. They are covered with that plastic and I use PVC and believe it or not Gorilla tape! It holds the plastic good against my house on the south side even through harsh winds. It's just temporary though. Cheap and good enough to give my trees a much earlier start.

You are right. Much easier in the ground that's why I have three planted in it in my little greenhouse. They are doing the best. A little nutrient deficient but good enough for me. My potted ones suck with all the work and yet not as good as outside in a greenhouse set up.

Keep us posted please

Mike

I am guessing you are in zone 6a and not 9b as your id says. So it must frequently get to 0F there. How did your plants fare in such cold temperatures - Or is it your first time experimenting with in ground plants in GH?

I have a 'cold house' to protect some of my winter hardy plants such as figs, maples, azaleas that are in containers. But inside it gets as cold as outside. The containers are buried in soil and leaves so they get some protection from ground heat. And also it protects from the winter wind. Here is a pic of my 7x9 structure.

The white plastic cuts down the light to reduce heat build up when sun is out. Otherwise the plants may come out of dormancy too early. The structure is made of EMT conduits. A larger structure would be more stable temperature wise but still it would need a lot of heat to just keep it above freezing.

I am using low-e double glass windows that block heat but let light through

Steve

You got it. living in 6b and the GH zone 9b growing conditions. It has been up for a few years now, this is the second winter. We had extreme cold in Dec-Jan where we saw quite a few nights nights feeling like slightly below 0F. I had to shut operations down for two or three weeks in Jan when I saw banana leaves dying back. Luckily It has been nice since mid Feb. Heating cables will be added in the fall which should really help the bananas and citrus. Last winter everything was fine with only two nights of 30F for a few hours.

I've heard of structures like that. It looks real stable. thanks for sharing!

Yes it is ultra stable and strong - made of 1" EMT conduits and I can hang from the tubes - no problem. It has been 16/17 years now. Cost me about $140 I think in those days. Now it would be a lot cheaper - I think less than $100. The covering is 6mil greenhouse plastic that lasts about 5-6 years and does well under heavy snow. It is double the price of HD 6mil plastics but lasts much longer.

I wish I could put it up against the house like Steve. It would have been lot better in terms of heat retention.

Can anyone tell me how to save a posting? This is something I DEFINITELY want to follow. I’ll keep you updated on mine since I’ll be doing the same come summer once my new greenhouse is up and running (once spring comes).

Today I decided to take out the raised bed and plant a few more things.

March 28/18

Meyer lemon

Passionvine in back

Bookmark the page

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/greenhouse-citrus-dsvw-vd~5216948

Save it on a word document in your documents library. Pull it out and paste it to your search engine. up it comes.

Thank you!

Update: Middle plant (pink lemon) won't stay there forever, it'll be too tight. Until I go out and get more soil and a container it stays there. All three are putting out new growth.

April 5

Matt, good for you! Now that the sun is getting brighter and warmer, you will see rapid growth! Don't forget to feed a lot to give them all the boost they need to keep up. Good job

Matt

I thought there wouldn't be enough room for both of the end trees because the middle tree will need all the room.

Steve

Meyer

Premature ripening but that's ok. I want the energy to focus on the current fruit sets and new blooms appearing. They haven't been maturing to a good size 2017.

Did you insulate the ground of the greenhouse at all?

Not yet. I just cover unused parts with a blue tarp in the winter. I will get some heating cables this fall which will help.

And this didn’t affect the roots of any plants in the ground? I’m looking to plant in the ground, but I’m worried about insulating the ground when rebuilding my greenhouse.

Unless you live in the Antarctic I wouldn't worry about it

Look what I noticed today! At least 5 new branches around the tree.

Pink variegated lemon