as presented... you seem to want us to build this thing for you.. from ground up ...

how about providing us with your basic ideas at this point ... and we can riff from there ...

size??? ... sun... weather.. min winter temps. will you run it all winter.. heating it all winter... or just a fancy cold frame in the dead of winter... benches.. in or on ground growing..

etc ...

give us a starting point ... your dream ....

ken

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 Im

thinking around 30x8 or something close. Idk If I should just do like a typical hoop house or something with a Wooden frame As I have free access to a lot of lumber. Don’t really know if I want to heat it. Only gets to the teens here typically with some single digits for a night or two every few years. On top of ground. Main purpose would be starting seed and growing seedlings and housing grafts and cuttings. Possibly storing potted trees over winter as well.

@Sara Malone Zone 9b thanks for the input Sara. Those wax vents sound interesting. I would definitely like a way to keep It cool in the summer and sunny winter days. I guess aspect of the location can play a role in that as well. Do you have a misting system?

8 feet wide.. presuming at a min an 18 inch path.. and probably a bit bigger ... doesnt leave a lot of space on the sides ... plus you have the dwindling ability to stand near a side ... with the curve of the top.. might depend on how tall you are ... and how big your whompin feet are ....

you might want to cut length and increase width ...

you might want to also define what size pots you are using.. and how much space they take up .... once you get beyond cutting trays ... to map out how much floor space you will need ... for each phase of the process over a couple years ... or if benches are an option ... with pots below and trays above ... etc ...

we are in the conifer forums ... winter heat is not imperative for plant that can go dormant ... but you will probably have the need to electric for heating mats .... or lights if you want to work in the evening ... sooo.. define your crop and ponder year round.. how the building helps ... or fans i suppose ... i would probably go all electrician on electric.. rather than just extensions from the house ... especially since water and electric dont mix well ...

water can be by hose.. to a work sink ... presuming you dont need such in the coldest part of the year ....

ken

ps: sara.. can yo link us to the wax vents.. thats sounds cool ... but im lacking on the physics ... how does it raise with melting wax .... or do you raise it by hand.. and it closes itself ...

https://www.amazon.com/Agriculture-Solutions-Gigavent-Automatic-Greenhouse/dp/B0036E58H2

Hoop house, with ropes to keep the plastic on in winds. And a secure attachment to the ground so it doesn't blow over. One that is way bigger than you think you need.

yep ... design your dream.. then double it.. lol ... as far as the budget allows .... or plan for addons when budget allows ....

i had this great idea for a patio ... then i tool all my patio furniture out to the driveway ... and after drawing the dimensions.. and found out.. it all fit ... if i didnt need to walk in between the stuff ... lol ...

same with garden beds ... dig it.. plant everything i had.. and already no space for anything else ... or the plants ever getting bigger ....

ken

Still kinda confused as to how the wax vents work. Do you have to manually work them?

From my friend, the internet:

Automatic greenhouse vents have a piston which gives them the ability to either open or close automatically. When the warmer weather hits, your vents will open and when the temperature drops, the vents will stay closed. ... The pistons have a specially designed wax which when heated, expands.

Nope. Temperature controlled. Mine lasted 12 years before I had to replace them. And that was with zero maintenance.

is there a name on it sara?

i suppose this is close: https://www.gardenoutdoorstore.co.uk/product/brown-bayliss-mk7-orchid-wax-high-temperature-autovent-roof-window-vent-opener

Mine were made by the greenhouse mftr - Hartley.

Ah, I see. Nice. Those look very useful. Would those couple with (?) something else keep it from getting too warm on sunny winter days?

I haven't had a problem with that. The days in winter are so short and I'm less than 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean so have a fairly constant breeze. A fan or two could help, though.

If it helps, I've used the Bayliss Vent Openers on my Sturdi-Built greenhouse for 15 years. They work great and are easily adjusted. And no issues here in Atlanta where we have the hot summers but also need to deal with the cold weather with the occassional summer days. Here is a site with more info.

https://www.sturdi-built.com/superior-autovents/

ive been rethinking that i encouraged you to go big ...

i would design a nice usable space.. but leave one end easy to addon ...

no use overinvesting ... i case you lose interest ...

but who knows.. if few the addiction grabs hold.. you want to be able to expand ...

just keep in mind.. all the space lost to walkways.. work benches.. and your big whompin head ... if you are tall ... etc .. [same for your big whompin feet if you have such.. lol ...]

ken

As it turns out, I have a big head and feet.

I don’t foresee me losing interest anytime soon.

I have a bad issue with “paralysis by analysis “ so trying to decide if I should just go with a typical hoop house or something with a wooden frame is driving me nuts. THose vents above obviously can’t be used in a hoop house with like poly over it. How are those ventilated? Just roll up the sides? I guess you can have a wooden fram no the ends that could support a fan.

In my experience ventilating of hoop houses by opening doors when needed during winter, cutting plastic off ends in summer often apparently adequate. With main maintenance headache being photo degrading of plastic, need for periodic replacement.

When choosing dimensions keep this last in mind - you'll have to be able to get the plastic up onto the frame and over it each time.

Also, don't make it bigger than you can 'manage'. Propagation is mostly about caring for the starts between the cutting or seeding and the time they graduate to big kid pots. Unless you really are devoted to doing this with energy, time, focus, etc, the bigger it is the harder it is to mange. My greenhouse is 27' x 11' and 1/2 of the long side is a potting/work bench, 1/2 is devoted to table, chairs and permanent residents. That leaves one long bench with shallow shelves above. When that is full, I have my work cut out for me. I generally have about 1/4 of that length devoted to propagation and most of what I propagate is super easy (succulents). I do use heat mats when I am doing something more challenging and also grow lights if starting seeds in late winter. Remember that the propagules are small and don't take up much space, and in many situations benefit from being close together. The one thing that I did not do was to install a misting system, but every year I buy a cheap mister thingy from the hardware store, designed for misting sunbathers, and set that up. Lasts a season or two until it gets corroded, but generally costs under $10.

An old shop teacher once told me, 'before you do anything, you have to have a plan'.

Make a drawing of a certain size you have in mind.

Then lay out areas on that 'map' with the things you'd like to do and the room you'd need to do them.

Also make a 'side view' to see different levels for shelves and under bench areas etc.

This will get you closer to your 'target' and save a lot of doing overs and shortfalls.

You'll also be able to make a parts list and figure prices.

I have a computer and a cheap drafting program so I can draw 'to scale' which is nice but just being able to view any kind of drawing takes some of the stress out of it instead of just trying to remember it all in your head.