Drafty greenhouse or solid structure with grow lights?
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last year
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last yearbeesneeds
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Remedy for a drafty doorway
Comments (5)I'm having trouble with the door - the wheels keep coming off the track. What I can't figure out is how, since it seems impossible to get it back on track again without removing the end piece. Not fun when it's freezing and maybe dark, and, of course, that's always when it happens! Ah well, something to work on in spring or when/if we get a January thaw. Nevertheless, I'm still thrilled with it and so glad I didn't jump into a large expensive model right away. I was definitely leaning towards something attached to the house, but have come to really appreciate the benefits of a detatched structure (peace and quiet ... well, until the neigbor fires up his leaf blower anyway). I possibly mentioned on another thread having insulated the north wall with a 1" thick foam panel, foil-faced on both sides, and with the same material covered only the rear one-third of the east and west walls, so as not to lose too much morning and afternoon sun. All wall panels are edged with foam insulation strips and it makes a big difference. It's great to harvest a few cherry tomatoes every few days, and kitchen herbs as needed. The lettuce seedlings are coming along. Annuals from this summer a thriving and blooming. Freesia and gloxinia are resting after a beautiful display, but the orchid - in bud - seems in suspended animation. Spiderwort and tuberous begonia cuttings also are looking good. My real excitement is over the rose cuttings that seem to have taken root through the "lazy rooting method" someone posted, using the pruned canes: cut to several inches, dip in rooting hormone, stick in a pail of damp sand/peat mixture and set aside. The two pots of cuttings have been sitting on the greenhouse floor, where it's cool and somewhat shaded. Well, I've strayed off topic somewhat, but simply cannot get over the pleasures of having this growing environment available. It has far exceeded my expectations. It's hard to believe we're about to turn the calendar to a new year, but best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to you, too ... and everyone. Diane...See MoreI need your suggestions for a greenhouse like structure
Comments (4)On a south facing wall I don't think the top color will have much effect. I would just use 4yr IR greenhouse poly for the entire covering. The IR poly gives a diffused light that is less harsh on the plants and gives more uniform light. I'd make the frame out of white Schedule 40 3/4 or 1 inch plastic water pipe with a sloping top so rain will run off. But 2x4s would work also. On the top, sides, and bottom you need some of the greenhouse poly lock. This stuff will hold the poly tight even in a strong wind. I would just leave the ends open for access and ventilation. If that is still too hot I'd build the frame such that the bottom strip of poly lock was about 12 inches off the ground. That 12 inch area could then be opened if needed for more ventilation. With the suggested ventilation, I don't think humidity will be a problem. You only need about a 10-15 F temp increase. You can get that with quite a lot of ventilation. In a greenhouse, one air change every minute equals about a 10-15 F temp rise. If you're not getting enough heat, close the ends on the bottom with a door and close off the bottom at least part way. But if the sun is out you will need a lot of open area to avoid cooking things. The Fruitnut...See MoreWith our short growing season who is using a greenhouse?
Comments (6)Christy, I use a greenhouse (180 square feet) for starting plants. It has a furnace that is turned on in early March. It is actually a "sunshed" so it has an insulated roof and north wall - frame construction. The south wall slopes. The angle was determined to best catch a very low, winter sun but I've never run the furnace to grow plants during the winter months. Besides the winter cold, I have to realize that the angle of the sun is very low here, there aren't many hours of daylight, and there's more cloud cover than somewhere like Colorado. Summer months the last few years, I have had basil in the greenhouse and I kept several tomato plants in there last year. Everything was opened up and it didn't get terribly hot. Basil likes it in there and the tomatoes did fine. The fruit especially, couldn't have been better-looking with no sun-damage or cracking. I think that any protection that you could give tomatoes, would benefit them. Of course, you can't cook them! However, you can get yourself into a lot of bother with a greenhouse. I have very little automation and during those cold, windy, late winter/early spring days with the big clouds and frequent sunbreaks -- I almost can't leave! The temperature goes up and drops with amazing rapidity! For the summer, the more open your greenhouse is during the daytime, the better. However, wind can be a serious problem. Of course, my tomatoes are in the open garden but the primary concern I have in selecting varieties is earliness of harvest. Even some varieties rated at 75 days have been very disappointing. Usually not but this days-to-maturity rating is sometimes really off! It should be good for comparison purposes but even that doesn't always work. Anyway, cherry tomatoes usually ripen quicker than the beefsteaks. Smaller plants, usually have ripe fruit earlier than large plants. None of this is always true but there are some very nice tomato varieties that may do well for you and be a pleasure to have on your table - be sure to give them a try. Steve...See MoreGrowing tropical fruit trees in raised beds within a greenhouse
Comments (5)The only problem I've seen with trees in raised beds/fluffy soil is the wind knocking them over, but inside a greenhouse that won't be an issue. One of the biggest problems with greenhouses is that over time they build up a healthy population of pests and diseases - which is why greenhouse owners tend to spray a lot of chemicals. An easy way around this (in my experience) is to open the greenhouse up during the warm parts of the year and let mother nature deal with it. Closed up glass houses don't allow for this as well as plastic coated hoophouses with roll up doors and side panels. If you want to grow tropical fruit trees you don't need to keep the greenhouse super hot and humid in zone 8b, plenty of them thrive with winter temps close to freezing. The biggest problem I've had is that citrus and guava trees like new soil almost every year - that's a lot easier to do with container growing as opposed to in-the-ground planting. I would think that in your zone, summer cooling will be a bigger problem than winter heating. Most of my trees suffer when the temps get over 100, which can happen on a 75 degree day without major ventilation....See MoreJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearbeesneeds
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearbeesneeds
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearbeesneeds
last yearBillsc
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