Greenhouse!!!

[beautifulbay]

I'm finally getting a greenhouse!! I'm so excited. Some friends have some extra hoops hanging around and they said I can have them. We just need to get the plastic, and then build the ends and it will be my very own greenhouse!

And huge too! It will really be too big, but i'll eventually fill it up, I'm sure. lol I will get pics of it as it comes along. I'm so excited.... but I've never had one, so I'm sure there will be a lot of questions about it coming up!

[zuzu's petals]

I'm so thrilled for you! I know that you are gonna love having it.
There is just something WONderful about the damp, earthy scent inside a greenhouse. *sniff ahhhhhhhh*

[beautifulbay]

OOO, the FUMES!! I didn't think about that ......

hmmmm, that would explain a LOT about us weird plant people, wouldn't it?

[zuzu's petals]

LOL - yeah, that's pro'lly true.

Everytime I step into my glasshouse, I take one really long, deep breath with my eyes closed,
just to enjoy "that" smell ... and then I take a full scanning glance - taking it all in,
finally, I start to give the plants individual attention ... it's a whole ritual.

[mickeys_rose]

all right BB that is great!!!! They are so wonderful like a haven. I love mine!!!!

I agree zuzu wonderful smell in there. I love that warm earthy smell also. Like the smell of a barn full of horses!!!

[beautifulbay]

ok, now you are both speaking my language! LOL All these wonderful natural smells that are soooooo nice...and soothing. mmmmmmm

I want to get some patchouli plants to grow in my greenhouse.... it may be a while before I learn how to keep stuff in it over the winter....esp with how cold it gets here....for now, it will be emtpy during the winter and stuff will still go inside the house. I have no idea how to keep it warm enough....

[Diane]

COngratulations BB...My dream one day!

[Mandy]

BB how wonderful for you! That just adds to the whole gardening experience, now I have greenhouse envy, lol! Good for you!

[mickeys_rose]

Well I know that in the winter if you drape the Greenhouse with black plastic the sun will help to heat it up. You might have to use lights with this method, I always used the cheap shop lights you can get from dept stores, and use the growlux bulbs for the plants light needs. Also there is special insulation for greenhouses that help with more northern greenhouses that have harsh winters.

Also there is so many different ways to heat your greenhouse.

I have ordered from The Greenhouse catalog.
Here is a link for their free catalog. They farm stuff in there as well.
http://www.greenhousecatalog.com/cat...quest_form.php

[frugal gal]

YAY!!! So glad to see someone else in a greenhouse.
We had a small one attached to the house when we were still building the house, but we have tore it down and this spring we have one we are finishing up at 12x24.
I took some pics today and you will laugh when you see what we covered it with.

I am in zone 5-6 so it will be great for us to yak it up about whats working and whats not.

[msmacgyver]

Oh Natalie I am so very happy and excited for you. I know you’ve wanted one for a long time.
I must admit when you said hoops and it'll be big the first thing I thought of was: I wonder if you can put the between the house and the barn with doors on both ends so you can get to the barn in the winter without having to shovel your way there. I have a few money saving ideas for you. My greenhouse is only 4' X 6' but big or small you need to insulate it and keep it going in the winter.
First suggestion is bubble wrap. A lot of people spend an arm and a leg buying the stuff or they get solar pool covers for insulation. I go to a furniture store and they give me really heavy duty BW that is used for covering their sofas in shipping. This stuff is so heavy I can't pop the bubbles even if I jump on it unless it's been in the sun for a while. Every sofa they get in is covered in it and it all ends up in the landfill so the guys there are happy to save it for me. When I get them they look like giant pillow cases but when I open them up they are 9' X 9' sheets. My greenhouse has a metal hoop frame so I attach the BW with zip ties. I have two layers of it. One layer is attached tightly to the frame the other is loosely attached. I just poke a hole in the first layer so I can get the zip tie thru so I can attach it where I want. The lose layer gives me extra pockets for insulation then the entire GH is covered with an actual greenhouse cover. I have a curtain rod stretched inside the doorway with two layers of BW hanging in strips like you see in walk in refrigerators. That keeps the cold air from getting in and the warm air from escaping when I go in an out. BTW the BW doesn’t block enough sunlight to make a much of a difference.
Second unless you really need to don't even try to heat the whole greenhouse, it’ll cost a fortune. I would section off areas like smaller greenhouses inside the big one. Some plants just need to be kept from freezing others need higher temps to survive. By sectioning off parts of the GH you can minimize the cost of heating.
In the summer you’ll want the heat to get up to the roof and away from burning your plants but in the winter you need the heat to stay close to your plants. I would build a false ceiling. I knew of a guy who had a large hoop house. He had cables attached to the hoops just high enough so he can walk under them. He had heavy plastic attached to the cables with some sort of rings. In the winter he just pulled the plastic across the cables to bring the ceiling down. In the summer he would just slide it back against the walls and out of the way.
You will need to do a lot of research about venting and heating. As I said my GH is tiny so my needs are different then yours will be. I have a tiny fan in my greenhouse that I run 24/7. Before I got it I had mold and gnats big time. Venting will be just as important to you as heating.
Good luck I know you are going to love your greenhouse. As tiny as mine is I love it. Like everyone else said it just smells so wonderful. Mine kept me from going stir crazy this long winter.
Bernie

[beautifulbay]

Thanks everyone

MR, thanks for the link, I will check it out

frugalgal ... we will definately talk! It's always nice to have people to talk to in your zone.

Bernie, you are as helpful to me as always, my dear friend. Thank you.

[BarefootGardener]

I'm jealous! I want one too, but just can't afford one. I had not thought about trying to salvage the framework from something else. My neighbor has a lovely double arched contraption in her yard from which she hang plants and has roses climbing up, etc. I just found out today it is made of recycled PVC pipe. Go figure. So, I'm thinking...

[beautifulbay]

The guy that gave me the frame made it himself, he is a metal worker. He is very creative. All of his greenhouses, he has constructed himself frm salvaged pieces of metal. His very first greenhouse was a hopp house made from rings of an old silo he had taken down.... so, you just never know.
I had heard of using PVC pipes too. We have heavy winds here, so we need our GH to be built heavy...which it is, I can't budge this thing for anything. It is very sturdy.
We are going to set it up on concrete blocks to give it a foundation look and a bit more height. ... Now I just have to figure out where to put this monster......

[gone_tropical]

Congratulations on starting your greenhouse ... I don't need one, I just need to step outside LOL , but I would need a 'cool house' - oh I could grow all kind of different orchids and daffodils and tulips....

and yes, I have no doubt you will fill it up. fast.