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greenhouse Hoop-house Greenhouse
- Thread starter DawgNutts
- Start date
Im using the good stuff 4year 6 mil http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/products/greenhouse-supplies/sun-selector-greenhouse-plastic/sun-selector-uva-clear-greenhouse-film-4-year-6mil-per-sq-ft-detailstickman said:
I installed the exhaust fan, vents and plastic film on the front/back. I still need to paint the trim around the door, cut off the excess plastic, install a door knob and a few other little things. for the most part it is functional and now I'm just monitoring the temps to see how hot it is going to get with the fan working...we are supposed to hit 100+ this weekend so it will be a good test. I also stained the plant bed and will add trim, pond liners and water level floats to them soon. Going to put up the shade cloth tomorrow after i get a high/low temp reading from today.
Exhaust fan installed
Exhaust fan from the outside
Close up of exhaust flaps
Rear of the greenhouse
Inside view of the exhaust fan
Need to paint the door trim and cut off excess plastic, but the door and vents are in
close up of vent
backside of vent
stained the plant beds, will add trim later (All of those plants were inside for about an hour when i first put the plastic on the front and it got up to about 120 degrees inside with no holes plus the fan was off so they may not make it)
Exhaust fan installed
Exhaust fan from the outside
Close up of exhaust flaps
Rear of the greenhouse
Inside view of the exhaust fan
Need to paint the door trim and cut off excess plastic, but the door and vents are in
close up of vent
backside of vent
stained the plant beds, will add trim later (All of those plants were inside for about an hour when i first put the plastic on the front and it got up to about 120 degrees inside with no holes plus the fan was off so they may not make it)
Setup's really coming together D! PaulG in the PacNorthwest has a polycarbonate panel greenhouse and he uses a shade cloth over it during the summer months since the plants are less likely to drop flowers if he uses it.
I'm really curious to see how your hoophouse does for you this winter... Do you plan to have a heater in there then? What are your extreme lows like in OK city the end of December into January?
Drive on!
I'm really curious to see how your hoophouse does for you this winter... Do you plan to have a heater in there then? What are your extreme lows like in OK city the end of December into January?
Drive on!
I'm thinking about getting a heater, especially because I got such a late start this year and I want to extend my grow season. Definitely going to try and overwinter some plants and get a head start on next year now that I think I have my technique down. This is actually my first year and I kind of went big with the greenhouse but hopefully when I can get the climate control part down, I can grow year round. The winter temps can definitely get below freezing here, but that usually is only for a few days here and there, mostly it stays in the 40's -50's range during the winter.stickman said:
Going to put up the shade cloth tomorrow morning and it's supposed to dip down in the 80's mon/tues so I got about 60 -5 gallon root pouches to fill up with potting mix. I had a few Lowe's gift cards from father's day/birthday so I bought a cement mixer...my back loves me for it, best purchase ever...makes mixing large quantities of potting mix very easy. I should get the beds setup this weekend, if it isn't too hot (just need to level them and add the finish trim).
DawgNutts said:
It's not so much the daytime highs that are the killer... it's the nighttime lows. I tried an old milking parlor-type electrical heater down in my basement when I was starting my long-season plants just after Christmas for the 2013 season. The electric bill was a deal-breaker... together with the lights I was dropping an extra hundred bucks a month. Granted, it gets much colder for much longer here. Have you looked into ways to passively heat your hoophouse with the sun? Some barrels filled with water and spray painted flat black may help even out the temperatures inside.
Have you contacted your county extension agent to help you get your project tweaked? They're great resources for identifying pests and invasive weeds, and helping you get the most out of your agricultural efforts. Looking on the web, I found this contact info for the Oklahoma County extension...
Oklahoma County Extension Office
930 N. Portland, Oklahoma City, OK 73107-6120
405-713-1125
FAX: 405-947-1199
email: ladonna.dunlop@okstate.edu
Are you going to have the plastic on through the summer? Here it would get so hot inside everything would be sterilized! I take mine down in the summer and put back on in the fall - but so far not for peppers - just early spring crops like greens etc, and late fall (and winter) crops in the Fall. I did grow sweet potatoes in the summer once - but kept the ends open.
Yes as above - mine is much more low tech - but I put water plants in this last late winter and spring (lotus and waterlillies) in several coolers and other water holding items, and wow, it made a huge difference. I only put in the heater once - and probably did not need it (most of my plants are seedlings then and really sensitive). The nights here get so cold (40 degree differences in day and night are not uncommon). So evening this out is key for me. I've seen earth sheltered greenhouses too that can work well. Plastic is not that great at keeping heat in, but fabric is better, so covering with fabric (like a blanket) at night would help - but would be a real pain to put up and take down (perhaps some sort of automated blanket could be devised). If it was me, I would leave the plastic off till you need it - and let the full sunlight in - most of the plants will grow better with more light. Peppers would grow much better without shade and in full sun. Though I'm actually trying some shading for my scorpions this year - but I have nearly no clouds ever and 4600 feet elevation so it's extreme sun. But all the other peppers are in the full sun and most are hugely productive. Things can also get funky bug and disease-wise in a greenhouse, whereas balance seems to be easier open to the air. Keep up the posts please?
Yes as above - mine is much more low tech - but I put water plants in this last late winter and spring (lotus and waterlillies) in several coolers and other water holding items, and wow, it made a huge difference. I only put in the heater once - and probably did not need it (most of my plants are seedlings then and really sensitive). The nights here get so cold (40 degree differences in day and night are not uncommon). So evening this out is key for me. I've seen earth sheltered greenhouses too that can work well. Plastic is not that great at keeping heat in, but fabric is better, so covering with fabric (like a blanket) at night would help - but would be a real pain to put up and take down (perhaps some sort of automated blanket could be devised). If it was me, I would leave the plastic off till you need it - and let the full sunlight in - most of the plants will grow better with more light. Peppers would grow much better without shade and in full sun. Though I'm actually trying some shading for my scorpions this year - but I have nearly no clouds ever and 4600 feet elevation so it's extreme sun. But all the other peppers are in the full sun and most are hugely productive. Things can also get funky bug and disease-wise in a greenhouse, whereas balance seems to be easier open to the air. Keep up the posts please?