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greenhouse New Project.....11-08-08...portable greenhouse

AlabamaJack said:
Chris...I bought the whole thing as a unit for less than 600.
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And $35 for a light bulb would cause 'she who you adore' to raise an eyebrow? ;)

Glad to hear you are going to try dirt farming - I think you will find it much easier.

I'm looking at buying a roll of concrete mesh (that fencing one puts down when pouring concrete) to make cages. The ones I buy from the store, at close to $6 each, only last a couple of years before getting bent out of shape, plus they are only 4 feet tall. I can make them for less than $2 each and they will last for probably 10 years and they are five feet high.

I can't wait for January to get here!

Mike
 
the reinforcement wire will last a lot longer than 10 years Mike...I picked up some that were being thrown away 9 years ago that looked old then and am still using them....you definitely will get your moneys worth out of them...

I have been growing in containers the past few years because I didn't know where I would end up having garden space...we have been in our house 8 years now and this past spring we decided we are going to stay here and not move even after retirement...it is a good location for us being close to work and the neighborhood is a pretty good one...everybody watches out for each other but keeps to themselves if that makes sense...I like my privacy...
 
It looks like a very good investment there AJ I bet those neighbors are saying now whats he doing over there. lol Growing in the dirt is alot different. I just got done pulling everything up yesterday and rottotill everything under and the bermuda was thick. Then I took two truck loads of leaves and dumped them in there and then scooped 5 wheelbarrows of good dried cow manure and spread that out so now I want to water the day llights out of it then cover it. Good deal you got there
 
It may take me a year or two to get the soil where I want it as far as fertility goes, I will be glad just to get back into the ground with my plants...

they are predicting pretty bad storms tonight...am on my way to home depot now to get some tie downs for the greenhouse...am going to drill some holes in the stone cap of the retaining wall, install some redheads, and put some eye bolts in there that I can attach some adjustable nylon tie down straps...I will make it where I can put these up when I need them....the base of the greenhouse is staked down with 6 two foot pieces of 3/8" rebar...not worried about the base moving and want to make sure the frame can withstand a lot of wind....
 
AJ,

Have you had your soil analyzed yet? There might be some things you can add this fall so it is ready in the spring.

Mike
 
haven't had the soil analyzed yet Mike...it is the standard top dressing they use for new houses here in Fort Worth before they lay the sod...it is a sandy/clay mix....gets really "mushy" when it rain but the top dries pretty quickly...I can get an inch of rain and sink up about an inch and the next day I can walk on it...

I need to contact my extension agent and get it tested...
 
AlabamaJack said:
haven't had the soil analyzed yet Mike...it is the standard top dressing they use for new houses here in Fort Worth before they lay the sod...it is a sandy/clay mix....gets really "mushy" when it rain but the top dries pretty quickly...I can get an inch of rain and sink up about an inch and the next day I can walk on it...

I need to contact my extension agent and get it tested...
Click to expand...

AJ,

Doesn't say anything about the nutrients in the soil but I found that combo great for peppers, especially if the dirt under what has been added is decent. Because of the way (and amount of time) it took me to fill in my pool, that's what I have. After a rain it looks like a rice paddy and the next day I can walk on it without getting mud on my shoes. It also seems to work great as a barrier during droughts. The clay helps keep the moisture in.

Mike
 
Amending dirt is a never ending process. 5 hard years of work here and I'm finally seeing better results. You've got no fear of hard work so I'm sure you'll be super successful. You'll get MUCH bigger plants in dirt too!

Chris
 
A.J great project you got there and nice to see it start to rise,Think be great to give you those extra few weeks/months to start or end a season,Had a similar thing myself this year and worked a treat till gale force winds did a wizard of oz with it,So get those metal poles deep in as you can,I put some sandbags in on the front and side poles and it just helped keep the whole thing more stable till i was happy with the rigidity of my own,Best of luck and looking forward to seeing more pictures :)
 
AlabamaJack said:
110808b002.jpg
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AJ, would the frame fit nicely if you rotated it 90 degrees? Looks like 3 or 4 would cover that entire raised area! :)

Also, would cross bracing the sides be helpful in strong winds in keeping the entire frame rigid? I noticed that there is none on the roof sections or the walls.
 
I've got the frame tied down at all four corners now. Nylon straps are attached where the roof starts and are anchored in the top cap of the retaining wall using lead seats and 3/8" Eye bolts. We will see just how sturdy it is today...the rain just started and it is the leading edge of the cold front coming in...supposed to be bad weather today with high winds...

this is about 2 feet too long to rotate it.
 
AlabamaJack said:
I've got the frame tied down at all four corners now. Nylon straps are attached where the roof starts and are anchored in the top cap of the retaining wall using lead seats and 3/8" Eye bolts. We will see just how sturdy it is today...the rain just started and it is the leading edge of the cold front coming in...supposed to be bad weather today with high winds...

this is about 2 feet too long to rotate it.
Click to expand...

I should not say it but Great in the Respect you can test the Rigidity of it in those high winds and then it'll be good to leave
and be happy with :)
 
saying it is good Talas...after this front comes thru, if it stays up, I will be able to not worry about it (hopefully)...I got the straps almost as tight as a guitar string...
 
Sounds good A.J my daughter Had the idea of using those claw-like tent pegs that go about 2 feet down and they worked a treat,But your poles are much thicker than mine :)
 
I don't know if this has been covered yet since i quickly browed the other posts, have you thought about including some thermal mass in this project? i.e. some old water jugs placed in your greenhouse to absorb & hold solar radiation? it could help to further increase your growing season without the need for a heater; just a suggestion
 
Sid03SVT said:
I don't know if this has been covered yet since i quickly browed the other posts, have you thought about including some thermal mass in this project? i.e. some old water jugs placed in your greenhouse to absorb & hold solar radiation? it could help to further increase your growing season without the need for a heater; just a suggestion
Click to expand...

Nice idea that and cheap which even better :)
 
Sid...it has not been covered, but I plan on using black spray painted gallon jugs of water for that exact purpose...as much milk as the wife and I drink, I can have a bank on the back wall within a few months....
 
Her is a picture of the greenhouse with the tie downs attached and a close up of how they are attached to the retaining wall...

111008a001.jpg


111008a002.jpg


main reason I am posting these pictures is there is a tornado warning about 45 miles southeast of me and the hail core of the thunderstorm is headed straight for me...quarter sized hail...I put most of my Dorset Nagas, a few 7 Pots, some Fataliis, Red Savinas, a Naga Morich and Orange Hab inside the greenhouse...sure hope it is still there after this storm passes thru....from what i understand, this is going to be a rough evening/night for storms...
 
How do you plan to heat it? Sorry if I missed it if you already said. Alot of posts to read thru :lol:
I am planning to get a greenhouse very soon so I can start growing stuff early. I just havent figured out how to heat the thing when the nights get frosty here.
It probably doesnt get all that cold in Ft Worth though :)
 
Brian,

AJ's plan gave me an idea - to build a temporary greenhouse to harden off plants in the spring. Plants that I want to sell in early May would go out there in the middle of March and we still have lots of cold nights here in Cincinnati during that month and even April. What I am thinking about doing is to fill the bottom of the greenhouse with the foliage I will trim from 1000 sq. ft. of wheat I am growing now as well as lining the walls with 2-liter bottles of water (like AJ's idea of using milk jugs). The composting of the wheat will give off some heat and the water bottles will too. If a frigid night is forecast, I can stick a couple of 100 watt light bulbs in the coldframe also. The idea is to have about 60 sq, ft. of space to keep above freezing, which is not that much.

Mike
 
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