• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

greenhouse Prototype Greenhouse

W

wordwiz

If I really want to grow stuff this late fall, winter and next spring, I need to see how things go. So I built a small (42" wide, 2'deep but 6-8' tall greenhouse the last couple of days. I'm using a fiberglass reinforced, close to 12 mil plastic for the cover. It doesn't transmit light real good - 75 percent according to my light meter. But that should be representative of the light intensity I'll get this winter.

OK, this is a redneck construction, but it should give me a good idea how it will work.

This is the back wall. It is about 8' tall. Most of the back has 1x6" boards to support the plastic, though there is about 2' toward the bottom that has no cross lumber.

backwall.jpg


Here's what it looks like after adding plastic and some lath to keep it in place:

frontwithslats.jpg


I used some wire mesh on the top. Not that I need to worry about snow or ice weighing on the ceiling, but I want to see how it works with a heavy rain.

top.jpg


Mike
 
The one I hope to start building in the next week or so will have removable glass (2 windows) on the west side, so for this build I used the same plastic. Left the top open so heat will not be a problem and didn't want to waste any plastic covering the bottom.

side.jpg


Now what I need is a plant to get large enough to stick in it and see how it grows.

I did get a nice surprise - about 15 years ago, I ran electricity back to the end of the yard (about 15 feet west of the building) but it quit working. I checked it today and it is hot - the GFI went bad! So I just need to replace it and run an extension cord for the time being.

The wiring is 12/2 with ground, so I can put it on a 20 amp fuse, allowing me to run four, 400 watt Econo heaters if I need to. Plus, I plan on having a 30,000 BTU kerosene heater on standby, just in case we have a minus 10 degree night.

I have research to do to see how long temps need to stay above 75 degrees for fruit to set (assuming I grow toms other than those that will produce fruit in 55 degree weather) but that's something for down the road.

Mike
 
The experiment has already provided on very important result - the plastic does not allow enough light to pass through, at least not at the angle it is hung at. My meter showed 133,000 lux at high noon outside it, but only 27,000 inside. At the top, which is a different angle, it was 54,000.

I have some "cloudy" plastic laying around that I will replace the current one with and see what readings I get.

Mike
 
I ordered some 5.2 ounce, reinforced plastic from Farm Tech to try. It arrived today. It's suppose to be like the Visquene (sp?) AJ has around his outside chamber, with a 88 percent light transmission. I hope to get it on the prototype this Saturday, get the wiring hooked up and start the plant.

There are two community-wide yard sales this week and hopefully my DW can find a post hole digger, if not, a store up the road gives me a nice discount. I figure I have about 30 days to erect the GH, at least the shell and the outside covering. So far, I have only about 10 plants that will be large enough to transplant by the middle of August, though I have nearly 50 that have been sown for nine days. I really want/need at least 24-28 plants to start with, then add two plants every two weeks until I reach 40.

Mike
 
Pepper,

I'll keep a log of expenses from start to finish. My expenses will be a tad less that doing it completely from scratch, since I have some 2x4s from the barn I razed that I can use for the roof rafters.

I'm looking at these materials so far:
Six 10' 4x4" treated posts
Nine 8' 4x4" treated posts
Six 3/8" particle or similar boards
Seven 2"x6"x8" boards
Sixteen feet 5.2 oz. Heavy-Duty All-Purpose Clear Fabric - 12' wide
Twenty-four feet 5.2 oz. Heavy-Duty All-Purpose Clear Fabric - 8' wide
Sixteen 1"x2"x8' boards
450 sq. ft. 6 mil plastic

I can buy a 10'x12' from Harbor Freight for $700 plus shipping but I'm confident I can build a 12'x16' for about $800. I guess I will find out in the next few weeks!

Mike
 
Attached the new plastic, the 5.2 oz. reinforced stuff. Outside light reading - 117,000 Lux, inside, 40,000. Wrote the company to see if the orientation of the plastic makes a difference since it is suppose to 88% light transmission.

Mike
 
Late breaking news...

I've lived here for nearly 22 years, have published the only local newspaper for the last dozen. I'm suppose to know just about everything there is to know (at least major stuff) about businesses and groups in the 28 sq. mile area.

Then this evening, I'm Googling to see what kind of GH glazings are available and for the first time added Cincinnati to my search. Lo and behold, there is a business, almost within walking distance that builds GHs and sells supplies for them. I have driven by their business a few hundred times but because they are located behind another business and have only a sign that is not something that sticks out, I didn't know ab out them.

I would love to use polycarbonate panels but because of huge shipping costs, pretty much discounted them as viable. Now, no shipping! Just hauling. Plus, I have access to a local, expert source for info and tips.

Talk about a kid in a candy store!

Mike
 
Talked with a sales person today.

A 4' x 24' panel of 8 mil (not six mil) poly panel is $115. I will have to cut it myself but that is not suppose to be hard.

Their office building uses the panels for the outside walls. I was impressed. I could easily see people walking around 20 feet away though couldn't distinguish faces clearly.

Another great piece of news: A paint/drywall supply store where I leave a paper each week can order rolls of 6-mil clear plastic and save about 50 percent over what most places want.

This may be the first time in 50 years I do not regret the end of summer and the outdoor growing season!

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top