Made a Greenhouse out of an old 'Garage Tent' Frame

Hi everyone,
I wanted to share an idea my husband came up with for building a greenhouse out of mostly reused materials. We had the framework from an old Costco tent (the fabric had blown away in a ferocious wind storm the previous winter.) We stacked landscaping blocks in a U shaped pattern large enough to place the tent posts into. Then we filled the inside of the stacked area with some gravel for drainage, then soil. To make the frame strong, we supported it with 'hat-track' and then attached clear corrugated poly sheets to the outside. We had an old window and an old door from a remodel project and added them. Voila! It is a three season greenhouse because we have temperatures below freezing in the winter here. I am just beginning to learn how to use it, and look forward to both my mistakes and my successes. (I usually learn more from my mistakes than what I do right)
Great gardening to all of you.

Very nice, wish you much luck with it. The little one reminded me of my 2 yr. old grandson upside down sunglasses. Have fun.

Thanks TX. The little girl is my granddaughter and garden 'assistant'. I take care of her during the day while her mother works. She is a real delight

Your greenhouse turned out beautiful! I really like the curved bed. Does it extend into the greenhouse on both sides? Looks like it might. And you have your own walking track around it. :) You'll do well, I predict, this season.

Hi Solace,
Yes, the curved beds are in a 'horseshoe' shape and the greenhouse framework is anchored in the middle of the horseshoe so I have raised beds both inside and outside the greenhouse. My dear husband built it for me to encourage me after a very serious back surgery. I have a lot to learn about how to best use it, but it is a wonderful thing to have!

I know the delight. Please keep us posted on the progress of your new adventure.

Beautiful greenhouse, and your anchoring beds are just gorgeous. Very nice! (my 2.5 year old granddaughter helps me garden some too, they are joys!)

Thanks Gypsi, It's fun gardening with a little one, isn't it? My husband built the greenhouse for me, and I am thrilled with it. I am still learning how to use it. It's full of starts right now that are having to adapt from a much warmer climate to our chilly weather. Everybody seems to be doing okay, though. I was a little over eager this year and ordered my starts a little early I think. Your weather in Texas is probably better than ours. I am adding a picture of the 'tree trimmer' who visits our yard every winter!! The fence in the background is 5' tall.

Wow - that must be awesome to see out of your window!

He is a real nuisance and his girlfriend even made a visit. We life near a natural area, they come down from there and they have found the buffet in the neighborhood quite tasty. They are not friendly creatures and we have to caution people unfamiliar with them that they can be quite aggressive and are not pets. This one has a 4' rack and stands about 7' tall.

This message was edited Apr 14, 2013 11:55 AM

I know they can be dangerous, and are not generally friendly but your 'nuisance' is so much more impressive and cooler than my neighborhood nuisances (pigeons and coyotes)...

Well, I have to agree that they're amazing animals. They are huge and it's amazing that they wander down into the neighborhood. These houses have been here for over 40 years, so we didn't move into his neighborhood. He found us about five years ago when we had record snows and the moose were moving lower to find food. He liked it so well that he now comes back every year. They're the largest animal around these parts and they fear nothing.

He is much more impressive than my local coyote pack, that's for sure!

Kathy, love the greenhouse your hubby made for you! love the pictures of the animals too! Are they moose or elk?

They are moose. This one found us about five years ago when we had record snows and he wandered down looking for forage. He thinks the buffet in the neighborhood is delicious. The houses in this neighborhood have been here for over 40 years, but the first time we saw him was five years ago. He brought his girlfriend over this winter. (yikes)

They are beautiful animals, but I imagine they can be quite destructive?

Just brought a date to a nice restaurant ~ lol

Beautiful greenhouse! I can't wait to see how well it works for you. Very nice... Kristi

They are very destructive and also aggressive. When they are around, we give them a very wide berth! We are planning on making our fence higher this year as we take care of our grandchildren during the day. Spokane County has a lot of moose (go figure??).

23 degrees here this morning. We have a lot of plants in the greenhouse. Temp in there is 36!! Yay!!

36 with no heat? That is good. Mine stays about 10 degrees warmer than outdoors with no heat.

Kathie - How's the new greenhouse doing?
Looks like a great building. I have a hoop house we put together ourselves, we obviously don't get the wind you do.
I'm growing tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons in mine this summer. I can't believe how fast they are growing in there.
What are you growing?