PVC Pipe Greenhouse

Looking on ideas for changing the hoop style green house with fittings on the hoops to make shelves along both sides. Deminsions of shelves etc. Will be my first greenhouse so want to plan before the mistakes. http://www.i4at.org/surv/green.htm Will make the shelve frames out of PVC also. What would be best material to make the shelves out of? Any one got a better plan then the Hyperlink. Ted

Hi, Ted.
We made a PVC (straight wall) GH last year, and I love it. We didn't integrate the shelves into the frame, although sometimes when I look at it I'm still tempted to do that. (All I need is that hacksaw and some fittings....)

We used regular, non-pressure treated pine 1x6 for my shelves, and they are plenty sturdy. I'd think you could use the same thing, and bolt them onto the PVC supports. We left about 1-2" between slats for drainage, which works pretty well (no tipped flats yet, knock on wood!)

I figure I'll get several growing seasons out of the shelves before they rot (my frames are also wood, so I know eventually they WILL rot.) When they do, I can scrap them and start over; I'm not out much money, nor am I putting pressure-treated wood into a landfill. The other nice thing about these is that we planned them, we made them deep enough to hold two flats lengthwise, so I can get 28 flats on each shelf (GH is 10x12, shelves run the length.)

My neighbor has nice stainless steel shelves that came with his pre-fab GH - they'll outlast mine by decades, but I can afford to replace mine a few times before I get anywhere near the price he paid for his...

Thanks Go-vols How high did you make the shelves. Did you have a plan before you started? This is my green house now the wash room. Tig is sending more brugs and Calalily more elephant ears. Will really be full then. Told DW I needed the washer and dryer tops. Guess What? HAHA

We just used 1x6 to make base pieces (4 of them for each side), then screwed more 1x6 boards across the top.

My journal has photos from the project here: http://davesgarden.com/ej/viewentry.php?rid=11221

The last one has a shot (not upclose, though) of the finished benches. They aren't the sturdiest, but they do hold flats of plants without me worrying about them :)

There is a company that sells the sheeting to go on the tops of shelves, it's different widths, sold in 8' lengths. I'll get the addy from DH. It's polycarbonate, or something like that.

Go-vols I like it. All stright pipe with no bends. What kind of vents did you use?
Heres another picture of our wash room.

I see a little room left!! lol

Ted, no vents - yet. I'll be adding one this fall to the back gable end (we framed it in for one, but didn't actually add it last year.)

The screen door provided good ventilation this spring; the winter was cold enough I just wedged a brick in the door opening during the daytime, and the GH stayed pretty comfy. (It did get too hot a few times, so I know a vent is in order :)

1x2's braced every 4 ft 6 spread out over 4 ft two trays end to end and i've had 50 trays on the 24 ft lenght in the spring

Came by some free used 1x6 red wood decking boards today. Will use them. Am making the shelve bracing a part of the pvc side wall with pvc fittings. That will also strengthen the side walls. Think I will make them for two trays length wise so I can have more room for brug storage in winter.
Going to follow the floor plan of the hyperlink and use Go-vals jurnal plans for the top structure.

Question: Go_vols How did you fasten the plastic on the ends . Did not see anything to staple to .

Ted, we used carriage bolts to attach furring strips to the gable ends, and 1x6 around the base of the perimeter (also bolted to the PVC).

We then used more furring strips to wrap the plastic selvage around, rolling it up until it was fairly snug. We used deck screws to attach these furring strip "clamps" to the wood frame pieces.

The only part where I stapled plastic was the wood screen door, and then I heeded others advice and put foam weather stripping along the stapling area, then stapled hrough it and the plastic. It didn't tear at all last winter.

Thanks again for your kindly advice.