Home Made Greenhouse

Thats why some gh walls are angled slightly on the bottom wall as well as the roof. Ernie

Legit's, thanks for the post. I will be waiting for your photo's. The hubby will kick me if we take this off before it is weathered. I will work on him for next year on the new cover....LOL please post it and as much info as possibe. Then I will save it for him...grrrrr

Pinky, if you used the same kind of plastic I did, you won't have to worry about replacing it prematurely, It will remove itself in about a year. It gets brittle from the sun and shatters. I knew this, but it was all I could afford at the time, and it went on quick! First I will show you the "Before" picture. Don't laugh, it was one of my brainstorms, and served the purpose for two years!! Then go to the next post....

I love it

Legit, I think that is a great job and very creative. Hon I am looking for the other post to come.

Yes, that was a truck topper, with holes cut in the top and windows screwed and caulked to cover the holes.
OK, here's the almost finished project, my projects never end!

It is covered with polycarbonate twinwall from Farm Wholesale Greenhouses. www.farmwholesale.com They shipped 4X8 sheets coiled about the size of a 55 gal. drum UPS, amazing!
The corners are 4X4's sunk into the ground. My son is bending some aluminum corners and "soffits" at work, and we will be caulking any spaces with silicone caulk. I have a vent for the lower front corner, and here I go with the inventiveness again, a powerful bathroom ventilation exhaust fan for high in the back side opposite the door. (Tell me this will work!) The door has an operating screen window too, if I need more ventilation. It is about 6X8, and I'm not sure how tall, and looks tiny, but has 4 shelves on each side, and an aisle, and can hold alot of flats. When I get out again I want to take some of the inside to get good ideas on space utilization.

It won't be heated in the winter, my DH draws the line there, but that's OK, I winter sow alot, and use it mostly for growing on. Here's the pic, all suggestions are welcome! Legit

LOL, you guys are faster than I am, takes me forever to find my blasted pictures! Obviously I don't have that in hand yet!!! Legit

Thank you so much for the post. Hubby said we may do that to ours or use used windows. I am going to the link now..thanks again. Love your greenhouse.

What a great classic pic! Using the truck topper! That should be a gardener's postcard! Love it!

It looks like you've done well since then, too! What a great g-house you have created, Legit! That is such a great creation! Ya done good! Again, I love it!

Legit, your greenh. looks very inventive. Now we need to see what's inside. I see snow has come at your location. Some came here too just before i got home from VA, but all gone now. Donna

I'm glad you guys appreciate my brainstorms, my DH just thought it was an eyesore in the yard, but he humored me! It really worked quite well, the first spring I even used one of those little ceramic heaters to get a jump on the season, and took care of it quite nicely. It looks pretty rugged in the picture, because the plastic started to come off, and I was done with it for the season. I had flowers growing all around it, and plants on every square inch of shelving. I will try to get some inside pictures after work tomorrow! Legit

Does anyone know where I can buy a 4 x 4 greenhouse about 2 ft tall? Self contained with a window frame cover - I saw them years ago. I can plug in a small electric heater, and would place it on my patio, protected on three sides.
I have already lost my Brug cuttings from my garden; no good place to keep them.

This message was edited Dec 1, 2003 1:44 PM

Do you mean a cold frame? If you do Charlies Green House has one 41x46 but I can't tell how high it is but it is 1/4" twin wall polycarbonate but its about 150 bucks plus fgt. You can probably do better closer to home.

Know anyone handy with a few tools? one can be made a lot cheaper than this in an hour or two.Ernie

Sorry Charliesgreenhouse.com

Ph 1-800-322-4707

Fax1-800-233-3078

Thanks, eweed. Yes, a cold frame is probably my wish. I've ordered Charley's catalog.
Will talk to some of my gardening friends here to see if they have put together something of the sort.
Want to overwinter cuttings in the future.

There are salvage yards and junk or used furniture stores around where these are quite cheap. Let your fingers do the walking. Call a place that does remodeling, they probably just toss the old windows or could tell you where to find them.

pinky
i noticed one thing. it looks like you only have 2 supports for the roof in the middle. you need to think about snow load and i don't think that will be enough. plastic is not that strong specialy if you are not heating it. the snow will build up and plop you will only have walls!

i just got done building my homemade GH i made it from old 2x12 floor beams and riped them down to 2x4s
and spaced them with 20inch centers used 6mil plastic doubled for the top and sides. then screwed lath on top of the plastic to on the outside at every beam top and sides, to keep the wind from flaping the plastic wish i could post a pic will have to get a friend to take one . my pc won't talk to my camera right now


This message was edited Dec 3, 2003 10:03 PM

Troy, we have 4 trusses in the ceiling. Is that what you are referring to?

Dori, if y'all are getting together, please let me know, okay? I'm in OH, but I travel that way every year during the summer. Would love to meet you in person and see that lovely GH of yours :) BTW, love the flag just outside of it!

Hey you guyz,
....Is this what they call Hi-Jacking a thread?
Sorry Pinky =(

§

Sorry if I am part of the hi jacking I'm otta here. Ernie

HI jack away...LOL :)

This message was edited Dec 5, 2003 9:18 PM

pinky: yes that is what i am reffering to. yes there are 4 but there but only 2 in the middle how far apart are they? the very middle space looks to be aboout 3 feet

troy, they are about 3' apart. How close do they need to be? The hubby said he can put in a few more.

pinky:
I would think about every 1.5 feet should be good. also what mil plastic did you use. I used 6 mill and doubled it so there is a total of 12. also i screwed lathe to the outside to hold the plactic more secure. i just had my first snow fall and mine held beautifuly we had about 8 inches and between the fan in the window coming from the house and the wood stove there was not to much snow on the roof and any given time. when the wood stove did go out there was enought heat from the house to keep it manageable and when there is a fire the thermostate in my living room stays up. yeaaa
P.S. i really wish i could post pics of it

Are you guys using plastic using some kind of a UV plastic for greenhouses?? I had first used just a 6 or 8 mil from the hardware store, and by the end of te first season the sun had made it brittle and shattered to pieces. I did it twice because it's cheap, but it's not something you want to do yearly, believe me. In my "before" picture, that is what the new plastic from spring looked like by fall, and it was put on securely with laths, just as you are doing. There are alternatives that are not as expensive as the twinwall. Just curious. Legit

troy, and Legit... the hubby will put the top beams closer. We just doubled 4 ML plastic. Mine is not UV plastic. Just thick plastic was used.

legit:
mine is just plastic from Lowes hopefully by next year I can get the stuff that looks like plastic card board from the green house supply place. one of the last times I was there picking up pots I asked about it and if I remember right they said it was only $80. for a 4x8 sheet with a 10 year life span. that does not seem to bad. I hope to have that on the top by next fall

I started mine too, with plastic, because the whole structure was kind of an experiment. Check out my previous post with a link to Farm Wholesale Greenhouses. I did not pay that much for it, around 30.00 for a 4X8 sheet. I cost 40.00 for shipping to get it here, but they can send 10 sheets for that price. I also got the connector pieces from them that join two cut pieces, my DH had a problem with that, but they make the job look much more "finished", and I won't have to worry about gaps. Don't however, order the screws like I did. Get those at the hardware store, they charge tooooo much for them. They are just an ordinary screw w/washer. Hope that all helps!! Legit

30 per sheet !cool it has been a few years since i asked about them. they were kind of new on the market. but i will keep that in mind when i ask again thanks

One more...

Plan...

I would use 1" or 1¼" Schedule 40 PVC, instead of ¾".



This message was edited Jan 1, 2004 8:26 AM

Don't forget, you can make it as long as you want. Spend a little more money and get the 6 mil greenhouse 4 year covering. It's about $125. Regular visqueen is $60 a roll and you need to replace it EVERY year. Those are 20' x 100' rolls.

Go to www.mortonproducts.com, www.griffins.com or www.MDPlantsAndSupplies.com for the plastic.

Also, make sure you put some foam tape, about 1" wide on each rib to separate the PVC from the film and prevent chemical reaction between the two, or your film will get eaten away at each rib.

I like the technique on this one =)

You guys are so neat with your inventions, Love those pics of the greenhouses. Thanks for posting the pictures.

kathy_ann