Need help, please!!

Eventually I would like to get store front opened here and start selling mail order. I have quite a few plants that i could start working with, but at this time i dont have what i would consider "inventory".
After talking to Bill (my dh) he asked "well, whats your hold up" and i said, well a greenhouse. His reply was go buy one. He is still working for Halliburton and eventually he will be home. We're kinda thinking that maybe if i can get it up and running, he may not have to work when he gets home. (we still have his military retirement). He's thinking about doing another year over there (iraq).
anyway, my timeline is to have a greenhouse up by the fall so i can spend the winter with the cuttings etc and hopefully sell my first plant by spring.
If you could have YOUR choice of greenhouses, which one would you pick? Is it more economical to buy a kit, or build from plans?
I never knew there were so many factors in deciding. I definately need one that could withstand high winds (hurricane alley)
Any help would be appreciated. I think were finally going to do this.
Thanks
jen

Okay- i dont have a greenhouse but my boss does.
He sells bonsai (tropical bonsai too) and he did his like this.

PVC pipe in an arch ( taller than six foot)-
Over the PVC pipe he streached some sort of greehouse plastic. It is nearly clear, but not quite.
This thing is HUGE. I could keep several horses in it as a barn-lol.

PVC is really cheap and easy to work with. You could do it by yourself with maybe your son and a friend to help pull the plastic taunt.

He used those tacks with big orange heads to set the plastic to the frame.

I don't know how big you want yours- but the possibilities are endless!

The larger (taller) the greenhouse, the better supports you need.
He added some 4x4's every six foot or so, set in cement. (for super durability).
I helped him do it- it is super "easy!"

HTH's!

Oh yeah-Just read a thread that reminded me,
He laied board down at the bottom to nail the plastic to. :)

what does he do for ventilation, etc?
Greenhouses are way beyond my realm of understanding. But i think i need ventilation, cooling, heating, etc...
guess my first step is to figure the size.
thanks
jen

Jen

I have a small nursery business and start all my plants from seed. I begin with light racks in my basement, then take the plants out to my heated greenhouse in the early spring. From there, they go out on lattice tables that I cover with row cover at night. When people buy plants from me, they are hardened off and ready to be planted out.

I have a small greenhouse that is 10'x16'. It is covered with cheap fiberglass and has a visquene vapor barrier inside. I have a window fan installed on one end and can open the door for additional ventilation. The structure is barn-style with fiberglass running clear down the six" boards that form the foundation. It is built on a bed of gravel for drainage.

I use my greenhouse primarily for seedlings, so I don't keep bins of soil, as that can carry disease and bugs. Instead, I have shelves on which I can slide the flats. There are overhead shelves, tables on either side, and shelves underneath those. I use a small sump pump in a large tote to water the plants, and I've allowed for a spot for my potting tray. Even so, I can keep over 100 11x22" flats in my little greenhouse.

I can also hang baskets from the roof, about 20, when necessary.

weezinggreens,
did you build that from a kit, scratch or how? what do you use for heat?
thanks
jen

My husband built it using a plan we got from the Cooperative Extension Service, with a few modifications. I really like the design, since it offers good spring sun, even on the lower levels, since the sides are all in the fiberglass and slanted. Also, without conventional rafters, it has lots of overhead space.

I checked out the Mississippi Cooperative Extension site and found this page on Greenhouse plans: http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is941.htm I believe Plan #6181 is the most like ours. Hope this is of some help to you.

weezing, thanks for the link to msu. im wrote down the addy and will get it in the mail for the plans.
thanks again
jen