We finaly got a nice day to start our project. We've had these parts since last summer. Up until New Year we didn't have time, since the weather been lousy. Nice day today, It is 3:30PM & 44.6º. Can you beat it ? We have the frame up, so now to get a few parts & be back at it in the morning. I will update.
This will be our primary house, so we need it ready in a couple of weeks!
Bernie
Done for today!
Bernie, no snow? It just aint fair. (grin)
Oh Bernie, what I would give to have space for something like that! It looks awesome. If you were a few zones warmer, I'd beg to live/work with/for you. LOL
It's gets a little cold here now & then, but don't last long. It was -20º a week ago. Today it was 45º. Forecast for next 2 weeks is above normal. We got our biggest snow of the season on Friday, 1". Almost all gone today.
We could use a nice big family of girls up here. Farms are so expensive, no young people can farm so the country is full of retired people & no kids!
Your girls would love this country, too!
My little girl is almost 20 months.
Her uncle giving her a sled ride today on whats left of the snow.
(We get to babysit her everyday.)
Bernie
Thats a real nice frame Bernie.
I couldnt aford the Arch style greenhouse. Since i needed a 96 ft house i settled for the hoop. Plus I hardly ever have snow so i didnt need an Arch style greenhouse. But the arch style sure is prettier.
Have fun with your new greenhouse.
cricket
Our 30 X 96 is a hoop style. Has been up for a long time. It will be growing tomatoes this year. About 300 plants, no outside tomatoes here.
Is yours up & running? What do you raise?
Bernie
What a sweet pic! They grow too darned fast! I could surely offer her several playmates. LOL
I have only been to MN once. Woke up to about 8 feet of snow too. Went out on a snowmobile, sunk it in a ditch and walked home. LOL It had to be retrieved when the snow went down some.
Hubby says it is too cold there. If you consider moving to TN or south of there, I have your garden crew!
Well another nice day. We got a lot done. Side boards are on, one end wall is framed up, ready for sheeting.
We got the furnace moved in today, the thing is heavy!
We called about prices on an exhaust fan & decide to use one of the fans from the old greenhouse. It still has a small one in there so when we run out of room & start filling it up we can get by with the small fan.
More tomarrow,
Bernie
Bernie, did you frame the end walls in wood?
Well i dont have the house up yet---will have it up in 2-3 weeks----i have a seedling house to start my seeds---- ill be selling veggie and bedding plants come April 1st------after that ill be growing tomato plants in the greenhouse for the produce sales--------i only have a 16X96 but its warm enough here that i dont need much greenhouse----this is my first year growing tomatoes in the greenhouse so i dont want to go over board and not be able to sale them. I will grow some outside the greenhouse too--- i was reading in a book that you can grow tomato plants in double rows 3 feet apart in the greenhouse. I can put 2 double rows in the 16*96 ----thats 372 plants.
But my problem is--- one end of the greenhouse is shaded by a pecan tree. So i cant put a full row of tomatoes in there. I can only do 60 feet rows==240 plants.
Plus im using the 5 gallon grow bags in the greenhouse---i have to cause i dont have much land cleared out and the greenhouse is sitting on top of the septic system so the tomato roots cannot penatrate the ground below---thats why im using the grow bags in the greenhouse.
I am letting the sides up during hot weather months for ventilation---if i pushed my luck , i could get 3 double rows in the greenhouse by putting the 2 outside rows close to the outer wall that will be up and open later on but still have poly on top of the house so that the rain does not hit the plants. 2 feet from the outter wall is a 5 foot height.
Am i chatting to much yet.
what do ya think
cricket
This message was edited Jan 25, 2005 6:31 PM
Cricket- I have grown Tomatoes over my septic for years with no problem --maybe others have had problems, but I have not--the roots just rot and go away when I pull the plants, [unlike tree roots]--Michael
Cricket,
We do our rows double. Put up 2 strings 12" apart. start by putting in a plant on string #1 then ever 24" along that string. Go back to the starting point. Put a plant on string #2, 12" from the first on string #1, then every 24". You end up with one plant every 12" per double row. When you work the plants or pick them, just stay to outside & do one row at a time.
We have 3 of these double rows in our 30x96 house, with benches on the outside walls. They will be for our perennials.
This is working so good for us, we are not planting any tomatoes outside this year.
As for end walls on the greenhouse, they are wood studs, will be insulated & sheeted on both sides. (We need all the help we can get up here to save heat!) I was at a farm auction. They hd this big pile of used lumber that basically nobody wanted. I bought the whole pile for $85.00. We have more than enough for the greenhouse, plus some big planks we can use for scaffolding. The planks alone are worth more than $85.00.
Bernie
Bernie, you do find some good deals!
good for you,--thats,After my own heart [I build most of my buildings with salvaged building material--
How do you folks find the salvaged material? I've been looking for awhile 'cause I want to build a goat barn and haven't had any luck yet.
Eyes & ears wide open!
Our original greenhouse was entirely free materials. That was over 20 years ago.
This one was used. A friend of mine works as a consultant for area schools. One of the schools had this greenhouse that was no longer needed, he offered, they sold.
A lot of our things we use new stuff, but like a good cook, we buy parts & put together ourselves.
All of our benches are made of a building material called "hat channel". It comes in 12' lenghts and is reasonable. It can be cut with tin snips & put together with a screwgun & screws. We can put together lots of benches for few $. Then if they need to be changed, they come apart easily.
Up until 4 years ago, all our greenhouse furnaces were used fuel oil furnaces out of houses. People take out perfectly good oil furnaces to put in GAS!
Most cost us around $100. Some were free. There are lots around. We just stick a wanted ad in a local shopper paper.
Fuel oil is easy as well. Just stand the thing in a corner, hook up oil line, put a electric cord on it, piece of stove pipe out the wall. Turn it on. Oh, you might want a themostat so it don't run steady. No ductwork needed, just a piece of tin to direct the air towards the center of the room.
Woops, I am getting kindof long,
Have a great day!
Bernie
Thanks Bernie. My DH is VERY handy and I'm going to follow some of your advise...and pass it along to him as well - you are a big help, as always.
Just a side note - a lot of people in my area have requested preplanted containers. I can buy containers wholesale but found that Wal Mart carries them a lot cheaper than I can buy (plus I don't have to pay shipping).
We build benches from used pallets---just put 2*4 legs on them---you can find free pallets or most of the time they are 50cents per pallet.
goat barn-shed----you can go to saw mill and buy the rough cut slabs that they cut off the outside of the tree---they are normally real cheep or free.
Then spray it with water thompson water seal. They make a nice country rustic barn.
Septic Lines----im not afraid that the roots will stop up the field lines----My problem is---its not sanitary to grow market tomatoes or any other veggie over field lines ----the plant will get nutrients from human waste cepage and inspectors wont pass the inpections.
Thanks bernie. Im so nervous ---afraid of failure=---but i have many waiting on my tomatoes---they cant wait. I guess all the new beginners have this feeling.
Im not afraid of growing my flats of plants cause i've been doing that for 5 yrs so im relaxed about that. But the tomato produce market is new for me. Not only that----im not using a market tomato---im using big beef and early goliath, Lemon boy, sweet million cherry-----hope they do well.
Chat with ya later.
cricket
The Dumpsters at construction sites are full of nice suprises, I have picked up entire bundles of plywood and lots of lumber some of it was crooked or had a nail or two, but most of it was just over ordered, and thrown away at the end of the project.If the dumpster is on the street you arn't even trespassing.--sometimes I have been paid to cleen up large piles of extra lumber and haul it off.-- It has been rewarding for me to just ask---Michael
Got a bunch of the connection between houses done today, but it was dark when we quit so no picture tonight.
I get one in the morning.
Bernie
This picture is noon today, we are moving right along.
Done for today. We are hooking these 2 together, so we can move plants from one to another without going outdoors.
Spend most of the afternoon working inside.
Bernie
Another angle.
looks great!!!!!!!! bernie
very nice
cricket
Some updated pictures.
Inside.
Hit the wrong button!
This message was edited Feb 11, 2005 10:02 AM
Inside.
Cooling fan.
Some of the plants we moved in yesterday.
My son getting ready to do some transplanting.
This message was edited Feb 11, 2005 10:05 AM
Bernie it looks simply wonderful-and the plants are a sight for sore eyes!!
CONGRATS
pretty baby plants-------have fun transplanting.
cricket
Yep, if you were just a few zones warmer, you'd have 6-7 helpers! LOL Hard to believe it is up, running and filling up fast! I'm so jealous!
oh ya i forgot to metion that bernie-----Im jealous too! ;)
but still HAPPY! :)
i have DL seeds sprouting!
Ok Bernie-----ordered 30 seed of Cluster Grande today-----gonna try them out and see what I think. You told me about them back in the Fall 2004. Excited about trying them. Impatient on receiving the seed. They will be my late starters for my area. About a week late. Im not counting on them to be my main produce but will try selling them when they are ready.
How long does it take before they have ripe tomatoes from sow date?
cricket
ps----and do you know how many pounds each plant produces? About?
This message was edited Feb 12, 2005 10:08 AM
Ours were in the greenhouse. They were put in the ground in April,(not sure of date, we were behind last year) & started getting ripe mid-June.
Not sure of poundage, but I picked 3 days a week, probably got 3 to 5 off each plant each week. These are not avery big tomato so weight don't add up very fast. Quit picking early Nov. They were still going strong. Would have had to turn on heat & that wasn't cost effective.
Bernie
Ernie, Have been following your very interesting thread. Looks like a great gh. also looks like a lot of very healthy looking tiny plants to get transplanted. A lot of bending. Good luck with your lovely large new gh. DonnaS
Running out of room already.
A few photos of the new plants.
Geraniums.
Tomatoes.
