What kind of shelves do you use in your greenhouse??

I am ready to get me some shelves to put in my greenhouse and could use some suggestions as what to use. I was thinking about getting some of the white plastic shelves. I really could use some suggestions.

Linda

well.. hmmm.. lots of possibilities.. I say make em yourself! Or rather. give the dh a picture and say.. make these for me! (aren't I helpful?)

jazzpunkin you don't know how helpful you are. My DH has been so helpful with putting up my new greenhouse that I think he is ready for a rest.

LOL.. You are a good woman! I am still in the dream stage for greenhouses but I like the wood framed with the box fencing stretched over the top

here are the ones dh and i made

a close up

ours are similar in looks to notmartha's but made of rough cut oak lumber from the sawmill, or it could be rough cut cedar, I think the sides of the gh are rough cut cedar, and the shelves are rough cut oak.


I am shelf happy out there. I'll try to remember to take pictures out there tomorrow and post here for you.

kathy

We used pipe to run in the ground and frames, then used those metal shelves for closets. Works wonderful

Nancy

I have mostly commercial floor benches. I have cement floor and is wet most of the time. I was afraid to use wood because of eventual rot problems. My gh is more than 10 years old and I have been happy with the benches which some kind of heavy duty resin. I don't remember where i purchesed them. Here is a photo , when they were for a short time empty. DonnaS

Someone here sent me this picture a coupl years ago .

This is not my photo , just do not know whose it was.
I think it's a pretty neat and simple design.

(hope I ain't heading to copyright jail) *send brownies * lol

I like them all. I got some Plano benches at Lowes, and can tell now I don't like them. I wanted some with sloths in them so the water could run off, and these don't have them. When my DH gets home from his fishing trip and settles in I am going to show him all these shelves and see what he can do for me. I did get all my plants in the GH except for about 4 and need to wait until I can dig them up.

I especially like the one Scooterbug posted, it is a nice looking bench but I'm afraid it would cost more to build, then the ones with the wire on the tops of them.

How about closet shelves from home depot? They come in a variety of sizes.
http://www.kammlott.net/October2005mix/DSCN8937.jpg

http://www.kammlott.net/October2005mix/DSCN8896.jpg

http://www.kammlott.net/October2005mix/DSCN8906.jpg

They are inexpensive, let air and light through and they are easy to clean. They also allow good drainage for Epiphytes.

And did you know they will cut them to the length you want! I just bought some yesterday. Here on the left coast, they cost $14.99 for a 12' length (16" wide). I'm stacking mine on 8" cinder block (4 high) and then placing a second shelf in front of that on 3 blocks. I'll upload photos when I'm done.

I have used homemade wood benches (slatted for drainage) - they worked great, but they eventually rotted where they touched the floor and stayed moist. And the slats were okay, but some of the smaller pots wobbled (I tried to space the slats a ways apart and save money on more lumber...probably a mistake.)

I then went to cinderblocks topped with wood slats and heavy-gauge 1/2" wire fencing.They worked well last year but they were too bulky for the new GH, so I gave them to a family that's building a PVC greenhose similar to my old one.

For the new GH, I'm using the Rubbermaid modular shelves - 3 feet wide, 18" deep.

Three trays will fit on each shelf; three shelves wil fit easily along the sidewall; four shelving units along each side. Plus one four-shelf unit on the back wall, so I can squeeze in 84 flats/trays of plants, if I were so inclined.

(In actuality, my tender water plants take up residence in a horse trough, which takes the floorspace of one 3-shelf unit. And the taller four-shelf unit holds my extra pots, flats, fertilizer, and tools.

So more likely, I will have shelving for 60 or so flats, plus a spare shelf for pots of tender perennials that will stay in the GH this winter.

But 60+/- flats *should* suffice - I'll start out with the 96-plug trays, then pot up to 72-cell trays, and eventually to 36-cell jumbo plug sizes before April, when they're ready to sell or plant.

I'll probably also do another 5 or 6 flats (jumbo-cell size) of winter-sown seeds that stay outdoors all winter.

Hey Scooterbug. That's my greenhouse table my DH made for me. Cool that you were impressed with it. I'll tell DH. He made that about 3 years ago.
:) Donna

I use a variety of shelves.
Restaurant shelves 12" x 72".
Oven racks 18" x 24" and modular shelves from Cambro and Rubbermaid.
I work in Rest,]. Supply so get mine free or wholesale.

DIY......
Treated lumber and 'Egg Crate" for the top and legs.
For legs in water situations...use the decking brackets for joining concrete to post lumber.
The wood would never touch water.

Ric

I built benches about 2-feet high with 2X4 treated lumber for legs and rails. The cheapest bench-top material I could find to withstand sun and moisture were 6-foot 1X4 cedar fence pickets. If these are spaced 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart they will provide good drainage. That spacing seems to acommodate 4-inch and 6-inch pots as large pots and flats.

We made our GH benches from 2x4 lumber and plastic lattice 4'x8' panels. All benches were made to specifically fit our GH. The measurements were calculated to have no-waste (leftover). If anyone wants specs, send a d-mail -- we recorded measurements and drafted the bench plans.

You probably have your shelves all set up by now, but this is what I have, at very low cost. My greenhouse is only about 8'x12' so I try to use all the space I can for a few weeks in the spring. The primary shelves are also a work area for me, made from pallet boards. Above them are closet shelves from the Habitat for Humanity store. The bottom ones swing up and hook to the walls, so I can have taller plants in sections as needed..

I was trying to figure out what to use in my greenhouse for shelving when I realized I had all the parts to a little $50 greenhouse I bought at Big Lots. They are painted aluminum and more or less snap together with the ends screwed together. They worked great but will be short lived. I used them across the back and one side. They are 8 feet long when assembled and worked perfectly in my 8x12 GH.

I dug the right side deeper, below ground level so I could keep tall plants like my brugs and bananas there and keep the space up the center free. I also built mine on top of two runs of railroad ties to add height. That has nothing to do with the shelving but is obvious in the pics. LOL

Everyone has some of the best ideals. I finally went with cement blocks and racks you use in the closets. Working out very well.

I used pallets for my shelves in the gh..They are solid and provide best drainage..best of all..They r FREE

im useing the oven racks idea ive already collected about 30 or so, but will need many more. im still working on my foundation walls, but im making progress this is the back wall with water bed mattress foam for insulation and will be sheeted. then shelves built in later

My main shelves in front of the windows are from Home Depot and work well. My GH has less glass than a 'true' greenhouse but it works. I bought some tables for the center of the room but they need better legs (inclined to collapse which is probably why they were on sale) so I'm debating about simply making new taller ones. It's getting crowded out there and my grandson and I are headed out shortly to start some seeds so it will get more crowded! the whole thing is about 18X20 and was built as a 'clean' room for my husband to spray furniture in After he passes, I put in skylight and large windows (from Habitat ReStore). It's heated with radiant heat so the floor an be a good seed starting place.

I put some of my stuff down on the beds in the green house, then found some shelves at a recycling center, it was a plastic storage rack, so had some slots in it, i hung grow lights from the underside of each shelf, for the shelf below.

Then I found another rack with wheels at a recycling center so use that to harden off, roll things out during the day and in on too cool nights