Ordered a Rion Greenhouse

I ordered a small 6 X 8 Rion Greenhouse from all places, Sears.com! I would like to use it for bedding plants in the spring and then later in the year, I think that I would like to move tomato plants in there to extend the tomato season. My initial thought is to lay down landscape fabric over the dirt that I was planning on rototilling before I put the GH up. My thought was to plant tomatoes in there after the bedding plants are done. But now I realize that it will be hot in there during the summer, plus the tomatoes won't benefit from rain so I will have to water every day. So now I'm thinking that I should dig out the topsoil, lay down landscape fabric and put a few inches of stone in there. Then I will be able to move tomatoes in there late summer, but those tomatoes would have to be in pots.
Next question: a friend suggested that I put in 4 X 4 posts in every corner, buried 48" (our frost line), cut off at ground level and then put a 2 X 6 sill on top of the posts and anchor the gh to the sill. Rion also offers an anchor kit. I'm concerned about heaving from the frost/thaw cycle. My backyard isn't windy; I'm in a valley in a village with tons of trees and houses which also slows down the wind. Advice please, I want to do this right.

Happytrail128, will you use the GH in the winter?

The 4x4 ideas is good, but I would modify it, as I think you'll get sags and gaps in the 2x6 over 6 or 8 foot span. I would consider cutting the 4x4 off at 8" height. Then run a 2x8 between the 4x4 on edge...or maybe a pair of them sandwiched around 1" rigid foamboard insulation...and then put your 2x6 sill on top. The 2x6 sill won't sag, it won't tip or tilt, and you'll have 8" of extra headroom.

Just a thought.

SB

Thanks stressbaby
I won't be using this in the winter; it would cost too much to heat and at this time, I don't have anything that I need to overwinter. I like your suggestion about raising it another 8". It will be shipped on the 17th and I need to get it set up as fast as possible. We are supposed to be getting snow this weekend which means that I can't work on the site of the gh. I was hoping to till up the topsoil this weekend so I can remove it and then lay down landscape fabric and fill it in with stone. I'm getting close to the time when it won't be useful this spring. We've had a really cold spring here.
Has anyone just placed the gh on grade without anchoring it in any way? I did see an anchor kit somewhere online with a screw type anchor.

I would definately anchor it. You would be sick if it blew over. And it can believe me

Hi: I have the 8x16 rion - their base is simply a "U: shaped channel that you fill with sand and lay atop the ground: forget about it: I used 6x8 cedar timbers; laid them atop the ground and anchored then by driving 4' rebar thru them into the soil - I decided I wanted more height so I stacked them 4 high giving me an additional 2' of headroom - believe me you will need it: Good luck!

Perry:
Did you dig out any of the topsoil? Did you put any stone underneath the timbers? I think that I'm going to have to dig out a bit at the back of the gh because its going to be on a slight slope, the ground in the front of the gh is about 1 or 2 inches lower. My daughter's boyfriend suggested rebar through the timbers too. I called greenhouse.com and they said to use 6 X 6 pressure treated lumber under the frame and anchor to the 6 X 6s. Have you had any heaving during the winter? How deep is the rebar? Our frostline is 48" which I bet yours is about that too. Was it easy to put up?

I did not put any stone under the timbers: I did dig out sufficiently for the timbers to be level from the start: I drilled a small hole thru the first course of timbers, and drove 4'x 1/2" rebar thru the hole into the soil below: I used 2' x 3/8" rebar thru the remaining courses to "nail" them together: There has been no heaving at all from the frost, this is the second winter it has been out there: It was an annoyance to put together, due to the repetition; you will be amazed at the parts you get in the boxes once you have them all spread out: The RION people are great to deal with tho, if you have a problem or something does not go together well or whatever, they will drop ship a replacement part; Make sure you have enough roof openings, they can jump to 100 degrees in a heartbeat when the sun is out - Mine was there today even tho the ground is still covered with snow from last weeks noreaster:

This message was edited Apr 19, 2007 11:08 PM

100 degrees with snow on the ground, YIKES! The kit came with one vent window. I should probably get another and I also want to get the automatic opener for the vent window.

We put the foundation down today. My yard has a slight slope. We dug down to get the wood level; that took about 3 hours. Then we went and got some stone to backfill the wood on the inside of the gh. I also put some stone on the outside to backfill and to allow water to drain around the gh. We put in a little swale behind the gh on the high side of the slope and directed the water to flow along the sides of the gh instead of going inside of it. We also dug a little trench under the wood near the door and filled it with stone in case any water does get inside of it. We extended that trench about 3 feet out and filled that with stone too. We're also thinking about putting bales of hay on the outside and inside of the gh before winter hits, hoping to stop any heaving with freeze thaw cycles. Oh, yeah, we put rebar through the 6 X 6s and pounded that about 1 1/2 feet into the ground. I hope this is sufficient in any windstorms. Right now the base is sitting on the 6 X 6s, already squared and waiting to be lag bolted down into the 6 X 6s. What did you use to lubricate the rubber that goes on the door? I think I had read somewhere to use KY Jelly. Are there issues with aluminum and pressure treated lumber? I think I read that somewhere too and I didn't read the "fix" for it because at the time I didn't think that I would be using pressure treated lumber as a base. Thanks for all of your help. I can't wait to start putting the actual house together tomorrow. But I will check this board during the day in case you posted.

Anywhere the aluminum touches the treated lumber, you should probably put down a barrier. Put down a barrier like the rolls of poly that are used under sill plates. You prob already know that with ACQ lumber you need to use hot dipped galvanized, or better yet, stainless steel fasteners.

KY jelly is water soluble. I doubt that it would be as effective over time as vaseline or another petroleum-based lubricant.

Hope that helps.

SB

What aluminum? I did not use the base - I put the frame directly onto my timbers and fastened it with lag bolts: As for your "hay" idea, I think I would not do it - over the winter the cold will penetrate the bales, freeze the ground and the hay will simply insulate everything and stall the spring thaw - I sincerely believe you will have no problem - unless it is being put onto pure clay. I used pam spray to make the rubber gaskets go in to their respective slots - it will also help when you get to sliding the poly-carb panels into place: Here is my "BIG" suggestion for making putting it together easier: When it comes time to 'seal' the panels etc - use small pieces of the gasket material here and there around the poly panels to hold them in the proper position and then get some clear poly elastameric caulk and seal the thing up with that - goes in a whole lot easier, works just as well:
Good luck"

I just got back from Lowes and bought galvanized lag bolts, the stainless steel bolts were $5 for 4 so I bought the cheaper galvanized bolts that said they were for pressure treated lumber.
I ended up buying a gallon of roofing patch which I'm not too fond of because when its hot, it gets soft and I'm wondering if that would allow the aluminum frame to come into contact with the pressure treated lumber.
My base is aluminum. I'm going to call Lowes about the poly for sill plates. I wanted to use a snow and ice shield that is used under shingles on roofs but its $70 a roll and I don't need that much. I'm going to call Lowes right now. another trip and another delay on this great day for building!

I decided to use a heavy, clear plastic that I have at home. I did a little more research on the net and everything I read recommends poly. Crossing my fingers that this will be ok.

Well, I got the frame up today. The directions said that it would take "180" minutes. It took me about 5 hours just putting the frame together by myself. There is a piece missing for the vent, and I didn't start on the door frame yet. Ya gotta love directions when they are translated from another language. For the most part, they weren't too bad but there were a few that would have been better had they blown up the detail that they were talking about. Parts fit together very well so far. It was fun until I got to the gable ends, found myself wishing that I had another hand! So far, I'd recommend a Rion.

Perry:
Did you use the caulk instead of the plastic pieces? I haven't read the directions yet on the panels so I'll probably understand what you are saying when I get into it. Thanks for the tips though, it really does help, plus I feel as if I have a support group in case I get lost in this. It looks really cool even without the panels in. Yay! I hope it doesn't blow over before I get the panels in and the nuts tightened up. The only day that it isn't supposed to rain is on Tuesday, so I'll probably work on it Tuesday night after work. One thing, my fingers are sore from putting on all of those nuts! LOL!

I called Rion and left a message; they called me back the same day and then sent me a couple of emails. I haven't received the pieces that I'm missing for the vent yet. I did an inventory after I talked to them and realized that I'm missing all of the metal pieces for the vent window. I'm hoping that the plastic isn't missing since I didn't do an inventory on the plastic panels. I hope they arrive tomorrow so I can finish putting it up this weekend. I'm losing time and have almost 1000 seedlings that need to go in the gh.

get some clear poly elastameric caulk and seal the thing up with that


I'm going to Lowe's to get some caulk after I write this; my thumbs are so sore that I can't continue pressing those vinyl pieces in. It even hurts to touch the space bar on my keyboard! Thanks for that tip!

If you start at one end of the stripping, using the "tool" that comes with the kit, it's only a matter of running the "tool" the length of the stripping and it pops right in place. It helps to leave the stripping out in the sun, to make it more pliable. Once I figured that out, it took my son and I about 20 minutes to do the entire greenhouse.

HTH,
Eggs

Thanks for the tip on the strips. I went to Lowe's yesterday and they didn't have the caulk in clear, only white. So I didn't buy it.
A couple of the plastic panels don't seem to be wide enough to enable me to use the strips so I will have to caulk those.
I spent a couple of hours putting in the panels and strips on the bottom part of the gh. I still have to do the roof and the upper panels on the sides.
The vent window just basically sits on the top ridge, it doesn't seem very secure. Is that the way its supposed to be?
Thanks.

I'm not sure how far you have your assembled.

Very basically:

When we did ours, we assembled a base on the first day, and added the uprights.

The second day, we assembled the entire roof, and had it setting on the ground. All of the roof panels had UPVC "T" pieces that locked them in place, and provided the weatherstripping. We also fully assembled the doors, complete with the rubber stips. I seem to remember the roof vents (which came assembled to a poly sheet, ready to drop into place) as fitting the same as any other panel. There were certain panels that were made to go only in the first position from the end of the roof. These were of a different size than the rest of the roof panels, but the same size as the panel attached to the vent. If they're not fitting properly, you may have one or more of those panels in the wrong place?

The third day, we slid the poly panels for the sidewalls into place, and lifted the roof onto the uprights.It was then just a matter of putting the rubber weatherstrips on all of the lower windows, and under the roof gables.

HTH,
Eggs

My daughter and I finished putting it together on the 15th! You inspired me to really push myself when you said that it only took you 20 minutes to put in the plastic panels. It took us a couple of hours to get the roof panels in and the front upper panels and to hang the door. What a relief to have it basically finished. I'm going to a local building supply company tomorrow to see if I can find the clear caulk. I think that I have a different model of a Rion GH. Mine is a silverline and its only 6 X 8. The vent window doesn't sit square on the roof either but I'll figure something out for that eventually. Everything else is pretty square I think. Do you have an automatic opener for the vent? If you do, would you recommend the brand you have? I want to get one since I work and won't be home to open it during the day. Did you make your own benches? I wanted to put some plants in the gh tonigh because we may have a frost overnight but since I am new to this, I don't know if the gh will protect my plants. I have so much to learn but it is really exciting. When the gh was finished Tuesday night, I actually did a little happy dance in my backyard.

Congratulations on your new gh! I hope you post some photos of it.

I have a small one too - only 6 x 6. One vent was not enough, so I installed another vent and I leave the door open a lot on warm days. Mine also has shadecloth. I made the bench because I wanted it to fit perfectly, and it cost less than $20 to make. I also picked up a remote thermometer so I can see what the temp is out there from inside the house. It's also a min/max thermometer.

The whole process of getting these things up and running is trial and error - mostly error in my case! But it's also too much fun!

Ann

happytrail,

Congratulations on completing the structure! After looking at Rion's site, and comparing them, our greenhouses are very different. Sorry if any adviced steered you in the wrong direction. As far as automatic openers go, I used the "Rion Automatic Greenhouse Window Opener" (http://www.riongreenhousekit.com/rionautoopener.php). I'm not sure if the vents are the same on our greenhouses, or not. Mine is exactly as pictured on that link, and was designed for the GH-4x series. It may be a totally different design for your model *shrug*. If you're going to use the greenhouse in the winter, I'd remove the auto-openers, and use the manual ones, during the cold months. On the model I have, it's very easy to change back and forth. Hopefully, it's the same design with yours.

I built my own benches out of 4x4 and 2x6 pressure treated wood, with the tops from http://www.gothicarchgreenhouses.com/benches.htm (scroll down to "A-V Greenhouse Benchtops). I've found the tops to be very sturdy, as I had them almost completely filled all winter, and they showed no sign of cracking (or any other visible signs of stress). I'd highly recommend them, for their price.

HTH,
Eggs

Eggs, you didn't steer me in the wrong direction at all. I take everyone's advice to see if it will apply to me and may adjust some advice. Either way, it helps knowing that people are here to help and that in itself is very comforting. I asked the Rion rep if they had an automatic opener for gh; her answer was no. She emailed a link to me about where to get one that would be suitable but the link didn't work.
I put a couple of trays in the gh tonight because I picked them up at a retail gh today and its supposed to be in the 30s and 40s tonight. Hey, I'm happy that I'm able to use my little gh!
I will look at the links that were provided about benches.
Missy, how did you manage to build benches for under $20??? Do tell, please. I like the idea of a remote thermometer too. I was just out there with the dog and I'm already worried about snow loads. What if I get a couple of inches of heavy snow over night this winter, or while I'm at work? I'm already driving myself crazy about it. LOL

Happytrail, my bench is almost 6 feet long and about 20" deep. The top support is made of 1x3s, the legs are 2x2s, side leg stabilizers were scraps, and the top is made of three cedar fence boards, ripped and trimmed. The whole thing cost about $18, the wood was all from Home Depot. Because my gh is so small, and the bench was under 6 feet, I was able to use these smaller pieces of lumber. Plus I didn't want a clunky bench in that tiny area.

If you're not interested in carpentry, SoCal found some great vinyl ventilated shelving at HD that she uses in her gh, and I don't thing hers was more than $20. It looks good and it's versatile - you can stack it up or leave it side by side.

Ann

Here is a link to the shelves that Ann is talking about, http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=84624-230-3624-5BK&lpage=none
I bought this at Lowes when they were on sale for $45.00. I got 2 sets of shelves out of this one unit. It is put together with the legs into small holes, so you can make the shelves shorter. I put 3 shelves high as one unit and then took the legs and added them to the bottom of the 2 shelf unit. Poof, 2 shelves for $45. They are made of very strong plastis that can hold 200lbs. per shelf. I also like them because they are open grids and the water can go through them when I water. I hung my lights from the open grids on the 2nd and bottom shelf.

Donna

Those are great shelves, Donna. My gh is almost empty at this point because it's been so warm, but I'm going to get shelves like yours for the other side of my gh this fall. I really like the fact that they stack - they will hold a ton of stuff.

Yea, mine is empty right now too. I still have a lot to learn on how to keep it a comfortable temperature in there for growing more plants. I did learn a little something from drdon at the RU on Sat. He has a GH and you know how hot it gets in Temecula. He has a fan with a mister going and it was nice and humid in there. He said we could do it too for a small amount of money. I'm looking around for something now, but I don't know how I will get water to the GH as there are no water spigots around that area.

Donna

SoCal: I was looking at those shelves from Lowes before my gh arrived. I was thinking that I would need two sets and didn't want to spend over $100 on shelves at this time of year. They have been $55 at my store. I still need an automatic vent opener, $200 for an ez up, my dog's teeth cleaning is going to be between $250 and $400, and I have to buy boots for my horse which are $140. Oh yeah, last week my dentist told me that I need two root canals. Chi Ching!!
Those shelves would be good for seedlings and I'd be able to hang lights on them. Of course, this would be in my basement until they could go into the gh since it won't be heated. Very versatile shelves. Maybe I'll buy one set at a time. I won't be needing shelves until next spring so I could watch for a sale. I'm glad that you mentioned them because they were my first thought when I was thinking about shelves. Of course, I could make some like the other poster did if I find some spare time anytime soon. Thank you for the suggestions, I do appreciate it. I find that suggestions from people that actually use the product or solution is the best advice we can get.

Try the Goodwill, Salvation Army, or even the Humane for Habitat places for discounted shelving. Maybe Big Lots would have a good price for them too.
I had gotten those white metal shelving that people use for closets at the Hum. for Hab. Got 20' of shelving for only $2 there!
Carol

Good deal! I don't know if we have a HH store here. Big Lots is a good suggestion; I keep forgetting to stop there. thanks!!

These wood shelves are made from 1x4 with a 1x3 fastened to the inside to form a lip for the slats to sit on. The slats are just cut up 1x2. I used cedar, don't remember the cost, but more than just plain lumber. I like the slats as they are not fastened to anything and can be taken up or moved around. They let light in below if spaced farther apart or can be removed completley if you want to grow something tall on the floor. Also nice if you need to get at something underneath and don't feel like crawling around on the floor. :)

The metal shelves are standard closet shelves available at any building center.

Many options on shelves, just have to find what works the best for you.

Nautical

I should have added that the shelves are held up with some 2x4 legs.

Hey, those shelves look great to me! Good job.

I love the idea of removable slats...BRILLIANT!

I'm going to have to borrow that idea, too!

Yes, I like that idea too. Kind of wished I had done at least one shelf like that, but learning each day for everyone here.
Carol

Great idea on the slats! Making them adjustable is brilliant! They look really good too. Maybe I should do both too. Did you put the 2 X 4 legs in the ground or are they just sitting on the ground?

I had a few extra 6x6's left over from the foundation that I used in the floor to frame the area for the pavers. I left the area under the benches in soil covered with cypress mulch. The legs that support the outside of the benches sit on top of the 6x6's that are flush with the floor. The backside of the bench, or the side closest to the wall is sitting directly on the GH foundation. The 6x6's are 24" from the wall, and the benches are 28" wide and 32" wide. That way the legs are tucked under slightly so there are not in the way when you are standing next to the bench.

Hmmm, this is about as clear as mud. If you can't make sense of this, which would be totally understandable, I will try and do a sketch, which will probably only further confuse people. :)

Nautical

Nautical,
Nice job man, great ideas. " Keep em comin"...

kw