C'mon Cold Weather...

.....Im ready for you now!!! I finally got my gazebo covered in plastic and got all the plants I didnt want to loose over the winter in it and now I can sit back and just wait for spring. I was trying to "stuff" my two little greenhouses but the large plants I've aquired this year took up alot of room and the shelves in the little greenhouses didnt seem like they'd support the weight of some of the plants. Now I've got a "make-shift" greenhouse out of a gazebo and Im ready. I moved it closer to the house so I can run an extention cord for heating or extra lighting if I need to. I've been told though that we are having a mild winter. Never the less I am taking no chances. The only things I've left out are things that I know will tolerate any of our winters but I will mulch those real good for protection. Im feeling kinda proud of myself at this point as well as sore and achey...........



This message was edited Nov 5, 2007 1:03 AM

another view:

3rd

another

the following pics are of the 2 smaller green houses. I have alot of starts I had planned to exchange at a RU I am now not able to attend.....

This message was edited Nov 5, 2007 1:00 AM

#2

I had a gazebo that looks just like yours. Never thought about putting plastic around it but then in WI winters it wouldn't have worked much anyway. We gave ours to DS#1 for his new place and put up a 3-season sun room on for my over-wintering plants.

Heck if i could afford the sun room that would have been my choice instead of cutting and pasting all that plastic, but we do what we can with what we have.....

Anaid ~ do you not find it too hot for the plants in this shelter right now?

Actually having them in the gh's increased the humidity which we have been missing in our area this year. It's made them kinda have a jump start to their growth and improved the appearance of many. I just knew that if I didnt do it now I'd be caught in a bind when it did get colder. I work at night and I go out in the day and zip open the "doors" then close them up in the evening. I noticed that when it is cool in the am it's nice and warm in the gh's...........let's hope it's not a mistake I have made.

I am sure you did not make a mistake. I wondered if you had allowed it to be vented and opening it up in that manner will help.

The venting has been incorporated in the corners of the gazebo frame

I do something similar and it works well. I don't know about your area but here I have some plants that are more cold sensitive so will bring them onto the porch which averages around 50.

I did that exact same thing at my old house--I didn't have a greenhouse but I had a patio that had a roof, and I wrapped the sides in plastic just like this. The biggest problem I had was with wind--if you don't have that plastic stretched tight and held really well, it'll tend to whip around a lot in the wind, sort of defeating the purpose of having it there in the first place! I stapled it to the wood frame of the patio on the top, but on the bottom all I had was cement so I couldn't really attach the bottom to anything. I weighed it down with rocks and things, but that still didn't work super great (fortunately, when we had bad wind there was always rain to go along with it, and rainy nights never get that cold around here, it's the dry nights that you can get below freezing on occasion). But if you have a way to firmly attach it at the bottom too then it should be fine.

I've been loosing alot of sleep contemplating this move and I think I have alot of the problems that could crop up covered. This gazebo was moved closer to the house where there is an outside plug incase I needed additional light or heating. I've tried to make it as tight as possible for that very reason - the wind. Today is a very good test cuz we are having a good front come thru this evening. The large and heavy wrought iron chairs we have in the gazebo are not on the outside up against the plastic to reinforce it. The massive plants that I have and cant put anywhere else are also surrounding the gazebo greenhouse, so I believe it's pretty secure.

I do also have a porch that I thought of also wrapping cuz I have pretty large plants there too. My pothos is in the corner right next to the front door and it is now growing well above 8' and I cant possibly move it indoors. My money tree and other smaller plants are there too so Im gonna truck down to HD and see if they have the plastic I need. The bottom part not being able to be nailed into place in the cement was my concern also but i thought I'd get some slender piece of wood the length of the sheet and interlock it some how to the wrought iron columns to keep it from flapping all the time. Yeah, I've been having to spend alot of time thinking this through cuz I dont have someone to do these things for me and Im not the best architech nor a construction wiz. But I get it done eventually. I feel that, unless we get a hurricane, I've covered my bases. We'll see.....

Wow!! What a selection! I could have fun shopping at your place.
:) Donna

Thanks Donna; :) Im pretty proud of my plants this year. Have had alot of compliments from passerbys and others coming to the house. Can hardly wait till next year. Have some major plans for the yard then.

after all this I still have a question someone might be able to help me with. asside from just watering the plants how could I keep a level of humidity in the wanna be green house suitable for the tropical plants in it? would appreciate any input/suggestions.

A misting system.

I don't know about you all but the fact that Winter weather is coming to stay is making me nervous. I have heat in the greenhouse but last night it went down to 45deg.during the night and it is only 9 a.m. and back up to 81 deg. because the sun came out for awhile. I am getting nothing done but worrying and that is not good. How do you manage to keep calm with temperatures going up and down all the time? What is your best night temperature for tropicals at night? The ones I have a pretty tough but I do not want to loose them. Electric heat will no doubt bankrupt me here in NJ but that is all I have. Oh Worry Worry!!!!!! My baby douglas fir seedlings seem to love the cooler temps but they still need to be warm. They are only two inches tall. :) Oh well, since this is my first winter with the greenhouse I think I need some Xanax. (for me, not the plants)

"Don't worry,Be happy"J. Nature has a way of teaching us everything we need to know:)))

Electric heat is the least expensive right now in PA. What's really expensive is fuel oil so you are one step ahead of the game with electric. Funny how time changes everything. It should be pretty exciting to see your tropicals survive the winter. Good Luck with all your douglas fir seedlings. Gotta love that tree:)))

Where is Athens, PA, Posy, I grew up in Lancaster County with the Amish.

Lucky you JBerger. We are 3 hrs. north of Lancaster right on the Northeast border of New York State. The Amish are wonderful folks. I used to spend time in Lancaster County on my way down to the "Dutch Country" of Slatington,PA where my Father's people were born and then later in life , working in Phila.

Thanks for a walk down memory lane:)))
Lucille

Small world...and here we are. We must do this again sometime.

.......right there with ya J:-))) Have a great day, Lucille