Dream greenhouse at 8600'

My wife and I live in Evergreen above Denver. We found it hard enough to garden in Denver. But up here it took more then either could muster. I found this greehouse used, fell in love with it once I took a look. All made from stainless steel, and was a prototype from a now defunk company. I thought I'd share a few photos of the project.

Keith

Here is more of the foundation. Footings poured every four feet with pressure treated wood frame.

Finally the structure goes up!!!

More

Some detailed shots

More details

structure almost complete:-)

I stitting on grante. So a drainage system is in order

Thermal mass!!

I will keep posting my progress in the next few weeks. It sure has been busy around hear. I will need some input as to how to set up the greenhouse systems. I plan on running on 12V DC supplied by photovoltaic. fans, misters, water pump.

fourks that was a great find! With granite on the bottom it sounds like you've got thermal mass below you as well!!!

Good luck with your project.

MollyD

It maybe a lot of work, but once ya get it all back up , running and lot sof nice green things growing, yoru gonna be glad of all the hard work.

Congrats on yoru find and hope ya get lots of lovely blooms!!!!!

Wow! Fourks, 8,600 ft?? I am out of breath just thinking of moving those barrels around. :)

Looks like a great GH. Anything in particular you are going to grow?

Nautical

Thanks for all the encouragement! Up here you need a greenhouse to grow anything:-) I plan on a vegetable garden. We haven't had a decent tomato in five years!!!! My wife is finally allowed to water the house plants, and hasn't killed one in months. She now wants to grow flowers. It will be a nice hobby for us together.

I'll keep posting this winter.

Keith

fourks it looks like you'll have enough propane to get thru till spring.
With all those BTU's you ought to be able to grow a "tamater" or two !!

Nice work, great find and I admire your drive.

Best wishes,
KW

Thanks KW. The propane is for the house. I bet I could burn through that trying to heat this winter. But I'm just using it to extent my growing season a few months. If I win the lotto I'll might consider heating it. But that might piss Al Gore off!

That looks like a major find, fourks! The stainless steel with the ss reinforcements at ctritical load points looks to be carefully thought out. Should last forever! Is the polycarbonate triple-wall? Up there, I'd think you'd need it! Beautiful job!

Hey stonoriver, naw its just double. Might upgrade one day. I guess this company had a great product, before China caused the price of SS to double in price! I got it for about the cost of the raw materials. Still about twice what I wanted to pay. At least I know it can handle the snow loads, and out live me:-)

Fourks, nice job.

Do you know the company?

I think it was called authentic greenhouses.

fourks have you seen the latest Mother Earth new mag
they have a great story on winter growing in a greenhouse. This familys does it all in their greenhouse. He even has a compost and his chickens are in thier eating all the bugs for him. It is a great story nad very packed filled iwth info
sue

Sue,

I'll check that out. I have heard of a guy who raised bunnies in his. CO2 and lots of bunny poop! Think I'll start with one sucessful growing season, then see If I want to try growing in winter.

Keith,

It is in the Sept/Nov Mother Earth Mag
He uses his animals for the heat mass, then using the doors as needed for air. He has a pretty neat set up. I hope you find it useful. I did. :)
sue

Thanks,
I just ordered a suscribtion to Mother Earth. Looks like fun.

I wonder if the wife would let me move the kids bed out there;-) They sure are loud in the morning.

Keith

This message was edited Nov 20, 2007 5:00 PM

Keith I also noticed your propane tank in the first picture. My first thought was I bet it takes a arm and a leg to fill that baby. Mine is much smaller and it almost took my arm to fill it.


Love your GH, nice size.

Mother Earth mag is great. I have learned so much from it.
happy being green
sue

Hi all!

Here are some more shots of greenhouse progress. This one is testing out my new 80 watt PV panel. So cool to see a load run from the sun:-)

This message was edited Nov 30, 2007 6:42 PM

Here is a shot of the new floor. Old mexican clay blocks, with three voids running to the french drain. The raised beds will sit on top with holes drilled to help drainage.

This message was edited Nov 30, 2007 6:36 PM

clay blocks before all the sweat!

Will have a nice flagstone path. More sweat:-(

i love your clay blocks !! hey look so pretty oh and flagstone too
that is alot of blocks :) to carry
You still have nice weather ? or is it getting cold
sue

Fourks, how do you think the altitude affects your GH?

Sue,

Burrrr it's getting cold. Not much snow which is a blessing. Of course last December we had 9' of snow over a three week period. So keeping my fingers crossed.

Keith,

Stressbaby,

Not sure if altitude would have effect on plant growth??? But we will see. The main factors are things like snow load, high winds. I can't wait to see something green in there!

Fourks, this is what I am getting at...

Intuitively, and from everything I have read, the solar gain is much greater at altitude than at sea level. Therefore, potentially you have more to gain by having solar mass in your GH than I do. You potentially have a harder time cooling your GH than I might for the same temperature.

I have also read that you have to derate your heater 4% for every 1000 feet of elevation.

I got to wondering about all of this because of your thread and another fellow I know outside of Denver with a GH twice the size of mine. He keeps his GH at 60F all winter. He reports better results with his water barrels than I have seen and I suspect that altitude and solar gain have something to do with that.

Fourks What do you plan on growing in your greenhouse ?
I hope i can get one going up next fall.
You got lucky on the find of that old greenhouse Fourks
sue

Stressbaby

Yes I have also heard the solar gain in more at higher alititude, but I would think the wide temp variations would suck all that gain out faster at night. I was actually thinking of heating the raised beds with solar hot water. maybe runningTekcoil plastic tubing under a layer of sand. Digging a hole below frostline for tank with small shed and solar collector. Maybe supplement with small electric` water heater. Still a lot to design, so may just put the tubing in the beds and complete next year.

What do you think?

There is no way I would try to heat this thing with just fossil fuels! Propane is around 2.00 a gallon. Those would be some expensive tomatos:-) plus Colorado has as many sunny days as San Diego! Someday I dream of being free from the power grid.

Keith,

Sue,

I plan on growing vegtables/tomatos. We will also summer our houseplants, and a few orchids. Please let us know how your GH plans go! This is a great place for information, and I owe a lot to all the people who posted in the past. I think I went through almost all the GH threads:-) That,s one reason I started my post, as i'm not much of a typist/speller.

Fourks, your solar gain may be in part determined by your altitude, but I think your nighttime losses are instead determined your glazing. Glazing which is opaque to the long range IR wavelengths at which the absorbed heat is reemitted will hold that heat. That, and glazing with a decent R value will help you a lot.

Solar hot water is going to be more effective for you at altitude, same reasons, greater solar gain.

Thanks for your conformation on my ideas. I've bought the book "solor hot water systems" by Tom Lane. Lots of great information!

I do have double wall 8mm poly.

I'll keep posting my results.

Keith,