I have finally made my move from N.Central Florida to Flagstaff, Arizona! Now, I am really itching to start my gardening, only, I am quickly realizing the difference in the weather and planting here!! So, I am looking into either building or buying a greenhouse! I am looking for info from others who have a greenhouse. What is your opinions on the one you have; either built or purchased? What would you do different? What are your "expert" opinions on greenhouse gardening? What type or model do you have? Any and all advice is welcomed! Thanks Sissy

-- sissy sylvester (jerreleene@hotmail.com), August 31, 2000

Answers

I built mine; it's against the south wall of the house. During (rare, here) sunny winter weather, I open the windows and the door between the greenhouse and the house, and don't need much, if any, added heat source, during the day, and not until the next morning.

In the summer, I put 84% shade cloth over the glazing, and the temp inside the greenhouse stays about the same as ambient temp.

Even in cold, cloudy weather, and at night, the greenhouse stays much warmer than the outside temp (only on one day in three years did it approach freezing, and I opened the kitchen/greenhouse door for a half hour to remedy this). This relatively warm temp provides a buffer from the cold, on the wall where the greenhouse is located.

I have no heat source in the greenhouse at all. Other than the one very cold morning, mentioned above, the heat from the greenhouse comes from the occassional sun, and always comes from waste heat, which is lost through the insulated wall of the house, into the greenhouse.

joj

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoffjoe@yahoo.com), August 31, 2000.

Sorry Sissy. I forgot to mention that I live in SW Oregon, where te winters are moderate, but very rainy. Long, dry summers.

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoffjoe@yahoo.com), August 31, 2000.

Sissy, we use cold frames here, not greenhouses (easier to keep warm and most plants that I grow don't get that high.

Wish I had just moved to Flag!!! Lucky you! Keep us posted on what it's like if you can!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 31, 2000.

I bought a kit from Peaceful Valley Farm Suppley in California a year ago. They provide all organic supplies for farmers and gardeners. I'm very happy with the service and the kit which came with a video that show every screw being put in. I'm not a builder so I got the kit with the precut lumber. There is another kit where you provide the lumber. They carry many different kits and supplies in many different price ranges. I sure love mine. Good luck.

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), August 31, 2000.

I am working on one that uses metal fence posts for side supports and cast off pallet scraps for the rest of the frame. Drawback is getting the scrap pallets, my source shut down. With this in mind, I am now considering making a half hoop frame to mount on the fence post supports. This frame I want to make from schedule 40 pvc with shower heads mounted at the 4 way connectors to make watering easy, I may also use pvc to set up a heating system. For now, I'm scrunching my computer in a corner of the southside sun room and blockin off my bookcases from direct sunlight.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 31, 2000.

We have built three greenhouses. One solid woodframe structure with rigid greenhouse panels for glazing and one metal hoop house with 9ml plastic cover, both in New Hampshire. The third one is a woodframe structure with roof of greenhouse panels and walls covered with 9 ml plastic located in Virginia.

Here is our experience. The solid one in New Hampshire worked very well. It was heated by a propane forced hot air heater in the months of February, March, April and May (some nights). Heaters needed at night but only occassionally in the day unless it was overcast and then definitely used them. It was 32 feet by 16 feet. We started seeds and then transplanted to selling size ready for sale in April and May. Gradually moved plants to the hoop house in April and used two small electric heaters as needed. Didn't lose any plants due to cold. This house was about fifty feet by sixteen feet. Also moved plants out to large unheated cold frames in April but only the more hardy plants or to harden off as we moved into May.

The Virginia greenhouse was just built this year and we have not used it through a winter yet but given our experience in New Hampshire and the difference in temperatures here (only gettting below freezing periodically in January and February) we plan to just use the electric heaters. We plan to grow lettuce and spinach throughout the winter with no heat and then start the seedlings and hook up the heaters in February. In the summer here we had to use shade cloth to protect the seedlings because we were still starting some of them in June which is really way too late to be in a greenhouse here. Next year we will be on schedule and expect to be totally out of the greenhouse by May.

The rigid structures obviously last a long time, assuming no damage from falling tree limbs, etc. The hoop house plastic was only good for a couple of years and then had to be replaced. On the two rigid structures we poured footings and the one in New Hampshire had a deeper footing (3 foot) due to frost line and had a three foot knee wall of cement block. The one here in Virginia just had a six inch cement footing. Both structures had carrieage bolts set in the cement and the upper frame was bolted to the footing preventing the whole structure from blowing away in a strong wind. The hoop house had no footing and was just built by putting pressure treated two by fours on the ground bolted together and then the metal piping was u- bolted to that. We never had any problems with wind but New Hampshire is not particularly a windy state.

I would think given your climate that the hoop house structure would work for you in you area unless you have strong winds. Then you may want to anchor it better. Keep in mind you will have to replace the plastic sheeting every couple of years though but that is not that expensive. This is a pretty cheap way to get a greenhouse if you are not trying to deal with real cold winters. Heating it would not be very cost effective. Although, you could consider doing a hoop house within a hoop house with a foot or two dead air space between the two which would be a decent insulator if your winters are not real cold. I know the guy that did the Gardening Naturally show who lives in Maine (his name escapes me at the moment) raised plants in a hoop house all winter with no heat by using cloches inside the hoop house. He could only raise cold tolerant plants though such as lettuce but I think that is pretty good for Maine which does get below freezing for most of the winter although not usually below zero.

I am really excited about our greenhouse here in Virginia because I will be able to grow lettuce and spinach all winter long. I will never live without a greenhouse again unless I move to Florida.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any specific questions you would like answered.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), September 06, 2000.

I would suggest you to not overdo it. I started 20,000 plants in a cheap, cheap greenhouse with just a plastic cover over some PVC pipe this year. I bought a regular house gas furnace (used), cut some poles out of locust on my neighbor's farm, and just buried the edges of the plastic in the ground. If you don't care how it looks, go cheap with a hoophouse. Plants are tough. I would, however, get a really good piece of greenhouse plastic. Put a storm door on each end and use that to vent however much you need. It was my first year with a greenhouse and everything went fine with mostly scavenged materials. I live in North Missouri. Put a thermostat in it so the cooling fans of the furnace will come on if it gets too hot in the summer. You will do fine. Most of the things I read about sound a lot harder than they are.

-- Heath Oates (heathoates@hotmail.com), September 07, 2000.