Greenhouse finished...finally!
The following thread was started by Jay on September 28, 2006 at 10:35 am PST
Jay, looks great and done before winter too
Looks clean simple and basic, my kind of thing. Done before winter too, so if you have any bugs to work out of the system, you can have some time yet.
I saw a site one time of a guy in Calgary Canada with a green house a bit larger then yours, growing about anything one could thing of, that would fit, not too tall.
David
The above followup was added by DavidLJ48, Waterford CA, zone9 on September 28, 2006 at 10:44 am PST.
Here's another view.
The above followup was added by Jay on September 28, 2006 at 11:25 am PST.
I'm about to build a GH too. Mine is on a rather differnt budget though, a sheet of GH film suspended over some tensioned ropes. Yours looks good.
I don't think it is big enough though! I doubt it is possible to build one big enough. I would be happy with about 100 acres under cover, but not likely to ever get there...
The above followup was added by Ben on September 28, 2006 at 1:11 pm PST.
If I could have put my entire yard under glass, I would have! This one busted the budget and then some already. There will obviously be a strict selecting and keeping policy for plants enacted soon. If I were you, I would be damn happy that you can get by with the type of greenhouse you described. Our Ohio weather just wouldn't stand for that.
The above followup was added by Jay on September 28, 2006 at 5:04 pm PST.
Thats' one nice greenhouse and i like the patio section outside too. That's my dream greenhouse, great size and height! I live in California, bay area, the greenhouse you have is the size of my whole backyard.. I'm very limited on space.
Congratulations, one day I hope to have one too, although it'll probably have to be 1/3 of the size.
Meixue
The above followup was added by meixue on September 28, 2006 at 7:04 pm PST.
We passed the inspection. The first guy must have thought we were altering the frame of the house or something like that. He wanted us to get a structural engineer to verify the loads of the wall. That would have cost us up to $1000 if we had to do that. We somehow convinced the next guy we did no altering to the home. Whatever it was, it got our final over and done with. It's been a long long spring...summer...into fall. I can honestly say their has been damn little fun during this time passing. Lot's of frustration, stress, and pain. Not all of it was bad but I can assure you I'm awfully glad it's finished.
All the electrical gadgets and fogger is hooked up and running. The greenhouse controller is from Bartlett Instruments. Let me just say that these folks are the best there is. They really stand behind their product and their support is outstanding. I might go with a finer nozzle for the fogging system. The result is definitely a super fine mist but it is still more "wet" than I would prefer. It does the job though.
Now we have to get the funace in the basement installed and vented out thru the block of the house into the greenhouse. I believe my only contribution to this part of the project will be the knocking out of the block. We also have to clean the remainder of the glass...which means getting back on the roof again doing my highwire act along the bar caps! Not too bad until I'm working on the edges. Long way down and no soft spots to land on.
The most difficult part of all these projects is now upon me...the straightening up! I've got tools, leftover parts, trash, and Lord only knows what else scattered from the garage to the basement...which can hardly be navigated thru. Can't put it off any longer. Takes me 10 minutes to find a tool.
The above followup was added by Jay on September 29, 2006 at 4:04 am PST.
I dont know of anybody who regreted having a greenhouse-only not having a bigger greenhouse!. A slice of the tropics-maybe better in certain ways.
You might have left a small opening in the floor for in ground plants.Just to experiment. Some very greedy roots plants can be only be grown in open beds.
The above followup was added by Stan on September 29, 2006 at 11:01 am PST.
Jay,
I doubt that my planned GH will survive any extreme winds here either, but it is surprising how little is really required to hold something together. Ropes over the top of the film holding it down seem to make all then difference. Something like the inflated frameless GHs out there.
Can you give us your list of favoured plants to go in there?
The above followup was added by Ben on September 29, 2006 at 2:59 pm PST.
Stan, the floor is only covered in gravel. I do plan on planting some of my trees directly into the ground. Will be work though. Ground is as hard as crap and all clay and rock. Lots of amending as well.
Ben, right now the plants are just sort of lobbed in there. I'll have to wait until the heating is complete before finding a more permanent/likeable location for them. I will say the my tamarind has never looked so pretty since coming in. I'm hoping my rambutans and garcinia/rheedias appreciate the efforts I've gone to to provide the high humidity for them! I'm still bummed that my miracle fruit blooms dry up and drop. Same is happening with my sapodilla. Once things settle down, I'll be able to give them 100% attention.
The above followup was added by Jay on September 29, 2006 at 5:10 pm PST.
Keep it warm enough Jay, and Miracle fruits will reseed easily. And dont worry to much about the soil quality-once their roots are set free plants can gather more nutrients than they can ever get in a pot. That is a good sized greenhouse you have.The sky or roof is the limit.
The above followup was added by Stan on September 29, 2006 at 5:52 pm PST.
I know it`s not my bussines but would not be more "accurate" to plant hardier fruit trees in there (so you can actually get fruit from out of there?? Like mango, pouterias, jackfruit, jaboticaba, etc!!! It`s just my point of view. Rambutan seem VERY marginal even for a greenhouse, although it`s an interesting experiment.
Until recently I thought cacao was marginal for my area here in northwest Mexico till just a few weeks ago saw a big cacao tree (3m tall) with huge not side-burned leaves and flowering. I want a cacao now (already have T. longifolia and T. grandiflorum somewhat thriving).
The above followup was added by leonel on September 29, 2006 at 6:29 pm PST.
Those do great in greenhouses.
And a blooming theobroma Leonel isnt hard to do or find..getting it to crank out even a single pod is work-or luck.
The above followup was added by Stan on September 30, 2006 at 8:51 am PST.
What I meant is I already know other bearing specimens, but this one is just perfect (in comparison to the other not so beautiful trees). I loved the gigantic leaves, about 50cm long. cheers.
The above followup was added by leonel on September 30, 2006 at 10:38 am PST.
Leonel, I've been growing a lot of these in a spare bedroom for the past three years. It's been an experiment from day one my man! Everything I'm doing is a challenge. I aim to make it all work...sooner or later anyway. It's fun and I'm enjoying it. I believe all of us are keeping at least one plant variety on the edge of good sense!
The above followup was added by Jay on September 30, 2006 at 4:35 pm PST.
when I knew I will have a way way way smaller backyard that day I became free of ZDD. Now I only have space planting for things that I know they are capable of bearing fruit in here. I guess you can still dream with the help of ZDD (and your gh, of course). lucky you. >=\
The above followup was added by leonel on September 30, 2006 at 6:49 pm PST.
In TJ your only out of range of cocos and chocos or breadfruit...and in your other property in Sinaloa-you can grow those-i saw the pics of that huge breadfruit tree you have/had.
I take my world famous Hayward Mango over a peach tree..im not starving and whats the challenge-ha?..but yea,sure i also have citrus and avocado.But the challenge El Leonardo,the challenge!
The above followup was added by Stan on October 01, 2006 at 8:29 am PST.
yes "breadfruit" is not much of a challenge since it "just" gets its leaves burned each winter.
rambutan, pulasan, durian, some Eugenias are almost impossible to grow in here because lack of air humidity.
champedak, marang, cupuassu, some garcinias, some eugenias
The above followup was added by leonel on October 01, 2006 at 4:07 pm PST.
can`t read my unfinished prior post.
well, what I meant is lack of humidity and the 8ĒC during some time in winter is enough to make the real ultratropicals really impossible to grow them in here (tems above 40ĒC stress a lot tropicals). Those are a BIG challenge for myself which because of lack of space am not willing to take (and are really a pain in the rear to try those in here, LOL). That`s the challenge for those who live in the dry tropics.
>=D
The above followup was added by leonel on October 01, 2006 at 4:18 pm PST.