My Poly Inflation system.

A laundry tub drain fitting, a chunk of old vacuum cleaner hose, some duct tape, a blower from an old PC (not the fan type, a squirrel cage) and a couple of small lead acid batteries from a junked electric scooter.

It runs on 12 volts, uses 1.8 watts and inflates my poly very well. I don't need power to the greenhouse as all I do is swap the batteries every 3-4 days.

Cost me four bucks for a new sink drain.

WOW ! How creative! I love stuff that is cheap and recycles! I always get in trouble keeping stuff that I think I can use in a project. We were just driving behind Wal Mart and saw some cool stuff sticking out of the dumpster. It would make awesome shelves. I hope I can talk DH into going back withh the truck tomorrow.

I have a custom built watering system that was fun to put together and saves me a lot of time. I have three 55 plastic containers I store water in and a pump and sprinkler timer to feed water via a drip irrigation system. I have drippers on the end that allow me to control how much water comes through.

A few years ago I received some self watering seed starting trays from Lee Valley. They worked really well, but were too expensive to use throughout my greenhouse. So I built my own with using six packs and black trays I already had and an old wool blanket and some foam.

How is everybody?

A few things might qualify, I guess. My overhead mist system is controlled by a mister controller (10 sec every 20 minutes or whatever) but I didn't want it coming on and keeping the foliage wet when it was cool or cloudy. So I ran the 24VAC misting controller signal to a relay and ran the power to the misting system valve from the climate controller. This way I get mist on schedule, but only when temps get to the point where it is needed.

The second thing would be a power loss backup system for the overhead mist. I got a normally open 120VAC solenoid valve and connected it as proximally in my power system as possible. Then I put this valve on another line to the overhead mist system parallel to the regular mister water supply. As long as I have power, the valve is closed and no water goes through this line. But in the event of loss of power, the valve will open and mist will come on...the idea being, it will keep things alive until I can get home, hook up the generator, and problem solve. (Only used in the hotter months, obviously)

The third thing would be my potting bench. I salvaged a stainless steel dishwashing sink from an old restaurant and refitted it for the GH. It's long and deep with a dish sprayer for watering and a small shallow sink. I ran the line from the deep well to the sprayer for watering.

Robert

I love the Potting bench, My Mother-in-law has a spare kitchen sink, I know I had to help move her, and I made the wrongr, joke, so she showed me she did have a kitchen sink

I have a greenhouse pond and a new greenhouse stream.
I haven't plantscaped the stream yet (and ran out of rocks, need to get some more to finish hiding the liner) but its on its way. Plantscape starts the weekend. Here's a few pictures:

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I love the watering ideas. I think a person has more pride in something if they made it themselves, anybody can buy it at the store, but when you make it with your own 2 hands it means more. My old green house was all home made with recycled things. There was nothing special about it, but it did feel very quaint. I used the plastic bread trays that the stock people load bread onto the store shelves as my shelving. Just set them on cinder blocks. I had a couple of metal rake heads that I attached to the walls with the prongs out, I would hang all my tools off of. I would collect all these really old tools, and put them to use. People are always asking me what the heck they are.

The most neat thing about my greenhouse is that I have one. I know that sounds silly but I never dreamed that when I first asked for one the DH would think it was a great idea and then be so supportive of it.

I do have all the amenities, water, electric, heat, timers and such thanks to the hard work of my dear DH.

I do wish it were big enough for a beautiful pond like bihai's. I'm going to plagarize some of you folks ideas on a watering/misting set up if you don't mind.

The other neat thing is to be able to walk in there in the middle of winter and see and smell beautiful blooms. Petunias and snap dragons in hanging baskets at Christmas is awesome.

Cindy

In the greenhouse at my parents house, we built a watering system w. pvc, lawn sprinklers, and 70' of garden hose

With all these great ideas I think I will have fun coming up with a watering system
Bihai-That IS neat! How big is your greenhouse
Vamptoo- I know what you mean about just having one is neat. We put my HFGH up last weekend, it is not ready for plants yet but I like looking out the window and seeing it there.

Megdagooch,
my GH is 1730 sq ft. Its "naturally planted" for the most part, things are planted directly into the ground. I am working on getting EVERYTHING that way, and on mounting and having all the other stuff like orchids and bromeliads mounted.

bihai
Great look! What is your greenhouse design? Any chance of posting an external shot?
Thanks!

Wow Bihai! That is bigger than my house! You could go into business and start charging people to come to your rainforest! How cool, your very own rainforest and pond to visit whenever you wast. Do you have a special spot where you hang out in there? I picture one of those round iron cafe' tables tucked away in a corner with green fronds draped all around.

I have a cement bench in front of a large Heliconia "Criswick" that fronts the pond. When I first planted the greenhouse I was in a rush. We moved to this house about 3 years ago this week. I commissioned to have the greenhouse built by a company in Central FL. But I had to go through all sorts of BS with the local government about permitting....basically them saying I needed permitting when I really didn't. They set me back about a month. By the time the greenhouse construction was complete, it was October. October is still hot here, but we can have high 30's in November. I had all these plants in 20-30 gal containers...heliconias, etlingeras, unusual calatheas...as well as 400 orchids and a bromeliad collection of about 150 plants and other assorted stuff...I needed to get it in fast. So I laid out a schematic and planted all the big plants.

Within 8 months of going into the ground, the plants almost all doubled in size. Things that reference materials said would only get 8 ft were 14-15 ft, it was CRAZY. Stuff was getting shaded out.

I started on a long range plan to eliminate some stuff that I felt I could do without. I decided to keep only the "cream of the crop". I pared a heliconia collection of over 40 different cultivars down to about 15. Since then I have pared it down even further. Anything that could survive zone 8B as a perennial went out into the yard. Lots of stuff got dug up and put back in pots.

That's where I am now. I am about to re-landscape the greenhouse with all the stuff I decided I couldn't live without. I put in the pond and then the stream, and am ready to go to town.

We live on 5 acres and got this land and a large house for a lot less than you would think at the time when interest rates were ROCK BOTTOM. We sold our old house for 1 1/2 times what we paid for it, which was a surprise to us. Everything just kind of worked together to allow me to get this built.

Its nothing fancy on the outside, just a steel frame, foundationless building glazed with single thickness corrugated clear Lexan. The problem here in FL is not heating in winter..the real challenge is cooling in summer.

NOTHING SPECTACULAR, BUT IT WORKS FOR ME. I HAVE SEVERAL COMPOST BINS, IN VARIOUS STAGES OF REDINESS UNDER SEVERAL TABLES. AS THE WEATHER GETS COOLER IT DOES GIVE OFF QUITE A NICE BIT OF EXTRA HEAT.

I CONTINUE TO STOAK THEM ALL WINTER SO THAT ON MANY COLD AND SUNLESS DAYS THE GH IS QUITE WARM.

Everything! The health and beauty of the plants. The cheerful blooms in the gloom of winnter. The 80F temp on the coldest days. The general peace and tranquility........

The second thing would be a power loss backup system for the overhead mist. I got a normally open 120VAC solenoid valve and connected it as proximally in my power system as possible. Then I put this valve on another line to the overhead mist system parallel to the regular mister water supply. As long as I have power, the valve is closed and no water goes through this line. But in the event of loss of power, the valve will open and mist will come on...the idea being, it will keep things alive until I can get home, hook up the generator, and problem solve. (Only used in the hotter months, obviously)

I think you mean normally closed relay - but it's open because the power is applied.

What is neat about my greenhouse? Well I keep fish in it, I grow plants on my south wall all the way to ceiling, I have a suspended creek bed, the cats can use it as outside that isn't outside, I've just published a paper on the thermal management, it helps heat our house, and it cost me less than $500 to build.

What don't I like? It leaks air like a tea strainer, nothing is square, it's too small (aren't they all?!), my watering system doesn't get into one corner and the plants keep dying there.

But I've got room to build another one next to it, and that's what I'll do when I get a chance.

I'm a newbie to GHing, just getting my first HFGH last fall.
This is my first spring trying to start veges in it. I kinda blew it and didn't use starting mix, just regular potting soil.
I ended up buying starts for this year. I'm hoping to do the starts right next year.
I did keep several plants that normally would freeze that did great in the GH!
I LOVED having it on cold , windy days in the winter to go out and sit in my lawn chair and read! MMMM Warm!
I already want a bigger GH! I'm creating a pottager in a side yard and the GH is a big part of that!
NT

No, I had it right. A normally open solenoid valve is "open when de-energized, allowing flow. When energized, the valve closes preventing flow." If everything is OK, it is closed because the power is applied.

Nathan, I would love to see some new pics of your wall. The last time we saw pics you were just getting started with it.

SB

I guess the only thing I do different is use gas heat....shhhhhhhhhhhh, thats a bad word. LOL

Hi
I started a seep wall in mine last March. Made from expanding foam and driftwood. Have been having a lot of fun experimenting with different kinds of plants and the hundreds of micro climates created by the water flow.
Used a 150 gallon aquarium as the reservoir which allows me to have underwater views as well as grow submerged plants. Last winter i heated the outdoor lily pool and connected it to the wall system .Hoping to add enough heat for some of the more delicate plants. Worked well but winter was very mild as was the cooler highs so not much of a test. Did have to replace the roof due to storm damage
and got a bunch of orchids with sunburn.lol looks like I'm only going to lose ywo but many got severe setbacks.
Decided to use various types of vines as the main shade source rather than shade cloth. Too early to tell how that's working.
I'm getting a lot more ants lizards and treefrogs than i estimated but I think that's mainly because of the severe drought.. It definitely is providing a nursery for the beasties though lol
gary

Stress: Sorry, I was thinking about relays. My camera has died, but I haven't forgetten your request.