Hi megdagooch and goodluck with your new greenhouse. What kind of plants do you like to grow?

Hi feisty! Thank You. I have tomatoes, hot peppers, g.beans, peas, pumpkins and gourds for the vegetable garden. Holly hocks and liatris started for the flower garden, and herbs for the pots on the deck. I like any kinds of plants, really. I am still growing seeds that I traded years ago. This is going to be a long week, the weather on the weekend is going to be beautiful and I plan to put up the greenhouse, how will I ever make it to Sat?

Welcome Megdagooch;

Which model of HFGH did you purchase and where are you located?

Dave
Milwaukee

Megdagooch, welcome ... glad you joined the discussion.

Diane
with a 6x8 HFGH and obsessed with gardening along the Jersey shore.

I got the 6x8 GH. I live in upstate NY. I think I have gone Greenhouse crazy. I keep checking back just soI can look at everyone else's HFGH and drool. Oh I cant wait!

So, mega ... tell us how you plan to use your greenhouse. Just as a season extender and for starting seeds or for wintering over tender plants or growing through the winter (tropicals/tender plants, veggies, etc.)

Notice I said "plan", because that can easily change (read "expand") ... at least it did for me once I got started.

While you're waiting ... Have you searched back and read the threads with all the hints and tips on building this greenhouse? Lots of good tips and ideas here.

Good luck this weekend - please let us know how it goes.

Di

Di,
I plan on starting seeds in my greenhouse, I think it would be a nice dream if someday I could grow in the winter. How nice to have a nice green place to go to when it is all snowy white outside.
What did you expand from and to?
I did do a search of the other threads, and they are bookmarked, I imagine myself out side putting it together, with a piece in my hand and my lap top on the ground going "now does this look like their picture?":)

This was to be an experimental winter, with plans to maybe just keep the GH at 40 or above to overwinter some marginal/tender plants, also to extend the season spring and fall. So I put the containers of annuals in there before frost got them, and the hanging basket cherry tomato, a few perennials that didn't get planted, potted up some herbs to harvest through the winter. They all seemed so happy I moved a couple of miserable houseplants out there and they perked up. That's when I started nudging the thermostat up to 50, since 40 wasn't so costly, after all. Couldn't resist that freesia at HD ... and the Reiger begonia. Moved more houseplants out there. Took advantage of the conditions to try rooting the winter pruning of the rose bushes and force spring-flowering bulbs in succession to bring inside at their peak. Sowed some leftover lettuce seed, and then some peas ... started cuttings of plants I normally wouldn't try ... bought three more orchids. It's going to be a little tight to fit the tender seedlings in there, but will do it.

It has been a great retreat all winter, even for other family members who don't garden; it's a great place to sit with a warm beverage and good book. The fish pond is nearby, so there's the sound of the waterfall, and the late afternoon sun reflecting off the water dances on the walls of the greenhouse.

Take your time building, use common sense and the wonderful tips people posted and you'll do fine.

Di

That sounds great! You actually have space to sit in your GH?
I am thinking twice now about doing it this weekend. There is only going to be 1 nice day and this might take longer, I dont want to be stuck in the middle of a project. I might jusst do it in the garage,we'll see. Shopping for accessories instead might hold me over.
We have vacationed in Seaside Heights, NJ. Are you close?

Di,
How long have you had the greenhouse? How do you heat it? Do you have any pic's?
Meghan

Meg,

I made sure to leave room for a chair! It's just an old leftover resin patio chair, but it's enough.

Best not to rush the assembly. If you want to build it in the garage and then move it that's fine, especially if you have two people; it's very light, you just want to be careful not to twist the frame or anything. We got the lumber for the foundation laid out, levelled and squared, assembled the frame of the GH and set it on the foundation to make sure all was aligned, then tightened up the foundation and fastened down the GH. (If you use treated lumber for the foundation, don't forget to use some kind of barrier between it and the aluminum base - we had some insulating tape on hand, someone said roofing felt works well.) After everything was secured (and my son checked once more to make sure it was square), we put the panels in. I later added self-adhesive weatherstripping to the panels and sealed tiny gaps in the frame with caulk.

We bought and assembled the GH the first week of November, 2005. I've been heating it with an electric, 750/1500 watt DeLonghi convection heater. I really wanted an oil-filled type, but could not get my hands on one easily and cold weather was approaching. Until I got the heater, we found a 500-watt worklight kept the chill out. For backup in case of a power failure, we have a Coleman SportCat catalytic heater - package says it's a 1500 BTU unit and will run up to 14 hours on one 16 oz. propane cylinder, but we've not tried it out yet.

I added 1" foil-faced foam board insulation along the north wall and the north one-third of the east and west walls. Eventually ordered a clear solar pool cover and that was big enough to "gift wrap" the whole greenhouse with a little left over. I cut three wide strips of some leftover to hang, slightly overlapping, inside the greenhouse door to help reduce draft there.

I sent for some U-clamps so I could hang baskets, but wound up slipping a couple of long, sturdy bamboo poles through them, from which I can hang baskets, tools, etc. on S-hooks. This way I can slide things to where I want them, and three rafters share the weight.

Below is a link to some early photos taken as I was moving in ... wow, haven't looked at those in a while; it's a lot more crowded in there now! Time to get some new ones. The bench is a length of white cedar picket fencing - a fence mfr/retailer nearby sells their seconds for $12/8' section; my son sawed off the pickets above and below the horizonals and attached legs. I've since added a coated wire shelf (leftover from a closet project) attached to the end wall and some white plastic shelves from HD, so nothing matches, but it all works.

Ah, Seaside is where it REALLY begins to feel like the shore. We're about 30-40 minutes north of Seaside, closer to Asbury Park and Belmar and right on the Shark River - I was captivated by its tidal marshes and the wonderful variety of birds they attract.

Good luck this weekend - hope the weather holds for you. It was a delightful 69 degrees here this morning - I had to step outside to make sure my thermometer wasn't broken!

Di

Here is a link that might be useful: Early greenhouse pics

Di,
Thanks for all the info. It is so helpful. I tried to look at your photos but couldn't. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
Well, the green house is up....waaayyy up. The 1 side ended up a whole foot higher, due to my "hill". We got a little rain on Sunday putting the panels in. DH took the day off today because he wanted to work on it.
I want to go put my resin chair in now and just admire the beauty of it:)