PVC greenhouse

kuroc

16 years ago

I live in zone 8A would a greenhouse built out of PVC and plastic sheeting be good for me?

Also is it possible to make your own snap clamps?

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Comments (8)

kuroc
Original Author
16 years ago
Here a crude drawing of the green house I want to build.

{{gwi:299704}}

I want 3 feet of the greenhouse underground. With cinder blocks as the wall. And 4 foot above ground. I want the water barrels to be at least 4 foot high so the staging will be above the ground.

The greenhouse is going to be 8 by 10 foot.

So what do you guys think of my idea so far?
wetfeet101b
16 years ago
The dimensions look good (as far as I know).
My concern with PVC pipe structures is their ability to withstand high winds. But perhaps high winds is not an issue in your area?
And it does not snow there, right?

What size PVC pipes are you planning to use? I think that as long as the PVC pipes are not spaced too far apart, the structure should be ok.
Perhaps some horizontal PVC pipes should be used also to support the vertical wall pipes.

Plastic sheets (or greenhouse-grade plastic sheets) are good. However, they do deteriorate relatively fast and need to be replaced frequently. Specially in climates that get baking sun.
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If you are going to use four 10ft lengths, one on each side and two for the top, your total distance ground to ground would be 40ft. From that you can figure the poly width which depends on base board and attachment system. That's a big greenhouse for PVC! Are you sure it will stand up the the wind and snow? I'd say not in CO unless you have an incredibly sheltered location.
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My experience is that PVC fittings break. PVC pipe bends in ways you don't want it to bend. If you're determined to use PVC anyway, study how metal pipe frame greenhouses are built and try to do something similar on a smaller scale. Make bracing connections to more PVC (or wood) using metal plumbers' strap and nuts and bolts. This will allow more flexibility in the joints. I've got plenty of broken pipe and twisted carriage bolts to show what a direct bolt hole through the pipe will do. If you have to put a bolt through, glue in wooden plug reinforcements to drill through. If you're going to sleeve PVC over rebar, sleeve a smaller bit of PVC (longer than the rebar stub) inside first to reinforce and spread the load at the pressure point. If you want advice on your build, post pictures of what you have in mind. It's hard to envision exactly what your structure will look like from just "a PVC greenhouse". Tell us about size and height. Tell us about shape (gothic arch, gable, round arch, low arch on kneewalls like Jay Slick's, etc). Tell us about frame spacing and what you'll have for purlins. I personally like wooden strapping and wood block gothic arch frames. They're easy to build, cheap, shaped to shed snow and wind, and they're very strong. You can fasten to it easily. In my limited experience, PVC is only suitable for very small houses, or for houses that will be disassembled and moved periodically on the shoulder seasons and left uncovered (no snow/wind loads) in the winter. Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening The Hard Way
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I built a low tunnel out of PVC. The most important thing I found when dealing with snow was a brace along the underside of the ridge. For a high tunnel you would probably need more bracing. Also make sure it is securely anchored to the ground. My low tunnel was destroyed when the light structure broke off the foundation and was blown up in the air and then smashed into the ground.
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kudzu9
16 years ago
Are the cinder blocks going to be mortared together? Even if they are, are you sure that you won't have groundwater or moisture in-seepage? You don't want to be gardening in 2" of water. Also, how do you intend to tether the PVC to the foundation? That amount of surface area with such a light structure could cause problems in a strong wind.
lilydude
16 years ago
Does anyone know about the life expectancy of PVC? I've heard that ten years is about the max.
wetfeet101b
16 years ago
>>Does anyone know about the life expectancy of PVC? I've heard that ten years is about the max.

Check out this link.
It has extensive information about a specific brand of PVC pipe.

Here is a link that might be useful: PVC FAQ
ole_dawg
16 years ago
WETFEET,
Great site and it just answered my question I was about to post. Thanks
wildair2
16 years ago
Heres what I did, about 7-8 yrs ago. Got the idea from Elliot Coleman, who had a gardening show called Gardening Naturally. Great Show. I used pvc and built a hoop style greenhouse, 12' by 20'.Inside the pvc I put rebar. The rebar was a foot longer than the pvc.The rebar stuck in the ground(about 6inches)inside of another, slightly larger,wider 6inch pipe, which was driven in the ground to soil level.And yes, the rebar was able to flex to form arches.To connect the arches together I used nylon rope. Rope ran from end to end. At every arch there was a clovehitch knot. Which alowed the greenhouse to "give". I strongly recomend using "Tufflite" greenhouse plastic. I ordered mine from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. Kinda pricey, with shipping and all. But very worth it! I've reused mine now for over 7 years and is still in good shape. I live in very hot n humid conditions, so I take plastic off in summer, put shade cloth over structure till colder weather.Hope this makes sense to you and good luck! Wildair
oakhill (zone 9A, Calif.)
16 years ago
Kuroc,
If you need a plan for a 12 X 16 pvc-polyethylene greenhouse, please see the attached link.

Here is a link that might be useful: pvc greenhouse plan

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PVC greenhouse

Comments (8)

kuroc
Original Author

wetfeet101b

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PVC greenhouse

Comments (8)

kurocOriginal Author

wetfeet101b

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lilydude

wetfeet101b

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oakhill (zone 9A, Calif.)

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kuroc
Original Author