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Greenhouses & Garden Structures

Greenhouse plans anyone???

17 years ago

Hi,

I am wanting to build a greenhouse really bad, mainly b/c of the fact that i want to grow tropical plant that can't grow in NC (zone 7) such as coffee plants, and citrus, most, if not all of the things will be grown from seed which will be purchased from Seedmart (an ebay store). Also because i have just successfullly rooted about 18 Brugmansia angel trumpets, and dont want to put them all in my basement, lol, i'm rooting other stuff to. Anyways, i have looked and i didn't really find any that i like but i have seen pictures of greenhouses that i liked on here and i tried to find them again but couldn't, it needs to be pretty big but not hugs, like 20' by 15 or 20', and be able to stay at around 60-70 degrees during the winter. So, does anybody have any plans, or can someone help me out????? Thanks in advance!

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Comments (4)

bihai
17 years ago
UNless you are planning to collect rare and extremely ultratropical plants, no plant you would grow would need a round the clock winter temp of 60-70F. 70 daytime and 48-55 nighttime would be fine for most. Brugmansia actually prefer cooler temps and would be fine in a GH that was kept at 40-45F at night, but other things you had might not be happy then.
Unless you are going to grow stuff like heliconias, ultratropical gingers, Episcias, maybe Taccas and some of the more tropical orchids, cold sensitive palms (most of which palms can take to the high 30's-low 40's anyway) etc you would be wasting money to heat your greenhouse to 60F at night.
birdwidow
17 years ago
If you are going to build your own GH and aren't sure of exactly what you want or how to plan it, having 100's to look at, along with detailed plans to construct them should make your search for just the right one, that much easier.

It's also good to consider many different styles, to get a feel for what most appeals to you and would best fit your space, your growing needs and very importantly; your budget.

Type "Greenhouse Plans" into your eBay search bar and you will find many GH plans at low cost on CD. Ditto the Internet in general.
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I am currently in the process of designing final plans for my custom greenhouse. My best advice is to read and read some more, on every site you can, then digest it all and ask lots of questions on this forum. Read about kits, read about other peoples' experiences. Then formulate what you think you want to do with your greenhouse in the different seasons, and ask yourself which features of all the different greenhouses out there suit those needs and desires. Set your budget, and approach a builder (or assess your own building skills if you intend to build it yourself). Then ask more questions on this forum. There is a diverse group of greenhouse owners here who generously offer their particular expertise. Digest their advice, then redesign some more. That is my advice! I am currently finalizing plans with my builder, who I chose for his vast building experience in my climate and his interest in gardening and greenhouses. My greenhouse will not look like any other, will not be set up like any other, but for me will incorporate the best features for what I think will work in my harsh climate. I will happily share my plans with anyone interested once they are in final form. I would encourage you to "think outside the box" and make it yours by customizing to your needs. Just my thoughts! good luck-
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Besides the extra support, have you taken into account the extra weight of the snow load/wind you might have during the winter? Too light a material and you'll be replacing it every year.
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Good point lol. My main plants I am planning to grow would be various cactus breeds, so humidity control would be quite necessary. I can run power from my house to the greenhouse to run a couple fans during the day. I might end up buying a solar panel or 2 though, as it would be nice not have to worry about outside power. I am still debating whether I want the plants inground or not. Im thinking just in large pots/containers, and posswibly making a solid floor out of concrete or something of the sort. Still debating that. I might just leave the floor as dirt at first and see where the sun hits the floor. Being that it is 5 foot deep I think some of my plants need to be on tables. And I plan on having my larger cactus in 20-30 gallon tubs. So a solid floor might be the way to go for me, but not quite sure yet.
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The whole idea of air exchange once a minute is good and it's a common practice, but my experience is that this is not sufficient for high intensity sun and single layer glazing. I installed multiple additional vents to get natural ventilation going before the fan kicks in. I want to grow vegetables to save money, have more variety and better food, but I don't want to be paying for it through higher electricity costs. Venting is done with a fan and vent for most of the year, and then I am relying on manual venting for the summer. Since you are building this from scratch, you also have an opportunity to install underground heating with Pex piping. This can be coupled with solar panels or a water heater of some sort. This type of feature is installed in all three of my greenhouses, and it makes a big difference in getting a jump on the season and extending the season. One concern I would have is installing overhead glass. It's heavy and potentially dangerous. Have you considered glass walls and a poly roof? Clair Here is a link that might be useful: Shop converted into a greenhouse
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wlvesrck
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks everybody, i was unclear i meant for it to be 60-70 during the day, it can be lower at night, i drew up a little sketch of a greenhouse i think we might do, it is 30' x 20'. wil have 4 vents on each side a fan in the back, and a door in the front (duh). Sound good so far?
birdwidow
17 years ago
Sounds great, but a suggestion: If you are going to frame it with wood, you might as well go to 32 ft, and keep the same stud centers on all sides.

BTW: If you build your GH with at least 7' sidewalls, why can't you put the door werever it best suits your planned interior layout?

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