Looks a lot more functional than some kits I've seen, and that's what it's all about!

I still need to insulate the back wall then cover it with Mylar. I'm hoping to run a 20" wide shelf in the back where I can raise about 200 seedlings but I don't know if the tomatoes will allow that or not.

Mike

Hey, I like it. And it's not so very ghetto. There was another post a while back about a ghetto greenhouse from a guy who threw a plastic tarp over his patio table and stuck his plants under it. Now, I wouldn't call that ghetto either, more like a thrify greenhouse.

Building from cast-off items is a green idea that is very timely. We had a beach cottage that was built entirely out of used building materials and it stood for over 52 years. Ike wiped it out, but it was one of the best childhood memories that I had, drafty, rickety and patched up as it was. You will have a lot of fun with your greenhouse. And part of the enjoyment that you will have is knowing that you built it yourself.

Cheryl

Looks great to me. I guess you could call mine a ghetto greenhouse too. I built it out of junk found in people's trash and at constrution sites. It's a 6' X 8' very well insulated hoop house. I heated it with Christmas lights. It was comfy enough that I had my coffee in there every morning and I'd often sneak out there just to sit and read surrounded by flowers while the snow fell outside and it got down to -10*. I'm sure you will love your greenhouse and it will work well for you.

Mike, paint is with some fun colors and it would be CUTE COTTAGE not Ghetto!!!!

Your innovation is terrific! You'll have a great chance to try things out and find out what suits you. I bet many of your friends will wish they had one like yours!

Mike, I like it. It looks like it will work and I'm with Buyorsell888 a little paint goes a long way. My DH and I built a GH from free windows and doors this summer and I'm eager to see how it works for over wintering my plants. Here is a pic of mine. Syble {{gwi:190100}}

Mike, your greenhouse is JUST ABOUT what I want - looks terrific!

I have a question: I want to buy pressure-treated plywood sheets and have my son-in-law build it so it can be dismantled when I move.

Can you give me some plans on how to do this? I want the sides, floor, roof and door all to be constructed from this plywood. We are thinking of using a base of bricks for the floor and cutting out a space to put a window in.

Does this sound like it could work? Thanks!

Syble,

Yours looks like something one would buy at Home Depot and have a professional put together - what a great job you both did! I see you even have a security system in place.

Mike

kayjones,

I would not put a wooden roof up - you need sunlight coming through it. Otherwise, I simply used 4x4 treated posts and placed them 4' off center and then placed 2x4 in between the 4x4's. Very much like a pole barn.

Mike

Yes that was me with the patio table 'greenhouse'. It worked well for the tomato plants getting too large under the lights in the basement too fast last April. It wasn't a tarp I used, but one of the thick plastic covers that come on a brand-new sofa. I just slipped it over the glass table and used some rocks to weigh it down along the sides. I'll have to use it again next year. The funny part is we didn't use the table all summer for actual recreation and eating. The table just sat out on the deck in the hot sun un-used. lol
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The new owner of the house next to mine gave me the trampoline in the back yard the other day. It won't fit in my yard and the jumping surface is cut-up in spots. I have removed the 'legs' of the thing.. which are 1.5" metal pipes that fit together into large a 'U'. There are 6 of these U's. I plan to hammer them into the garden soil and throw some plastic sheeting over them for a row cover 'hoop house' (or in this case.. "The House of U"). LOL

I could be wrong here, but I don't think it is necessary to have windows on the roof. If I am incorrect, please correct me. I am saying this more out of my own ignorance and curiosity. I am looking into building my own "ghetto" greenhouse, and am looking at all possible options.

My understanding is that there is more than enough light coming in the side windows for plants to "winter over". The side windows would allow plenty of light (and heat) into the greenhouse in the daytime, primarily, because the sun is much lower on the horizon than it is during summer. Secondly, at night, a solid, insulated ceiling would retain far more heat than the glazing. If the interior of the greenhouse is light colored, and the ceiling is also a light color, the light would reflect around quite a bit, and give the plants plenty of light.

Anyway, my thinking is that heating at night and needing to vent during the day would not make the project a worthwhile effort, economically or convenience-wise. By limiting the amount of light that can come in slightly, we decrease the need to vent. Also, by limiting the glazing area, the surface area to lose heat overnight would also be diminished. And, as heat rises, insulating the ceiling (even using something with an R factor as low as 3) would drastically reduce heat loss.

Am I way off base, or is there a bit of logic in this?

(I remember someone here saying something to the effect of, "if you are cooling during the day, and heating at night, you want to rethink your design.") I am trying to do that. ;-)

A lot depends on the size of your GH. If it is just 6x6 or 6x8 then you may get enough light in to cover the plants in the middle/back. But if it is 12x16, those same plants will get next to no direct light, only ambient light.

If you use a double layer of glazing, especially with something like IR film, I don't think the heat loss will be intolerable. I'm running a 20,000 BTU kerosene heater as low as I can (maybe 6000-7.000 BTU) Last night, it was 42 degrees outside and 64 inside, and that is with only a single layer of 13 mil. GH plastic, plus several air leaks.

I'm in Cincinnati and heating/cooling is always going to be a major problem in October and March. It can be 32 degrees one night and three days later be 80. And that's without counting the effect of the sunshine. I've seen the temps go from 42 to 105 in one day but the high temp was only 70.

Mike

I guess that explains that.

I am considering a 6 foot wide lean-to GH. I wouldn't expect the sunlight to be an issue in that width (which is something I didn't mention is my earlier post).

Thanks!

Personally, I'm considering a GH to simply propogate plants in the spring, and extend the season in the late fall/early winter, if possible, without any extra heating. (I'm in the suburbs of Philly and our lows generally aren't less than 20, and only occasionally lower than that ever!) My goal in the winter would be to overwinter some root/cole crops that can really tolerate some lower temps without too much difficulty. Fresh cabbage, rutabaga, broccoli, beets and parsnips (maybe some spinach and lettuce too!) would really make me happy in the middle of winter. If I could keep the temp above freezing that would be enough to protect those plants, IMO, and eating those fresh from my own "garden" would make my day in winter!!!

eagles,

Since installing another layer of IR film, I've been able to keep the overnight temps in the mid 50s using only a 1200 watt heater. Our lowest temps have been in the mid 20s.

Everything had been running off an extension cord but yesterday I installed three outlets and a light switch. If I was running everything, the heater, fan, lights, air pump and radio, I would still be pulling less than 1600 watts.

Mike

That is encouraging to know.

What type of ventilation do you have in that GH? Is it automated, or are you doing it manually? How hot has it gotten in there?

Thanks for all the info!

eagles,

Manual ventilation - I have to go out and open the door then close it! Normally, it's been staying from 55 degrees of a morning to about 85-90 during the day (if it is sunny). I open it when the temps get to about 80, earlier if I have to leave for the day.

One morning I forgot and it was 115 for a few minutes. Didn't hurt anything but I wouldn't want it to stay like that very long.

Almost all of my plants, both the ones in hydro and dirt are buried almost to the tops of the buckets/pots. I figure that has to keep the roots happier; even though the dirt and water will not fluctuate a lot during a day, the water could go up or down five degrees or more, depending on how warm and especially sunny it is outside. It was a PITA digging out the trenches, especially since there use to be a huge tree just a few feet away and there are still monstrous roots. But now that everything is filled in, it has to be better for the plants.

I even did the Florida Weave on eight plants yesterday. They are only about 2' tall but weren't strong enough to stand up straight on their own, even though I have been running a fan about eight hours a day. I turned it up a notch today which should also help with pollination.

Mike

Am I the only person here who finds the term "ghetto greenhouse" to be insensitive at a minimum and perhaps offensive in that by extension of meaning it paints such a negative racial sterotype? I believe junk-yard, cast-off, recycled or re-purposed would be a more sensitive description.

>> Am I the only person here who finds the term "ghetto greenhouse" to be insensitive at a minimum and perhaps offensive in that by extension of meaning it paints such a negative racial sterotype? I believe junk-yard, cast-off, recycled or re-purposed would be a more sensitive description.So sue me.

Mike

wordwiz's use of the word ghetto to describe his greenhouse, is dead-accurate - photos are convincing . . . ghetto engineering fo-sure. :)

I'm hoping to get my own ghetto greenhouse going soon. I have saved glass doors and windows for the project.

I have seen some wonderful looking ghetto greenhouses brightly painted and blending into their environment quite nicely. Making something from salvage windows can produce a greenhouse that is much more pleasing to the eye than the more typical greenhouse.

My biggest regret is that I wish the windows in the front/center were taller. or various reasons, I like to bury the containers in dirt, almost up to their top. So I have to wait until the plants in the front row get about 2' tall. Currently, they are setting above the trench, getting lots of light but hopefully soon, I can set each pot in a tub of water, let soil mix at the bottom get super saturated, then stick them in their home for the next several weeks.

It's a tradeoff. I could have gone chic and used poly walls (and spent a bunch of money) or go ghetto, save the bucks and in time have the same outcome.

Mike