I have just built a brand new 9x16 ft greenhouse in which I would like to grow orchids and winter my tropical patio plants. (Orange tree, fig tree, gardenia bush etc.) I live in Utah where it is very dry. I have the heater system; the automatic roof vents opening, an automatic fan, and a swamp cooler being hooked up to a master control system to regulate temperature. However, I need some advice on misting and watering systems. Will I need a mister on top of the swamp cooler for humidity with the orchids? If so do I do individual misters for the orchids? I have over 40 orchid plants. Do I do one throughout the greenhouse? Fog fans vs. nozzle systems etc. etc. With a swamp cooler can I do drip for the orchids? If I do mister for the orchids and drip for everything else, is that enough for the orchids? Or do I need drip and mister for each orchid? Another concern of mine is the glass windows. The green house is a very expensive beautiful centerpiece to our garden/patio. We have very hard water here, so I do not want to do something that will make the glass look horrible. Can we easily treat the water before it goes to the misters? If we do individual plant misters is window buildup a problem? etc. Does anyone know who can help me with all of the options and decisions??

We got everything put back together again yesterday, and the panels all screwed in place to the frame, so there's no moving them now. They're much more solid, even with just a few screws per panel...it's really amazing how well that works! One of the window vents is like greenhouser's now though...very much "stuck" in place (our frame got bent a bit with all the panels being torn out, and there's just no way to straighten it now). The other roof vent is so loose I have to keep it on with clamps. So rather than deal with those vents, I think we're just going to keep them shut for the most part, and I'll buy some auto-vents to put in the top front panel above the door, and the bottom of the far-back panel, and I'll use the fans for exhaust (I saw some in the Charlie's catalog that aren't all that expensive). I won't be using the greenhouse when it's super-hot out anyways (everything should be out of there by the middle of June), so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I can open the looser vent by hand if need be in May, but taking the insulation down at that time will probably help too. We also got a thermometer with a remote sensor this weekend, and set up the sensor in the greenhouse so we can start monitoring "normal" temperatures. It's pretty cool being able to tell the temperature in the greenhouse from my kitchen, and already this morning by 8am it was warmer than the outside temps by 4 degrees - on an overcast, snowy day (27 deg. outside, 34 in the greenhouse). A fun & useful gadget, to be sure, and we have no problem getting the remote signal in the house. We found an oil-filled electric heater this weekend as well...it was $40, but we figured the extra safety of not having semi-exposed heating coils or electrical was worth the cost. It has three levels, so I'll run it on the middle one (it will run more often, but not pull as much power), and it will work with a 14 gauge extension cord, so we'll get a 10 gauge for "extra" and it should be fine. The internal thermostat should be easy to set (same type as the one in my office). We picked up pavers from my MIL's house she didn't need anymore to create a solid base for the heater to sit on out there. I'm thinking of using foam insulation paneling all the way around the bottom of the walls about 1.5 ft. up (starting in the fountation), since bubble wrap is more expensive, and I won't be growing things that low anyways. Then I'll insulate the rest of the walls and the roof with bubble wrap, and hang a sheet of plastic inside the door. I'll get all that next Saturday, along with benches, fans, and a garden "sink" (that hooks up to a hose). Slowly but surely...all the seeds I planted this weekend should have a good home to grow out in by next Monday.

My greenhouse has both Bayless and Univent openers. Both brands work well. Replaced one power tube after five years use on one, with the others still working fine after 8 years.

The stumble link didn't work for me... try this: http://www.aes.missouri.edu/bradford/education/solar-greenhouse/solar-greenhouse.php A couple of things that i question... Blowing cold outside air into the air gap just lowers the temp in there. I'd be inclined to see if there is any difference in just letting the air remain stagnant. They have some tall plants in front of the barrels. I wonder if that reduces their efficiency at absorbing heat? If not, then there's no reason for them to be black, is there? It sounds decent but I'm happy with my design too (so far) so i wouldn't switch to this one. I don't like the need for underground insulation. I wonder how much the north wall being insulated cuts down on reflected light. SOme plants, like cole crops need as much light as possible so blocking a whole wall I'd imagine cuts off lots of reflected light from winter snows. I wonder if that limits what can be grown even more? All in all, i'd be interested in hearing more about your results should you build one of these. Poppa