My Father-in-law and I just finished a raised bed greenhouse. We live in cold clay soil that does not warm til mid June but the daytime temps are quite warm as early as late April. So we insulated the bed from the cold with 2" of dense foam and placed 18" of clay soil over the top. Then we put up 4x4's up to about 4 1/2 feet above the top of the soil and built a frame. Temporary plastic goes over the frame and a door is built in the side to open as needed. It works! The greenhouse heats up even on cloudy days and the soil is warmed greatly! I have melons and pumpkins starting to get second leaves - unheard of around here! Actually, melons are normally an impossibility in this cold clay soil. The plastic will come off in early June and will probably mulch with straw around the outside to help hold water. A picture is shown at http://wayneofthewoods.com/greenh8.jpg The steps used for building this are at the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Greenhouse Plans

The conophytums are all resting on a lower shelf where they only get late afternoon sun - I don't want them to burn. 2 weeks ago was their first real watering since the spring, a wake-up call so-to-speak, and it was enough to wake some of them up real fast. C. terricolor usually flowers this time of year, most others come next month and October, then there's a final push from the minusculums, my personal favorite because the flower bouquet is a super bright pink over tiny bodies - looks fake. I'll post pics as they come. It's nice to have others enjoy the experience, even if it is only pictures.

Thats wicked, I have 4 pawpaws the biggest is a seedling from a Davis cultivar almost 5ft the only grafted one I have is an NC-1 about 2.5 Ft right now. Also have quite a few tiny little seedlings of sugar Apple & Soursop and just one Cherimoya right now also got Atemoya in the works. I still have some seeds of atemoya, sugar apple and soursop if you want.

The amount of time spent inside the greenhouse makes it seem like I do live in there! Don't let all the green and such fool you. Lurking within that lush vegetation are always nasty surprises such as aphids and especially thrips. The sugar apples were good but just too darn many seeds for me to really enjoy the fruit. I've enjoyed the better cherimoyas more...so far. We'll see how future fruit pans out. I just attempted a few seedless sugar apple grafts onto the plants. Not too hopeful there seeing my grafting success with sugar apples has been the big ol goose egg..."0". The longan is finally getting some good size and growth on it. This has been one of those "black sheep" plants of mine...wanting to keep it but always on the verge of dousing it in lighter fluid and setting a match to it! When the plant arrived nearly 5 years ago, it was one of the worst looking plants I'd ever received or received since. Looked like it was airlayered from the ugliest, sickest, malformed looking branch on the tree...then potted up, thrown beneath a school bus on blocks, then attempted to grow up thru the engine and out the grill! Let's just say it hasn't been my favorite plant in the greenhouse. This year it has finally managed a turnaround in appearance and performance. There are still two final tests it must pass. To develop/hold fruit and for the fruit to be good. If it fails either...out it goes. Yes...it's a cruel environment. My greenhouse meets "Lord of the Flies". Darwin's rules compliment my own...if the plant doesn't perform(doesn't bloom or fruit), or the fruit doesn't taste good...then it must make room for a plant with more potential. If I had square acres under glass instead square feet, I would grant a little more slack!