I like the idea and the execution. Looking ahead, you need to anchor it for winds. With the rose on one side, it will have windage and get blown with your prevailing winds. You want some cords that tie down the pipes that are on the side that the prevailing winds come from. You also want at least two tiers of copper wires. (If you have an upholstery book, the 'knot' that's used to secure springs in sofas, etc. is the ideal knot for this sort of thing) The tiers of wire should be sort of equally spaced. They aren't for this year, but for two or three years down the road, then the weight of the canes (with wind) will be enough to torque the structure. It looks good the way it is, you don't want torqued bent pipes. Instead of buying copper wire, electrical wire (as in wiring houses) once the exterior casing is removed, has three wires that are good and sturdy. Find where someone's renovating a house.)

Visiting from Market Gardener forum, I didn't even know there was a greenhouse forum! Hope someone here can help me. I got some galvanized steel hoops (slightly bent but pretty good shape) from a nursery whose owner is retiring. Got the CCA baseboards and hipboards too, as well as the "receivers" that were hammered down 2 ft into the ground through holes drilled every 3ft in the baseboards. Not sure I can do that in my stony soil - looking to build up the sides so I have a straight 2ft tall sidewall before starting to curve, and then just "pinning" the baseboards into the ground with rebar. Hoops are 13'1" center to center, looks like 1 1/8" (OD) galvanized pipe. Couldn't get a good measurement of height or total length the way they're stacked, but I could barely reach the purlin when it was assembled so I will assume that even if they are "squished" so they're a little taller than 6' 6.5" (6'7" allowing for OD), the pipe was probably standard length for top rail - is that 21 or 22ft? Then of course they were set in "receivers" buried in the ground, with a bell end sticking up above the baseboards they were clamped to, so the ends of the hoops were about 6" off the ground (like B option above). I want to set them up even higher (buy new pipe to drive into the ground, use the old ones to connect them inside the sidewalls?), really like 2ft sidewalls so I can get over 8ft tall in the middle and have *some* room on the sides for crops. Also, I want to put the hip boards high enough to put gutters and downspouts on to try to put a couple of rainbarrels up for irrigation. Here's the problem - I have (I think) 46 hoops that were originally placed 3ft apart, using what I'm sure is CCA treated lumber. I could replace the lumber with new (saw some on Craigslist, right here in town, he's got 6 6x6x8ft posts and 19 2x8x8ft copper azole planks - that would give me 76ft in length if I used them as baseboards) - but still wouldn't be "organic" (not that I'm going for certification). Probably would have to replace all the fasteners anyway, lots of the clamps look white, not sure how long galvanized lasts even with CCA. Area where I have cleared is about 48x76, small rise to south but I don't think it blocks much sun (and I'm not growing 4 seasons), I can place it far enough away that I think I can catch southerly breezes (and it's a convenient place to put a tank if I want to pump into it - that's another story since GAP says not to use pond water). BUT... the land slopes from west to east, maybe a couple of feet over the 48ft width. Area is more level (maybe 2ft over 76 ft run) going N-S, with an existing swale to the north. Another rise (long ledge) running to the north, wooded, and wooded to the East (why I don't want to go farther than 48ft E-W, plus it drops off more sharply past that), but clear to the West. Prevailing winds are from the south here in the summer, according to expert in HT design at workshop I took a month ago. So what's the best orientation and size? 1 (or eventually 2) 76ft long tunnels running N-S (I don't think that's really best, maybe 1 but easternmost one would get shaded and ventilation affected by western one and not best use of prevailing winds), 2 (or eventually more since there's room, but endwalls are more expensive) tunnels running E-W (but have to build up sidewalls to level them on east end, plant taller crops on east?, same problem with shading from southernmost tunnel(s), ventilation affected?)? Also looks like Farmtek's standard greenhouse film comes only in 24ft or 32ft wide rolls, so no burying edges with 24ft, lots of waste with 32ft if I try for 2ft tall sidewalls? Will 24ft wide work if I plan on rolling up sides anyway, and stack hay bales against the sides during colder months (again, just looking to extend the season a month or so in each direction)? IF we put the houses running N-S, we could make them shorter than 76ft and then move them since the area is more or less level in that direction. Don't know if that really matters since I'm not sure how many different types of crops I'd be growing, but if going N-S for another reason, I'd probably use make it/them movable for flexibility in the future. TIA

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

I use those 4' orange electic fence stakes from home depot (about $1 a piece)for lots of things in the yard & gardens. Pound it in the ground and then slide the PVC pipe over it and into the soil a bit. Set out several of these with holes drilled in the PVC pipe and string wire through them to make a fairly sturdy, portable & cheap trellis. I use these stakes to build easy fencing. I use plastic cable ties to secure wire or plastic mesh fencing to them. Because I dislike the orange and it stands out like a sore thumb, I paint my stakes black. Pound 2 rows of these stakes in the ground about 4' apart and slide each end of a flexible PVC pipe over them, making an arch. Cover this with garden cloth or plastic to protect plants. I "sew" the fabric to the pvc with fishing line. If you are using plastic, cut some flaps in it, to keep it from blowing away in a big wind. I use them to brace non secured retaining walls. At my old house I built a raised bed using them to hold the lumber together. I drilled holes in the timbers and slid them over the stakes, then I lined the interior side with heavy plastic.