What's the deal?

[gunslinger]

Nobody here has a greenhouse? We have 3 and I'm fixin' to put up another one pretty soon. Actually, I've been putting it off so I can work on some other projects. If you know what I mean. But I'd bet it won't be long before Mrs. Gunslinger pulls the plug on the welder.

 

[deejaydebi]

Tom -


I have little greenhouse boxes made out of old windows does that count?

 

[smoked]

the little one I had was destroyed in a major windstorm a year ago......have yet to fix it or build a new one.......but it's on the list of to-do's

 

[cajun_1]

Sorry Gunny, No greenhouse.

 

[gunslinger]

I think it counts. My wife started out with a small one on wheels. She'd roll it outside everday.What we have now isn't big by any means. They are all 6X8. You can get them at Harbor Freight for 299, on sale. We've had great luck with them. I just added auto window openers this year. We'll see how they work out.

 

[smoked]

we have given thought to the harbor freight ones also.....I think they have 3 sizes now as well!!!!!

 

[shellbellc]

always wanted to dabble in a green house but never really went with it because of the expense. Those at harbor freight are a great price. Even the 10 x 12 is only $599! Do you use them all winter? Do you have heaters in them?

 

[deejaydebi]

Tom-
My garden is in raised beds positioned in the shape of an octagon (we grow BIG rocks up here). I have conduits around the outter beds with weed wacker string to run tomatoes and beans up. Come fall I wrap the whole thing in plastic sheeting to extend the growing season a bit- it's an almost like a green house. Just not permanent.

 

[deejaydebi]

Tom-
My garden is in raised beds positioned in the shape of an octagon (we grow BIG rocks up here). I have conduits around the outter beds with weed wacker string to run tomatoes and beans up. Come fall I wrap the whole thing in plastic sheeting to extend the growing season a bit- it's an almost like a green house. Just not permanent.

 

[gunslinger]

Although we were blessed with really mild winters for about 3 years (this year has not been mild), I don't think we have the climate (as a rule) to grow hot house veggies. So our greenhouses sit all winter. Southern Arkansas is about as far north as you'll find hot housing, I think.

 

[gunslinger]

Debi, if removed ALL the rocks from our garden, we'd have no soil.
I started digging out for our basement last fall and hit a rock. A ROCK!! They figure it to be around 100+ tons. It will have to be blasted out. I have a team that does the blasting at our quarry coming out this spring to take care of me. $$$$$$$!!!!!
I used to haul aggregate over the road for a huge asphalt company. They had portable plants all over the country. I swear, besides Weeping Water Nebraska (the biggest solid limestone deposit in the world), these Ozarks have more rock that anywhere I've ever been.
We used planting beds for the last 4 years. I like them. But this year, the misses wants to go back to rows. I don't know why. The garden is hers, so I just takes orders and do what she wants. I just reap the benefits.
Another way to extend your season is to start a little earlier and use row covers, to keep the heat in and the frost out. This particular row cover is white and somewhat like the material you might see under a bed box spring or a recliner. We use it, and then when everything takes off good, we use mosquito netting to keep the bugs off. Everything is watered from soaker hoses.
The garden is 80 X 80, and as soon as we get our new house built and tear this one down, it will grow to about a full acre.
We put up a lot of veggies and meat, because with my job, we never know if I'm going to be off due to weather. And I'm a Teamster, so under the guidelines of our contract, we have to be available for work until 10:00 am. So it's impossible to find alternative day work. And I gave up nights when I came in from driving OTR.
My wife sells plants, honey and eggs for something to do. She's a stay at home Mom and the older and more independent the kids get, the more projects she needs to pass the time. She is a reading machine though. She spends a little time at the library at least every other day. I don't know how she does it. It makes me tired just thinking about it. And the funny thing is; when I met her 14 years ago, she wouldn't even mow her own lawn. She is a country girl though, born and raised on an big Iowa farm, so it doesn't take long to get a farm girl back into the swing of things.
Wow! Talk about getting off the subject....... Your garden/sorta greenhouse sounds nice.

 

[webfoot]

Being a newbie here and like all newbie do, we sometimes comment on OLD threads.

I have one of the green houses Gunslinger mentioned, HF. Bought it last yr and it survived winter and few fairly good blows. Had to replace one lost panel. Parts prices are decent. The unit itself is of decent qlty but the instructions could use some improvement. For anyone thinking about one of these I'd suggest buying some additional clips to secure the panels. A bag of 60-70 clips is about $7. The one end panel I had to replace was $12.

If heavy winds are a reg event, I'd suggest you remove the panels during winter. Running all over hells half acre looking for blown off panels isn't any fun and you might not find all the panels.

Even as far N as we are, it can get awful hot in the green house so a power vent could be of use if you have power close by.

 

[deejaydebi]

Wish he'd come back and say hi .... sniff
It's been forever!

 

[kmj]

Having a problem with my tomatoe plants in my little greenhouse. They are very leggy and wilted looking. they won't support themselves at all. The ones outside are strong and healthy and have the same soil. Any ideas from those of you who have green houses?

Thanks, Ken

 

[kueh]

For healthy plants you need to introduce some stress in the form of wind. Wind "exercises" the plants so their whole system grows stronger (thicker). If you visit a commercial greenhouse, you'll notice many large fans operating everywhere.

 

[webfoot]

Well, we only use the green house for starting plant before sitting outside. Being leggy, I suspect they are growing too fast. Not know what variety, I'm not surprised they can't support themselves. Even outside our nondeterminates can get 4-5 foot tall and if not supported all the way, when fruit sets on and starts maturing, the plants can't support the weight.

 

[deejaydebi]

Lack of light will encourage that also as the tiny plants reach up to find the sun ...

 

[badfrog]

I was given a greenhouse frame, compete with doors etc...just don't have the plastic covering yet. this one is made of metal (like chain link fence post material) "hoops" that sit on poles concreted in the ground. I am thinking I want to set it up in a permenant location and instead of putting the poles straight into the ground (the plastic walls would come right down ground level) I am thinking about pouring a foundation and building a concrete wall about three block high, THEN installing the poles into the block wall. This will serve two purposes; one - it will increase the overall hieght of the greenhouse (more space) and also 2. when i mow, flying debri will hit the concrete block instead of going thru the plastic.
Question: what is a good source for the currogated plasic material for the walls??

 

[miamirick]

yeah gunslinger, i have a greenhouse, its called PUBLIX,
cant grow anything in my yard the IGUANAS eat any flower or plant i put down

 

[jon foster]

We've been thinking about a solar greenhouse for a while. Hopefully in the next year or two we'll get it built. Having fresh veggies year round would be sweet!

Jon.