Greenhouses: Buy or Build from scratch?

[alaskagold]

I am looking for any input on your greenhouse, bought or built from scratch.

What would you have done different?
What would you have added more of?
What do you hate about it?
What do you like/enjoy about it?
Would you have used something different (wood, plexi vs real windows)?
Does it meet your needs or do you wish you had bigger/smaller?

If you had to do it over again, what is it that you would do?

More or less, I am looking for your stories on your greenhouses. I am gearing up to buy or build and would love some input.

Thank guys.

[DoubleDogFarm]

What would you have done different? I would have start where I am now and not gone through many changes. I would probably have leaned more towards aquaponics.

What would you have added more of? SqFt. for sure and higher ceiling. That way I could go more vertical.

What do you hate about it? Again, to small. It's also in the wrong location. Greenhouses should face mostly south, witch mine is, but on the South side of the garden. Mine casts shade on the vegetable garden in the afternoon.

What do you like/enjoy about it? I built it with my own two hands, no help. 45 degrees outside 100 degrees inside


Would you have used something different (wood, plexi vs real windows)?
Does it meet your needs or do you wish you had bigger/smaller?

If you had to do it over again, what is it that you would do?

Built it on the North side of the garden.

Eric

[Bobberman]

I am looking for any input on your greenhouse, bought or built from scratch.

What would you have done different?
What would you have added more of?
What do you hate about it?
What do you like/enjoy about it?
Would you have used something different (wood, plexi vs real windows)?
Does it meet your needs or do you wish you had bigger/smaller?

If you had to do it over again, what is it that you would do?

More or less, I am looking for your stories on your greenhouses. I am gearing up to buy or build and would love some input.

Thank guys.

Making one this week different.
More Space and higher top, Too cloddered because of lack of space! its warm when its cold outside and no one bothers me when I am in it! I want bigger and more solar storage areas !This new one will also be built of wood since its easier to cover with plastic and cheaper to make besides the plastic can b bought anywhere and does not have to be a special demintion!!
+++
The A frame to me is the easiest to build, strongest and easy cover and has the most light entering the sun facing area! It also does better in heavy snows because the angle allows the snow to slide more to the ground with n roof or rounded area to collect snow! The wood is easier to insulate a area and heat with solar energy from water storage barrels or brick! I hope to have mine done in two days this weekend!! I was also hinking of collecting water run off at the base of both sides!

[soil]

What would you have done different? ---- install one of these suckers. which the next GH I build will have. https://www.sunnyjohn.com/indexpages/shcs.htm

What would you have added more of? --- thermal mass

What do you hate about it? --- I love my GH.

What do you like/enjoy about it? --- one thing I love is going out on a cold frosty morning when its freezing outside, and go into a nice warm GH. its like spring every day.

Does it meet your needs or do you wish you had bigger/smaller? --- my needs will never be met lol. but it is a great size 15x20'

If you had to do it over again, what is it that you would do? --- build it passive solar, spend the extra money to establish a GH that will not overheat of underheat. and read the link I put up, ITS AMAZING.
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[Bobberman]

Nice link Greener Thumb . That would be a good greenhouse! Most people do not understand phase change. I mentioned it in one of my old post. The freezing phase change is where the greater heat is absobed! Different twpes of waxes hold the key to a good phange change subsance. We all know that a greenhouse has heat to spare during a sunny day in the winter but how do we save it! I think phase change is one of the answers!

[soil]

I'm thinking of building another greenhouse just to make one of those systems lol. it would be awesome to have 75-80 degree weather year around.

[alaskagold]

Soil, not sure how that would work where I am at. This whole last week has been nothing but 50 mph winds and 70-80 mph gusts. I may actually freeze in there. Reasons why I have a little english garden heater. But I will let hubby look at it and ask him if he thinks it would work. He likes that kind of stuff.

Eric, I get what you are talking about. Good idea on where to put it and not thinking about it until afterwards. You got me thinking about it actually, putting it in the back of the house possibly.

Bob, I love a-frames, but since I have to grow my toms, cukes and other hot heat loving veggies in something warm an a-frame isn't big enough.

So, I think I want a 12x12x12. It is a good round number, and it is big enough for my needs. I would like defused light for most of it, and a section in the middle for window like plexiglass. I want two vents on both sides and a roof vent. And I will do the rain water catch method off the GH. I will have to figure out some type of mesh so mosquito's don't startAbreeding.

I am going to do shelving all the way around. As much as I love Eric's irrigation idea it would just freeze here so I am going to make a drip irrigation on a timer for the days I go hunting and fishing. I am also going to do slated plant stands. And in the middle of all of this I am going to have a raised garden bed for tom's.

[soil]

Soil, not sure how that would work where I am at. This whole last week has been nothing but 50 mph winds and 70-80 mph gusts. I may actually freeze in there. Reasons why I have a little english garden heater. But I will let hubby look at it and ask him if he thinks it would work. He likes that kind of stuff.

theres a guy in colorada zone 4 that grows bananas with that system. cold is nothing once its charged the thermal mass.

[alaskagold]

To grow a banana would be my husbands dream! I will look into it further this weekend, thank you for the link.

[garden5]

Soil, that's really interesting. I've been doubting how practical a greenhouse would be for me since it would take a longer time to recoup the cost if I have to pay to heat it.

This article looks very interesting so I'm definitely going to be looking into it more thoroughly.

[Bobberman]

When I am done with my 12 by 16 greenhouse A frame I will have less than $200 in it! I am making it now but the rain and snow this past week set me back a few days! I should have it done within a week! I figure it will take me about 8 hours to build and cover it! I made a couple changes in my original idea and will take pictures when it is finished! The big change I made was putting a two foot high vertical frame aroud the border of 12 by 16 then setting the A frame on top to make my sides higher so the greenhouse would have a higher walk way in the middle! Also the 2 foot sides I would use some aluminum screens I have that are 2 footwide and 8 foot long around the border. I am also going to add the roof drain all along the 2 foot border to catch the water! I am also putting half the greenhouse under a tree for shade in may!! I also have 3- 3 by 4 aluminum double wind type windows for the sun side! It should be nice!

[wordwiz]

I am a huge fan of a GH, I built a ghetto one a couple of years ago and love it. But heating is not the only thing to think about. It was affordable, as I used mostly 1800 watts of electrical heat and on real cold nights, a kerosene heater. But one thing I could not get around - the lack of sunlight in winter. Besides very short days and the sun low on the horizon, in southern Ohio, we have a winter sun drought from late December until early February. If you are growing plants that do not require much sun, not a problem. But maters, peppers, etc., - forget it.

You can Google "Daily Light Integral" with more adjectives, but the idea is to find a chart that shows the DLI for your location over the year.

Of course, you can always run supplemental heating along with high powered grow lights but for me, it wasn't economically feasible.

Mike

[soil]

we get tons of sun in the winter during the day, but we are on top of a hill. its the cold that gets us being so exposed.