sen2two
Full Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:22 pm
Location: Orlando, Florida

Newbie looking to grow year round in central Florida

Here are my plans... (Sorry it's so long!!!)

I am looking to build two separate mid-sized green houses. They will be 4.5 feet wide, 6 foot tall peaked center with 4 foot tall side walls. And 6 foot in length. There will be 3 trophs in each built from wood placed in a U shape against the side and rear wall so I have the center to take care of all plants. The frame will be built from 2x4's and lined with 6mil plastic sheet.

The trophs will be built all the same size. Which is 4 foot by 15 inch, and 2 foot in depth. They will have legs that are 6 inchs tall. This will only leave 1.5 feet from the height of the dirt to the side wall top. So I plan to place the shorter plants along the side walls, and the taller plants at the back wall where they will have 3.5 feet from the dirt to peak to grow.

*as I stated in the title, I live in central Florida (Orlando) and am looking to grow a few veggies to eat year round. Reason is, I want to become more self sufficient and control more of what I consume.


*Questions:

1.The reason I am building two is so I can have one house for warm weather plants, and another for cool/cold weather plants. This way I can control the temperatures in each and continue to grow and produce food year round. Is this even possible?

-Plants I am looking to grow (each one in there own troph (except for Spinach & strawberries which will grow in the same):

-Cool/Cold: Broccoli, Carrots, Spinach & strawberries,
-Warm: Red bell peppers, Jalapenos, Tomatoes


2. How should I go about controlling temperature? I was thinking lighting at the peak on the warm weather tent for cold winter nights. Although, we don't get many of those anyways in Orlando. What lights should I choose, and what size? And for the cold weather house, I was thinking of using a small evaporative cooler and some ventilation areas in the walls. Will this work?
-What temperature should I try to keep the cool weather, and warm weather tents?

3. Would it be beneficial to build a drip system? I want this to be as successful as possible since I plan to eat these veggies year round. I think a drip system would take the guess work and mistakes out of watering for a newbie like myself...

4. Should I also cover the floor of the green house with the 6mil plastic sheet to ward off bugs and other un-wanteds? I plan to grow 100% organic with zero pesticides/chemicals...


THANKS!!!!!

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Seems a ton of work and expense... You live in central Florida, you can garden year round WITHOUT climate controlled greenhouses, if you are willing to eat seasonally. That is, you can't grow broccoli in the summer or melons in the dead of winter.

But the cold weather crops you are talking about will grow through a Florida winter just fine without any protection. I have broccoli and spinach that have made it through our (unusually mild) winter just fine unprotected, even though it has been down to 18 degrees a few nights.

If you are willing to grow (and eat) locally adapted summer crops in the summer and winter crops in the winter, you don't need any of all the above. If I wanted to eat from my garden all winter (anything other than broccoli and spinach and most winters even that wouldn't make it) I would need a heated greenhouse. Presumably that's part of why you live in Florida, you don't.

And if you really are new to gardening, I would give it a try for a couple seasons, before you invest multi-thousands of dollars in climate controlled greenhouses. But that's just my take on it.

I have never had a real greenhouse, so I'm sure someone will come along who can answer your questions better. Welcome to the Forum!!



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