Fuchsias are to blame-GH-LOL!

Some of you know, from past posts, that I've been playing with the GH idea for a bit, to over-winter my 19 little fuchsias........After discussing this idea with my very creative construction helper/friend I came back from town one day (I'm in a rural area) to find this GH completed in my breezeway! (He had moved my potting bench inside, and built around it. Guarantees that it is a 'temporary' structure and can be dismantled by taking out 8 screws.................not by me, I know!

Thanks for all the info about lights, humidity etc. I've also posted on the Greenhouse Forum for some specifics. I'm a bit overwhelmed as usually I thoroughly research prior to making a move, but this gesture was so wonderful that I'm now playing a fast bit of info catch-up on how to start, figure out set-up, since I want to use the bottom shelves for seed-starting in the spring....
Wanted to share these pics cuz I so appreciate all of your support!

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Wow! Very nice! I bet he could sell allot of those!
I confess, I was not sure what you meant by a "breezeway." I was imagining an outdoor space between your house and your garage. With the wind wipping through like an alleyway. What you have looks allot more enclosed.
Now all you need is a good source of light and the electric seed pad. You should pull up those blinds to get as much winter sun as you can.
Here is a photo of my little outdoor effort. So far, it has been working like a champ! My loss rate on cuttings has gone down to almost none. I plan on keeping a few little starts for each variety in my collection in here for the winter as insurance against everything out in the open freezing. I doubt it will freeze here hard enough to kill everything. But there have been years when we had inches of snow and even worse, inches of hail.
It has a better roof now, I need to take a new photo tomorrow when I take photos of various starts for a few other threads here.
Tell your construction friend that I was very impressed.

Will do-he was surprised and pleased that I posted the pics!!

You gave me the idea that all this didn't have to be as complicated as I thought. He came over yesterday, and suggested we put more insulation around the bottom. Apparently there's a kind of construction silver 'bubble' wrap that has a higher R value than the regular, and he can purchase for $17 a roll.

My fuschias are in a south window with the blinds down now, and are by no means going dormant. I'll have to get a handle on them for the transition.They are waay too happy right now! LOL

Wonderful! Mine little guys are all happy campers right now too!
Even the ones I am growing in the house by a south facing window. I am going to post photos of how well Willowwind2's F. magellanica is doing, later on in the thread about propagating. Hmmm, or maybe I will start that new thread about growing them indoors.
I'll be looking forward to seeing photos of your greenhouse all filled up!

clpgirl: Your friend did an excellent job building your plant house. Love the photos. Your setup makes my sawhorse/plywood combination green with envy!

I was totally amazed when I came home that day-hadn't even seen any plans and it was already finished!! A neighbor asked me if I knew there was a 'house' being built in the breezeway. :)

I just hope it works...... I have spent a week monitoring the temps inside compared w/ breezeway temps to try to figure out heating, etc. This morning... LOL... I realized the storm windows aren't on yet-so none of it's accurate!!
Thanks for the compliments.......definitely wandering into the unknown here......appreciate all the support!

clpgirl, I was wondering why we can't see what zone your are in. Have you selected that feature on your info? I think it would be very beneficial for everyone who will be watching your progress, to know you are up against!
Here I am worried about whether or not I ought to go get my seed warming pad to put into mine, and that is only because it might drop into the 30's again soon. You and hummer_girl are inspirations!

Wow, did you ever get lucky with your handy man. He does excellent work. Lucky you.

Thanks all! PC-didn't realize that I could add zone. And what a surprise when I looked at the map. It appears I am in Zone 6, not 5, which could be a very good thing.

My friend is all puffed up with your feedback-it's his first attempt at a GH!

BTW, it is 27 deg here right now, and my little fuchsias are thriving in the house. Will feel bad to have to 'winterize' them.............

And he has good reason to be!
You and hummer_girl are brave. It would almost be painful for me to have to do what you two have to do to 'winterize' your fuchsias!!
I did live in the Rocky Mountains for a couple of years, and I certainly remember the cold.
I am going to be on the edge of my seat all winter, watching you two get your fuchsias through the winter in such cold.
I wonder how much radiant heat the electric seed pad will provide to the overall temperature in your little greenhouse. I am going to go get mine soon.
So far, if it is a sunny day, the temps in my little "greenshelves" (ha, ha) average ten degrees more than outside of it.

Clpgirl
That is a wonderful setup! Excellent job done by your friend, how lucky your Fuchsias are.

I hope so GGK! Thanks for the positives! Still waiting for the temp. gauge I order to see the difference between breezeway temp and "green-closet" temps, so I can figure out how to keep it around 45-50 over winter. Guess I should have paid that extra for the two day ship............ :)

What a wonderful gift your friend gave you, clpgirl! Useful too!
But don't be afraid of power tools. Screwdrivers, especially the powered ones are easy.
Tell your friend (even at the risk of swelled head syndrome) that he did an awesome job, but a mind that can conceive of such great use of space? Well, that's pretty special too! Personally, I think he gifted you with something that you will enjoy for a long time. : - )
WIB!
SW

My baby fuschias have been in the gh for around five/six days now. I am so excited! A friend brought over some large geraniums that she wanted to overwinter. Everything I've heard says the more the merrier (in terms of humidity, etc.) Wanted to let you all know that the little heater has held the gh around 59 deg. AND more importantly the humidity is around 45 %. The humidity within my house is on 22%. I've seen some growth on several, and do not have to water as often. Three had lost all their leaves-I think due to the dryness of the house, and I cut those back. I was pleased to find green within the main stem.

So, the experiement continues. In a month or so, if all goes well, I plan to move them into larger pots, and will post a pic at that time. Thanks again for all the interest/support.

Can't remember if I posted since I tasted the berry. I don't think it was quite ripe, a bit green inside. Tasted like not much, a bit astringent, with the texture of a white grape..................Next time I'll wait a bit longer for them to ripen-no pies yet!! :)

Yes, the berries must be almost black before you pick them ;-)
And you should not have to pull on them to get them off. Just a gentle tug and they should practically fall off. Otherwise, yes, they are a bit bitter.
Hopefully you will be able to sample them all this summer!
I can't wait to see photos of your happy campers. And even the not so happy campers. We are all learning something new here.
Considering how cold it has been in your part of the world, you are doing a great job!! An average of 59 is wonderful. I consider that to be warm enough for propigation if I have enough light.
Keep us posted!

Well, my GH experiment was going beautifully until 2 weeks ago, when I received a call that my best friend of 30+ years in Calif. passed away totally unexpectedly. I immediately flew out to help her son and his wife, plus funeral, etc. I ended up staying much longer than I thought I would.

My gardening/landscaping friend was house-sitting for me. Unfortunately she got a terrible flu and was in bed (or the bathroom) for about 4 days. (She is fine now.) In my rush to get to the airport, my GH didn't even cross my mind-and it had been a somewhat sunny weekend so temps were in the high 60s in there. (The day my friend passed away was a 'watering/misting" day-and I totally forgot.). To make a sad story short, I lost all my babies. Maybe they are dormant but they were dry for at least 5 days. I am going to check them for green stems in a bit-and I have watered since I've been home. Luckily my other friend's geraniums that were keeping them company withstood the "drought".

I am so bummed. Especially after I finally had a berry to eat! So it will be time to start again this spring. PC I will be in touch to get some new babies as soon as the temps make it safe to ship...............

I haven't given up on having my uprights around my little tree in the backyard this summer.

Have been catching up on the fuschia threads today, and your indoor plants look stunning!! I am so excited and happy seeing the pics of the happy plants. I am one of those cup is always half FULL people, and just reading your posts and seeing your results takes the sting out of seeing my little pots.

Thank you all for making me smile today. It's nice to be back.

Hi clpgirl, I am so sad to hear the reason why we hadn't heard from you in a while! I know all too well how you must have felt when you were focused on getting out here to take care of your friends family. And I know the lose you must feel.

Don't count your babies out for at least a few weeks. Fuchsias are remarkably resilient and can come back up from the base of the plant. The same node beneath the surface from which the roots first grew, can also put out new shoots.
So the real question will be if there is any life left in the roots near that node. And this can take a few weeks to determine.
Since no one can ship to your area at this time of year, you might as well see what happens with the ones you have. I will be rooting for them (ha, ha).
The next time I pull a rooted plug out of it's sleeve and can take a photo of what I talking about, I will. Sometimes I am dumping out ones I think are toast and discover they are really alive and putting out shoots that just haven't reached the surface yet.

Hello..Good to see you back, clpgirl.
Sorry to hear about your friend I sure your support was greatly appreciated.
Hope your little babies come back for you like PC explained! Don't give up yet!
Take care
I think we are all anxiously awaiting Spring and getting our babies outdoors OR
watching our Outdoor fuchsias show some life.

Thanks PC and GGK for the kind words-most appreciated. A bit rocky getting back on track here.

I'm heeding your words and keeping them warm in the GH. It's 6 deg. outside today, but a "toasty" 64 in there. I'll hope for the best, and sure know where to get some 'starts' later if I need to!

Appreicate you all.

I hope you are continueing to feel better clpgirl. And that your fuchsias also recover.
Yesterday I was tossing out cuttings I thought hadn't survived the winter and remembered my promise to take a photo of those which prove to me they are still alive and just need some time. Here is one of those. The focus isn't the greatest. The white shoots are the fuchsia regrowing out of the same nodes used for the roots!
Last summer, I purposely allowed a few young starts to fry. I took photos of them with their dried dead leaves and continued to take photos. Later on, I'll post the series and you will see they became a lush little green bush.

Will be watching for any changes...........thx for pic!