Constructing a Temporary Greenhouse

Dh had to fly to IL for a family emergency. I started to worry about getting a cold snap and not having my plants covered. Yesterday I gathered pvc pipe, screws, and some short pieces of rebar and decided to try to put temp. gh up by myself. I had seen DH put it up, but wasn't quite sure how to actually do it. Thought maybe someone would benefit from my "construction" project. This would not work in colder climates, but keeps my tropicals happy thru the winter.
Here's the right side fence in the backyard where I want the gh:

I pounded 2' pieces of rebar into the ground along the fenceline every 4' or so, then threaded a piece of pvc pipe onto each piece of rebar.

Fortunately, my daughter showed up to hold the purlin pipe while I drilled small holes to attach the hoops with screws. Then I covered the screws with duct tape...just in case.

Then I pounded rebar on the other side of the bed, matching the rebar at the fenceline. Slipped the pipe over rebar, and the purlin centered (thankfully) at the top.

Stuffed the tops of some plants in, and slashed the others down. Then DD helped me cover the whole thing with plastic. That was the one thing I could not have done alone. After the plastic was in place, I went inside the back of gh and screwed the pvc pipes to the fence, and screwed a cuple of pieces of strapping to fence also to keep the plastic from lifting in the wind. Today, I'll stuff pots and baskets in, anchor the straps with tent screws in front, place some blocks along the bottom edge of the gh, and then start on the hibiscus house......
Whole project took 4 hours. Again, I needed help with the plastic...but it wasn't as hard I I thought it would be. And I uploaded the photos to Walgreen's, sent them to a store in IL, and had DH pick them up an hour later. He was duly impressed....and is flying home this weekend......maybe to keep me from starting anymore projects...."

You are a very ambitious lady, great job!!!

Thanks, Josephine.....!

Do you mind coming up here and helping me build one? How cold can it protect against? Oddly worded but I don't know how else to say it.
Lisa

Great job BB!!! I've had plans for years and you did that in 4 hours!! I am truly impressed!! I kept thinking it looked easy but never got up the nerve. How tall is yours?

This was on DG somewhere I believe, but it is 3 pages if anyone wants them, dmail me.

Great job, Sandi! It's nice that you had your DD to help. I just re-read your 10:36 AM post. You still have one more GH to go. The things we have to do when we push zones. LOL. You have such a lovely lovely garden!

I'm still not through getting my GH and plants ready for winter either. I'm just hoping the nice weather continues for a while.

Uh, Bubbles, last time we spoke at Randy's, you did NOT say you had these kinds of skills....you have definitely been holding out!

I am truly impressed. You've encouraged me to grab my wood cage trellis pieces that have been cut out and sitting aside since June...I have a glitch in my hitch...

Linda

How does it stand up to wind?

You can cut strips of 3/8 plywood and screw it to the under sides of the pvc and then you can staple plastic to the undersides. With double plastic you can keep it cozy for about half the price.

Thanks for sharing! I've decided I want to try shade cloth next summer to see if I can stretch the tomato season. The same sort of framing should work? It wouldn't need to go all the way to the ground, but I'm thinking grommet the cloth around the pipe?

And what fun is THAT !?!!

Who doesn't enjoy running around on a icy night with the temperatures promising to dip even colder?
Who hasn't enjoyed that adrenalin rush?
What fun will you be ~ sitting at that toasty fire and sipping your hot chocolate and laughing at the rest of us!!! Anyway? LOL

Good going ~ I know your husband is proud of your effort. Have seen your threads in past years....
I am jealous as I need to get started sooner or later.

...probably later ~ pod

Rats! I wrote a response and lost it! Staring over....

Lisa....I've never lost anything to freeze. We have Xmas lights along the top and on really cold nights halogen lights or an electric heater. My losses are mostly due to over watering. We have remote thermometers to monitor too. And I'd love to come help you put one up...right after you come help me clean my garage so I can pull my car in!

Sheila...I have plans for a gh to put up in 4 hours. A couple of fellow Master Gardeners figured out how to do it. 'Recruited DH to write instructions and we offered a class to demonstrate at Zilker Botanical Garden one Saturday. It was a pitched roof one, with a door and spot for a fan. We also offered a seminar at one of the MG Conferences in Dallas/Ft Worth a few yrs ago.
Not sure how tall mine is. Used two 20' pieces of pvc pipe connected at the top to make hoops and just 'eyeballed' it over flower bed.

Veronica....still haven't done the Hibiscus hoops. DD showed up about 11, and asked why I wasn't working out back. Told her DH said to wait till he got home to do anymore ghs.... she asked what I'd really like to cover this winter and I said, "the brugs." So we made another hoop house for them....and another for the ginger pot and fern....and then we were pooped! Still have to cover with plastic, but this will sure give the brugs a jumpstart this spring.
And thanks for garden compliment!

Gymgirl.....you had all the instructions to put one of these together a couple of yrs ago! Get goin' and get your gh built.

kenboy...I thought about getting a little fan to blow air between two layers of plastic, but we don't really have very cold winters...so far. I have lots of limestone bricks that I use to hold down the plastic at the ground. We get some really warm winter days, and I have to be able to roll up the sides so things don't cook.
Having a non-gardening DH.....sometimes presents another problem.....over-engineering. So I've learned to accept that he really doesn't care about the plants...... just humors me.

Here's beginning of "Brug Hoop house" across back of fence. Kind of "L's" into the other hoop house on right side of yard. Not very neat, but will do the trick.
I'm pretty sure I won't get Yard of the Month anytime soon!

Lisa...the black straps in the pic of the hoop with plastic over it are what keep the hoops from lifting. They are tied down with tent screws in the ground. Before DH figured out to do this...the entire gh plastic wound up over the fence in the neighbors' yard. All the clamps we used to secure plastic to the pipes flew off too.

Realbirdlady....I would think that would work. We bought some clamps at Harbor Freight to help secure the plastic to the pipes. I would think they would work for you if you didn't want the expense of grommets...

Hi Podster...haven't seen you post in a while... The ghs are really just to throw him off the trail.....I've been busy hiding all the shoes I bought while he's been gone.....

But I don't want your car to go in your garage I want it to come out here. You really have me thinking. I have 100s of tomatoes on the vine and I really don't want to loss them. I know there is no freeze in the near future but.... I have thought about trying frost cloth but I don't want to go to the expense or trouble if it just blows into the barb wire and the horses stand there and look at it, the goats try to eat it. How cold do you get in Austin? we can get into the teens. Would frost cloth be enough protection? Sorry for all the questions .
Lisa

LOL on the shoes.

Bubbles, so, now you're keeping tabs on me...ok...^_^

Gymgirl....no tabs...I just remember that a couple of yrs ago, you had me go into eensy teensy details about how to construct a temporary gh. Lots of pics and answers back then.....!

Bubbles,
You are exactly right. I am soooooooooooo grateful for those eensy weensy details. And this is MY year for constructing my temp gh! I have all my cole crop eBucketss on a new concrete pad in the back corner of the yard. It's against the DH's new fence. Every time I'm back there, I think how cool it would be to sink that rebar along the 6" gap between the pad and the fence, and down the other side in the grass and stretch the plastic across. Not only would I have a temp gh, but I could also go hide out there with a portable heater and continue working on my winter sowing!

Thanks, Bubbles!

P.S. Come for dinner this weekend if you're in town! I'm putting on a pot of greens, compliments of last year's cole crop harvested this Feb/Mar.!

oops!

I would love to come for greens! I never quite got your recipe right. Maybe it was the good company when I first had them.....or I overcooked 'em when I tried to duplicate yours.....but not the same, nope, uh uh, not even close. Maybe in the spring we can all get togehter again.

I can sooo relate to THIS:

Having a non-gardening DH...sometimes presents another problem...over-engineering. So I've learned to accept that he really doesn't care about the plants... just humors me.

Bubbles.. I love that you just got out there and done it. Your gardens are gorgeous.... thanks for sharing.

Tracey

Thanks for sharing. Being challenged in construction, have a question...What is purlin pipe?

Well thank you Tracy! I'm just in to get a drink and back out to face the enormity of what I've started....and DH won't be home for a while. Maybe that's for the best, since there's pipe, screws, and plastic all over what's left of his beloved grass. I'm sure I'll have some "esplainin'to do" when he gets home. After I decided it would be great to cover the brugs, and the ginger, and the porch.....I happened to see the weather report last night about the rain, thunderstorms and high winds coming tonight. Whatever I can't screw down or clip, I'm going to hit with my glue gun! Not a pretty sight/site.

Banana....the purlin is the horizontal piece of pvc pipe that connects the hoops, and hopefully stabilizes everything.

I'll post photos of my "progress" this evening..... I did have my wonderful SIL help me yesterday morning getting the plastic up on the patio, and setting the hoops too.

So is it 1/2 " diameter PVC?

Yes, it's 1/2" on the outer ghs....3/4'' on the one that attaches to the patio.

edited for spelling

This message was edited Nov 15, 2009 9:03 PM

and I thought I was the only one who did those "secret projects" and had stuff laying all over the "precious grass" while the DH was away...in fact, those are the days I encourage him to go somewhere for awhile!

THANK YOU, BUBBLES!

We can get so much done when we don't have any "help", then when they get back they don't even notice anything has changed, and ask you what you did all day.

Believe me when I say I have a much greater appreciation of what DH does for me.... to get those ghs up. At 3AM, I heard the wind and rain start up....and there was nothing I could do. I hadn't secured the batten tape over the top of the big gh yesterday (too stinkin' tired) and the wind was getting under the plastic. This morning I noticed one of the hoops had separted from the purlin and was beginning to poke thru the plastic at the top of gh. That was 8 AM....and I'm just back inside for water. Batten is secured, hoop is re-screwed, plastic is re-positioned, and I'll spend the rest of the day shoving plants in. Having gusts of 30mph......constantly whipping plastic. And....I broke two small drill bits within 5 minutes.....geezzzz...used them for two days without a problem. I still have to cover the hibiscus....or let them fend for themselves for another week......
Thanks for letting me whine a bit...I feel much better now!!!

Naw, my DH makes it a point to walk through the yard, just to see what I've been up to...I just make sure it's something he can't UNdo!

Like, when I finally put together my wood tomato cage for next season, I'll make sure to put the fully loaded EBs on it, so he'll be less inclined to wanna try to make me MOVE it!

Ok, Bubbles, yah went technical on me. Batten tape? I just got purlin!

Stop making me laugh...I'm trying to be in a bad mood and feel sorry for myself!

Like "batten down the hatches...." It's a black woven tape that gets screwed to the fence, goes over the top, down to front, gets hammered into ground on a tent stake, and hopefully keeps pvc from lifting off the rebar in the wind.

In other words, you tied the hoop house down, so it wouldn't do a Dotty and land on the Wicked Witch of the East...got it! ^_^

hmmmmmmmm, "do a Dotty..."

Ok! I got dibs on posting this to the DG terminology database!!!!! ^^_^^^_^^^_^^

Well, I knew I'd have to give you all the "eensy weensy" details so I started out with 'em... Here's visual of batten tape....
I'm ready to set the backyard on fire.....I'll never get finished...and I'm going to have a 4 yr old "helper" tomorrow while his mom does her Jr League stuff...... Still have to get all those ferns into gh tomorrow.
And I like your "do a Dotty"