Anyone got a green house?

what style, size, type would you recommend? WE have short season here, and lots of wind. I need to start everything inside to have a chance, and it would be nice to have a place to put flowers, and possibly even a spot to put chix in a hutch if thats possible, as they are stinky inside the house. Any tips??? TIA

I wish I had one. Maybe someday.

I know there are a bunch of folks here who have them- hopefully they'll see this and have some advice for you.

We have one. It was here when we moved in. I definitely recommend one. The biggest you can afford and have room for. You'll always want more space.

My recommendations are:

Running water is rather wonderful, esp if you can turn it into a misting system.

Electricity is a necessity.

Put your work tables/benches up high enough to be comfortable to work on. At least as high as a kitchen counter and a couple inches higher is even better.

If you go away often, you need to put in those auto ventilation thingies that kick on when the temp rises above a certain level. Otherwise it can get really hot really fast in there and cook your seedlings.

I have two greenhouses and second all of Gwen's comments. I have concrete floors and daughter Julie has dirt floors. Each has their own assets, but the dirt ones are a little more susceptible to slug and mice entries. Friend Lynn has a new one that she intalled quite a bit higher, I think on a couple of rows of concrete blocks and that is a real asset as the tall things you might want to grow or overwinter will like the extra headroom, as will you. leave some areas without shelving if that will be in your plan. Don't stack shelves on top of one another as the flats will shade each other. Available water is absolutley necessary and I use lights in the winter for my overwinterd stuff as it gets so dark here then. If it is in full sun, I think you might want shade cloth. I don't have that issue.
I can't for the life of me remember which brand I think is superior to the other, I will have Rarejem comment on that as we each have the two different varieties. YES! definitely get the biggest you can within reason. A milkhouse heater is adequate for mot home sizes.

Ditto on Gwen's comments an PNW's. My first greenhouse was 8 X 12 and my second is 8 X 16, and I still would like more room. Running water and electricity are a must. And the comfortable working level of at least one counter/shelf can't be stressed enough.

The two varieties that PNW and I have are Sunglow and Rion. We would both recommend the Rion hands down for heat retention and ease of assembly.

http://www.riongreenhousekit.com/

A greenhouse is a great joy to any gardener. Good luck!

I've just had an extension built on mine - and i definately second Gwen, get it as big as space and budget allow, its impossible to be toooooooooo big. Mine is cedar wood, and the original one was (ohh, feet and inches) umm, 14x22'. It is now two rooms, each 14x22'. I had the access doors enlarged - make sure you can move wheelbarrows in and out easily, and two very large water resevoirs built in to catch rain water - keeps humidity up. flooring: I have brick on dirt - keeps my feet comfortable, easy to hose off, and works as a heat sink and adds humidity. I also had a large brick patio area all the way around the greenhouse - amazing how much standing room is useful - this summer I've got all of my lettuce growing in sheepfeed troughs in front of the greenhouse, and shade plants growing on behind. Really extends the usefulness of the space.

Enjoy the choosing, building and using - its marvellous.

I have what they call 'pathway gravel' in my greenshed. Dirt doesn't matter, water goes through and standing on it is comfy. Packs down tightly, doesn't move around.

Laurie, I'd love to see pics of your newly expanded gh and surrounding area!

I will promise to post that one too, just as soon as I find (not make, isn't that a subtle difference?) the time to get batteries for the camera and solve knowing Picaasa. Its not that I don't want to share photos with all of you, I just can't get interested in the nuts and bolts of the upgrade (that probably needs upgrading again!)

Promise, honestly, now let me think, when?

i have a green house from Farm Tek http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/653298/
here is a build page http://www.strever.com/Greenhouse/

Dick

double wall - or do you need the extra insulation?
Are you on the Smith River?

Ooh, Dick. I love pictures. Thank you!

Okay, I might have to plan a trip. You restore Jaguars when you're not gardening?

(Big Smile)
dbl wall i'm in zone 8b some years and 9a other years
& yes i am on the Smith (edited to say) i also have heaters :-)
i have 5 acres here amongst the Redwoods that i garden on only a portion of
which is the reason i do mostly shade loving plants :-)
i do have plenty of prewar Jags to finish restoring when ever i find some time
i got bored a cpl of years ago and got stupid and bought an Antique Mall
i didn' t know it was a Full time+ job :-(
when the economy gets better i will get back to playing with the Jags
if you are a Jag lover Katie ? i do know & have lots of info about the rare prewar cars


Dick
edited to say it is dbl wall, after i took another look

This message was edited Jun 2, 2010 5:11 PM

Yea, Dick, for a retired person, you sure have a lot going on. :-)

I don't know much about Jaguars except that they are beautiful . . .

I've always wanted a Jaguar. Never drove one and don't even know if I'd like it, but I do love the way they look.

I can only identify cars by their color, and even that is a challenge in this day of non-color colors. I took my sister's tannish-grayish car to the grocery store and was hard pressed to find it again.

It bugs me that all the cars are the same colors these days. And what person living the the PNW would want a grey car?!?!?