my seedling house

Ohhhhh...you lucky lucky person! It's looking really good...and I'm *really* jealous! :-D

I'm putting this thread on 'watch' so I can see the progress, too.

~julie~

Hey, Cricket! Boy, you've got your work cut out for you! I'm jealous of your great greenhouse and propagation room. I have a small nursery business in our little town, but it's not the big operation you are embarking on. I start everything in my basement under lights, then out to the little greenhouse with an oil heater. Next they go to the bigger greenhouse and to he covered coldframes to harden off.

We put in the framework for the big greenhouse, then just covered part of it with visquene for now. We had a big snow last winter and lost part of the trusses, so we're waitinguntil next spring to put them back up. Now that I've found this thread, I'll be watching to see how things are going!

Cricket,
Just wanted to say you are an inspriation. I'll keep following this thread for updates,
Jen

Hi Cricket - You say "purchased from a local greenhouse company for $120.00 for frame-poly-ground cover." Do you know who makes it? or a web source? I don't have a greenhouse and can't afford one right now. DH will probably let me spend $120 and he's a woodworker and can supply the 2x4's and make benches. What you have looks real good to me. Great size too. And your inside mini-greenhouse idea is great. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks. Becky

The small seedling greenhouse was $120 from Hubbards Greenhouse near Boaz Alabama. I bought it 4 years ago----i dont remember their phone number and i have moved from that area ----1 1/2 yr ago. Its about 2 1/2 hours from me. They didnt ship the small hobby greenhouses out of state. It was local hobbiest only.

The bigggg Greenhouse Frame (16 x 96 x 6ft spacing) was from Atlas Greenhouses
www.atlasgreenhouse.com
That greenhouse was on sale( with all hardware): $629.00
Poly 32x100=$224.00
Shade Clothes 20x100x 30% shade===$260.00

We spent $170.00 on 2x4s
And extra hardware to put up the 3ft curtains on each side=$18.00

This is where we got the ideas for doing the greenhouse hoop frame with curtains:
www.noble.org/Ag/Horticulture/HoopConstruct/Index.htm

Thanks everyone--for your support-----I am excited and beside myself.
I have done this before but I moved 1 1/2 year ago and left my big greenhouse on the property that i sold ----so im starting all over again. The only greenhouse that I brought with me was the small hoop house that I use as seedling houses.

JUDY---I dont have any exhaust fans or electricity to the greenhouse yet. I'll buy the fans and electrical pole and box this late spring. For now---im just counting on the side curtains---end windows and the 30% shade clothe to help cool the greenhouse til i get the electrical in.
Heck------I dont even have the water lines ran yet. That will be done by Mar 1st.
I still have to put in a drive way parking toooooo. That will be done by Mar 25th.
Its all ----One Day at a Time.
Some people would think they cant do nothing till they have everything they need to get it going---I think the opposite---I build as i go and do what i can at the moment.

By April 10th or so ---all the flats, 6inch pots and baskets will be sitting outside the greenhouse. Then i transplant my tomatoes to grow bags inside the greenhouse. And a 100ft row of tomatoes outside the greenhouse.

Guess i chatted your eyes off.
later----
cricket

You are remarkable!!! We're all pulling for you!!!

Judy

How excting!! I have a small greenhouse that I am waiting for my guy to put together. What an inspiration you all are. If I did not have to go to the dentist this morning I would go outside and get my hands dirty. Keep up the good work and more pictures!!!!!!!

: ) im 35 today! Feb 9th

Hubby thought yesterday was Feb 9th---lol-----he came in with gift -bouquet of carnations and cake mix ----it was funny---i said today aint my bday---tomorrow is----he said, i thought today was feb 9th.
better early then late------i was really surprised!!!!!!!

Happy Birth Day cricket!

I second that .... Happy Early Birthday!!!

Your husband might not know the date but it sounds like he surely knows how to make a woman happy... surprise her also.

Judy

lol well it aint early today now---its on time----yesterday was early

thanks ya'll

cricket

Yes, happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Cricket and thanks so much for the info.

BABIES BABIES AND MORE BABIES

Those seedlings on this end of box are close to the halogen light---they are kinda leggie due to the light so I am moving them today.

I had a great birthday----thanks!!!! :)

cricket

Cricket, you are living out my dream. You go girl!

WONDERFUL!!!!!!

Ah, yes, isn't it exciting when they all start popping up out of the starter mix! After a while, I wish I could push them all back down for another week or two! I spend hours and hours transplanting, but by June 1, there they all are and I'm amazed at what I have accomplished!

Yes it is exciting when they start poping up. I have to transplant these babies by Feb 17th all to 36ct/ flats. (46flats) Then Mar 14th they get transplanted again to 6 inch pots and 5 gallon grow bags. The ones in the 6 inch pots will be ready for sale by April 1st------15th. I should have sowed my peppers sooner but was a week late getting them started.
I sow more seed Feb 17th--just tomatoes.
I like gabbering about what i gotta do---helps me to remember what i gotta do. Its like studing for a test----the more you write it down the more you remember --lol
I took some flats off the hot beds today so i put the ones that were in the house on the hot beds---more peppers .


cricket

update on seedlings------all my babes in a row

Beautiful!!! So proud for you.

Judy

Isn't it exciting! I always get a rush when the seedlings start coming up. I get a sinking feeling when they ALL start coming up!

I PANIC when they all start coming up----cause---depending on the weather---i may have to transplant sooner than inticipated or later. Depends on how warm the house stays. cooler temps will make them grow slower--make peppers and tomatoes go dormant. But when the temps are higher than normal---they just jump up and take off and your saying wait a minute wait a minute --im not ready yet. It just so happens that i am ready this time---they can just keep on taking off on my behalf.

After doing this for a few years, you'd think I'd be ready, but I always overplant and I can't bear to kill things... everybody gets transplanted. A starter tray the size of a 6 pack can produce a flat of 6 packs or more... 72 plants. It doesn't take long to run out of room or to spend your life transplanting and watering!

yeh i know ----before i moved------i was sowing 1000 tomato seeds in a plain flat tray-- there was no way i could sit there and put one seed in its own hole with 20,000 seed. Its better on the plants roots to use plugs but sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta do. Sprinkle them babies over some nice moist soil---cover them nicely---and keep on trucking.
another tray that i have found cheep and great to use when starting seed is those round clear pot trays at walmart-----range from $0.34 to $1.50. YOu can put 500 seed in the big ones. Ive used those alot. I will use some when i start my tomato seeds for the 36/flat-----so you can see how nice it is.

I start plants in little starter containers that fit in my domed flats. I begin seeds under fluorescents in the basement, so this works well for me. I don't have room to start them all in plugs or cell packs, and when I start transplanting, things get hectic.

those are pretty babies weez

the low temp this morn was 47------but thurs morn is gonna be 23---youch!
but it warms back up by sat---my transplanting day.

Close up Tomatoes-------strong healthy stems

ummmmmmm there is an albino hollyhock in the bunch---whats with that?

i luv all your babies everyone!!
weeze those look like the containers i use-did you get mushrooms in them????

looks like it may be a week later on transplanting-----tomato roots arent ready see

kinda blurry

This message was edited Feb 15, 2005 11:00 AM

ONE OF MY SEED THAT I GERMINATED ABOUT 5+ YEARS AGO---STILL GROWING STRONG----LOL

DONT LAUGH---------me on a witchy day

cricket, you look exactly like I thought you would, except I thought you would aways have a smile on your face!!! (just kidding who can smile while working as hard as you do!!!)

Judy

I can't tell much about the roots not being ready... obviously you've done this many times!!!

Keep up the good work,

Judy

I just started reading this thread. Your seedling house is wonderful and you look like you have everything under control, Cricket. I hope you keep posting 'cause I know I'd sure appreciate you showing us your tomato roots as they develop because I am a newbie tomato grower and this info is invaluable for me. Thanks so much.

Looks like things are going well, Cricket. Nice to see your oldest seedling and yourself! I don't transplant my tomatoes until they get their first true leaves... you got some secret I don't know about?

You cant see it but it has its first true leaves-----I was gonna transplant this weekend ( which is 3 weeks from sow date and also 14 days since they all germinated) ----but will keep check on the root ball. When using the plug flats---its best to transplant when the plug is full of roots--- if you try pulling that stem up before its got good root ball , it could tear the stem from the root ball. Hope i explained that so you could understand.

sorry for no smile----they called my name--I looked---they clicked----i wasnt exspecting to pose.

I've never worked with the plugs... pretty small potatoes here. I broadcast my seeds to small containers, then prick from the starter mix and transplant to cell packs. I've got this old funky pair of tweezers I use to lift them, helping along with my finger on one of the cotelydons. When I first started doing this, I killed lots of little green babies by touching the stems... I've learned! LOL!

I normally use a 512 flat-----plants are normally ready sooner when i use it---these that im using now is 288 and im just impatient. will most likely have to wait another week to transplant.