Cattle Panel Hoophouse, Part 2

That is beautiful Molly. They look so healthy. How old do they have to be to bloom? I suppose if you didn't have the greenhouse you wouldn't have more than the one short growing period like we do. We are borderline 4/5.

Jeanette

We have about 180 growing days but usually it's much shorter. Last year August was a lost cause as it was very cold the whole month and June was cold and raining.

As for age it varies by what part of the country (how much sunshine). Down in Florida they can get a plant from seed to bloom in under a year (sometimes just 8 months). Here in the north outdoors you're talking two to three years. With the greenhouse I'm hoping to cut that down to 1 yr to 18 months (fingers crossed!)

MollyD

So for a business you are almost tied into having a greenhouse. And the more or bigger ones you have the more product. Well, good luck, they sure are beautiful. Must be a real pleasure to "go to work each day". LOL.

Jeanette

It's great Jeanette! I hardly ever call in sick :-)

Molly

How does anyone with experience feel about putting down the heavy duty permeable ground cover under the bales (like professional nurseries use under their large potted plants & trees)?

Darius post your question on the strawbale forum. I use the stuff, just the weed blocker, under my portable greenhouse each summer and it works like a charm.

Jeanette

Whoops... I didn't realize what forum I was posting in, Sorry!

Hey Molly, how are your plants doing? Did they make it thru the winter ok?

Haven't heard from anyone on this thread for a long time.

Jeanette

I made a C-P HH! Six panels covered in 6ml plastic. Worked just fine! My GH was 6' x 30'. BF wants to make it 60' long next yr. More space for seedlings. The whole GH, this yr, was filled w/plants, not seedlings!

So Smockette, what are you doing with all of those seedlings?

Jeanette

I just found this thread and have learned a lot from it. Have passed it on to others too. They must all be out in their HH's !! I know I am going to put one up next year, the GH I have now will last this year, but not another one. Mine is only 6' x 10'. Next year at least a 8' x 12'. I hope they let me have it in town, hehehe, just a small town so maybe I will get by with it. Right now I am needing shade cloth for the one I have.

Smockette, Sorry, I missed that you said specifically "not seedlings". Wow you must have had a lot in there.

Jeanette

Jnette, I got plants that I can't even get ID'd. & what makes it worse, the stupid things are blooming with the most unusual blooms. Growing in water, 5+' tall, one inch flowers & stamen 5-6" long!
My boss recognised it but couldn't remember the name. Nelsons Water Garden said if Heidi (my boss) doesn't know what it is, they surely don't.
Going to take plants up to City_Sylvia next wkend. Hope she can show me how to download fr my digital & put on here.
I have a very good pix of my HH & don't know how to put it on the Garden.

Would absolutely love to see your pictures. That really sounds like a flower I want to see. Make sure you have a picture of it, one of the entire plant besides the bloom, 2 pictures of it. Did I confuse you? In other words so many people just send pictures of close ups of the blossoms but I like to see the whole plant also. One of each.

It almost sounds like a lily of some kind. Put your boss under hypnosis to get her to remember.

Jeanette

Sorry for interrupting you guys conversation...didn't realize this was you two's private thread.

Edited to delete duplicate

Jeanette

This message was edited May 7, 2007 12:57 AM

mmock, if you have something to say, post it. We do.

Have you tried Farmtek for shade cloth for your HH? Do you have codes and covenants in your town? A HH isn't a bunch of farm animals. Have you looked at the strawbale gardening thread? Summerkid posted pictures of her strawbale gardening and she is in a small town. She got something like 30 bales!!!

Jeanette

If this was a private thread, the responses would be minutes apart, not hrs!!! Jump in with us! Water is fine & we will all learn fr the other one's knowledge.

J, I can't believe what you just said!

The leaves look the thickness of an amarillsis, but not the normal thick bloom stalk w/flowers on the top. Some are dbls, thrps, or duads.

Know Mex Tuberose?

Who/what is Mex Tuberose?

I was looking for pix but found this article. They are WWWWWWWWWWWWWWonderful!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/columnists/mgreene/stories/DN-nhg_fool_0526liv.ART.State.Edition1.22830da9.html

mmock, do you have a HH? How many panels did you make yours? Mine is 5 but will be bigger next yr.

I tried that Smockette but mmock doesn't respond. I asked a lot of those questions.

Guess we only get one chance.

Jeanette

Guess they thought we weren't friendly.
Everyone is friendly here in Dave's Garden!
:~)

I thought so. I looked at the link on the tuberoses. they are very good smelling. I almost bought some one time but I would have to either dig them or put them in pots and take them in. I might do that for the smell. LOL

In France, they have fields & fields & fields of them. They are the base ingredient for all GOOD perfumes. Of course, it probably isn't the Mexican ones.
I know they bloom in pots b/c my SIL has most of hers in pots.
Some of mine are about 4" now & the rest are still sleeping waiting for my good HOT Texas sun! lol
My boss used to buy them for her mother. $1 for each stalk!
They will keep blooming even after cut. They will smell up even a large room!
I used to bring mine in to cover my roommate's stinky feet. It worked! lol

That's pretty good!! Whatever works.

Okay, my eyes are weary after reading through both of these threads...I'm still not clear on how to attach the plastic at the ends of the arch. Do you install your end framework for doors/window and attach plastic to that wood?

msrobin, I didn't put doors or windows in mine since this was the first yr of having it. I attached my plastic w/a staple gun to a landscape timber (3" x 4" treated). I just draped it down & stapled it.

My plastic is attached to the 'cattle panels' with hog rings and hog ring pliers. Not difficult to do. I also used a precut panel for the door and covered it the same.

Won't the plastic rip in a good wind where the hog rings puncture the plastic?

I have not had trouble with that, I do a roll the edge of the plastic where I clamp them so that is buffer too.

I have trouble with the plastic in our heat/sun. I used 6 mil but guess it needs to be UV rated. Wonder how that would affect the plants. This plastic sloughs off like a snake skin! I only got one winter/spring out of the roof this time. I am looking for a clear but reinforced tarp instead.

We used duct tape to fasten ours. wrapped it around a wire on the cattle panel and back under to the plastic. I don't even try to get more than one year out of mine. We just get the 4 mil.

Jeanette

I guess I was having a "DUH" moment (or two)...I read about this in a magazine years ago, but had forgotten all about it. I tried to put together a little homemade greenhouse 5 years ago, but the way our property is laid out and being up on this hilltop with no windbreak, I gave up while fighting the plastic. After reading all the posts in these 2 threads, my mind is spinning with all the possibilities!

Is it situated so that the ends are on the North & South?

Robin

I love this thread ~ every so often it surfaces when someone new like me discovers it. MsRobin ~ peruse this thread if you have a few minutes. This was an easy means of attaching one to a building and BigBubbles gives a pretty thorough description. More ideas... hmmmm. pod
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/674265/#new

Ok, I'll bite.... where can I find the strawbale forum? I looked in the forums list and didn't find anything! Bummmmmmer
I am gathering the goodies for a HH too and am so excited. Hopw to be able to share pics some day!
Thanks!!

I found this (ongoing) straw bale thread in Vegetable Gardening, I hope it's the one you're looking for:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/758543/

Hi Jennie,

Just came from there. We are on part 16. Going on 3 years. It is pretty fun. Yes, it is in the Vegetable forum. Also, I see you are going to try a hoophouse. I made mine out of cattle panels. They are so easy to work with.

Each year I try something different and this one I put the bales inside on each side of the hh and then I hve support for the tomatoes. I do have to use twine to fasten some of the longer limbs from the tomato plants up, but so far it has worked pretty good except something is eating the ripe tomatoes. Half of each one. I think it is a squirrel. So, I have gotten netting today to try.

Hope to see you in the strawbale forum.

Jeanette

OMH. thanks for the heads up! I will have to check that out.....

Thanks for the welcome Jeanette. Yes, were are planning to try the HH. I have been kicking the idea around and am considering a modification here and there due to our colder climate. Will just see how that goes.... LOL
DH may be sorry he ever agreed to this plan of mine! I have a bunch of reclaimed matching windows and the lumber to make a permanent greenhouse. Summer is slipping by though so we will have to get hopping!

Jennie,

I see you are in zone 3. That is pretty cold to plan on heating thru the winter. Is that what you had in mind? If so, I think unless you go for a professional hoophouse, that you would be better off doing the greenhouse. I think bubblewrap, (greenhouse type) would be a good insulation besides any other.

zone 3 is cold.

Jeanette

Jeanette,
Yes zone 3/4, and no plans to try to heat. I am mostly interested in the HH as a way to extend my season by starting things a little earlier and squeezing a little more time out of our fall before frost gets me. We have already had a big frost this year, so that gives you some idea how early it comes.
We are planning the HH for a grow out area mostly. I am considering 2 layers in order to increase insulation, but not sure I will get that far.
The main project for this summer is the actual greenhouse. DH and I have had very little time off together but have gotten some of the framing done; Hoping for fair weather this weekend in order to frame some more.
Heating any greenhouse would be nearly crazy in my climate. Gardening is my therapy though so I would like to do it out of the wind, rain, and cool weather. Because it is so harsh here, I have never been much of a fan of annuals, and stick mostly to hardy perennials. If it does not want to grow here, I hatre to waste my time wrestling it to my will! LOL
Jennie