this may not be a bwilliams garden (which I love) but I think it's nice .......
It may not be
and....
then there's .......
and finally
Anaid, Carefull BWilliams garden probably started out like yours. You are on your way! Good luck and keep'em TROPICAL! jerry
Your tropicals look great...so healthy. How do you winter them over? We noticed a bit of fog and a nip in the air early this morning. Can fall be far behind? Time to start thinking about where to put everything!
Last year most of these werent this big so I just moved them to a more protected area and covered w/a cover (lookd like cloth but felt like paper) and kept them moist so the roots wouldnt freeze. Their apperance wasnt the same as now when I took them out in the spring but at least the didnt die. Since then I've gotten alot of much bigger pots from a landscaper working in a new apartment complex so theyve gotten huge. I will probably do the same this winter but this time I"ve bought me a "dolly" to be able to move them. Then I have 2 green houses I can put "some" in and I buy those plastics blankets come in to cover other plants. We have a gazebo and front porch Im considering making temp green houses so I'm looking into rolls of plastic for that project. Luckily we dont get many real cold days, huh?
I envy you your greenhouses. We put up temporary ones along the fenceline and stuff everything into them. Takes about two months for plants to bounce back in the spring. Just don't have enough room for a "real" greenhouse! You'll probably enjoy having the gazebo and porch temporarily enclosed. 'Especially if you can go in and pinch and prune over the winter.
Dont think my greenhouses are one of those real grand ones u see some people having. They are these metal pole frames with plastic walls & ceiling. They arent anything fancy but they sure help protect the plants. I have them set up against a storage shed to shield it from the north wind. The humidity builds up and helps the seeds and little plants do very well. And they arent expensive either :)
Yes indeed my collection started out very much just like your. It always starts out with a few potted plants you really love and before you know it your breathing eating talking dreaming plants. I was and still am abit fanatical when it comes to collecting plants. Becareful its a long trip.
Sending you a link to last year's pics of getting yard ready for winter. Amazingly, I have nearly doubled the amount of plants this year. Just wanted you to see that I don't have permanent greenhouses either, but plants survive with a little plastic and some Xmas lights..and a couple heaters on our 'three' freezing nights! We left some of the palms out last year and they were fine.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/674265/
Adding.....Just wanted to send you the first few pics, not the entire thread! Didn't realize it was soooo long. Please ignore the rest....
This message was edited Aug 31, 2007 11:14 AM
What makes my collection grow is the info that is shared by people like Bwilliams and other experts who have gone thru it from scratch like me and have a genuine love of gardening and are not just in it for the business. My son ( who bought me the majority of my gardening supplies and some plants) encourages me to retire and just do gardening and sell some of my plants. I live in a less affluent area which is a distance from any commercial nursery and he feels I would do well. More like a poor person's nursery where they can get things that are durable and inexpensive. I might think about it in the future depending on how my garden grows.......
Anaid, I like your sons way of thinking, he's a smart man. I think you would do good.Lots of luck and keep'um tropical!!!! jerry
Hey Big Bubbles
I saw your hoop houses and I decided just to invite you to San Antonio and have u do mine........... LOL. I can find the plastic pipe but where do u get the plastic? I have thought of how Im going to handle the job almost every day. I just dont want to wait till the last minute. I get magazines from the place I purchased the green houses but I think the plastic is expensive. Would appreciate any help or hints to get this done.
I bought my plastic thru the Master Gardener co-op here a few yrs ago. But...I've heard that the 4 mil roll that you can get from Home Depot will work as well... and is cheaper. We may try that this year, as ours finally started to crack after 3 years. I use a glue gun to seal the seams wherever needed.
How 'bout you coming to Austin around the first week of Nov and watch us put 'em up? 'Some on the job training, so to speak... hmmmm?
Seriously, if you follow the thread a little further down, I think I went into how we attached the pipe to the facshia board, etc....and if you're near a Harbor Freight....start buying their big bags of clips to hold the plastic onto the pipe. I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have. Can't believe it's nearly time to put it all up again. The good thing about starting early is once it's up, you can push the plastic up and clip it until the first cold snap. Then you're not rushing around, ....just drop the plastic, clip it, and everything's protected from the cold.
THAT DOES IT!!!!! Im starting tomorrow. Harbor Freight here I come. Now that you've told me the thickness of the plastic I have another question, though, what size pvc do I buy? How do u anchor the pvc to the ground and at the top?
Anaid, For some pictures and ideas go to www.clearspan.com I have bought two greenhouses from them, with good results. jerry
Anaid...we used 3/4" pipe on most, 1" on the big one over the pond. It was suggested that we use the grey pipe because it's uv-resistant, but we've used the same cheaper white pipe over and over for four yrs and had no problems. The clips at Harbor Freight go on sale around this time and they're in a clear square pkg. Also have 'em in a mesh bag too. I just asked DH about the plastic and he said the reason we ordered it was because the kind from HD is sorta "milky" instead of clear. I'm pretty sure what we ordered was 20' wide too. But a glue gun will make plastic any size you want!. Great for patching too.
As to anchoring the hoops....we slip each pipe over a piece of rebar in the ground, both sides. Along the fenceline, we screw the pipe into the fence about waist high to keep the wind from shifting it. The wind is our worst enemy up on this hill, more than the cold.
For anchoring it to the house, you can scroll down thru that link I sent and it explains with photos how to do it.
Hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any more questions. BB
BB:
Yes it all makes sense and the pics and instructions on the posting are clear. I might ask my son in law to help me with it. He's a garden nut like me so I know he wont mind. Im kinda excited about this project cuz like my green houses it allows me to continue gardening during the winter.
Thanks for the link Jerry :)
Please let us know how it works out. Take some pics. You're so fortunate to have SIL that likes to garden....and help you.
We've been at the lake and got chased home by the rain! I'll mention our latest project that you might be interested in next.......since you have so many tropicals. We put up 25 ft of gutter on a portion of the back roof, and bought a 300 gal rain harvesting tank last week. Started small 'cause we could load that size (4'x4') into back of truck. Took DH a few hours to cut the pipe and glue it all together. That evening it rained 3/4" and it filled the tank. We were amazed! Everyone told us to buy the biggest tank we could afford.....but we didn't listen. Before we left for the lake, he had to undo the bottom of the gutter pipe so the water wouldn't collect and overflow the tank while we were gone. Good thing he did.... had a gully washer here last night!
That new project sounds great. I'd like to have something like that close to the green houses and where I work on my plants (work bench) but how do I avoid mosquitos?
Tank is covered with screw on lid....no mosquitoes....
And if it is open, cover with fiberglass screen or drop in a mosquito dunk monthly.
BB ~ great new project. I am a fan of harvesting rainwater, drought or no...
"Duh!" that would make sense......... LOL
Here's the tank...on side of house by little greenhouse and hidden from sight by screen. We just had another short shower, and now we know what the "overflow" does. Water pouring over sides of tank.
BB~What company did you get your rain tank from? What other sizes in gallons do they have? Thank You, Jerry
BB ~ I have enjoyed the thread you referenced on your plant shelter and have refered many DGrs to it in the past. I think it is great that you are able to ready it early and when it turns cold you don't have to be in such a panic.
On the rain tank, does it have a discharge at the bottom to use for plant watering? I suspect we will be seeing a series of tanks to funnel the overflow to the next one. Can't wait to see how you disguise them with plants ~ I am sure it will be attractive.
Texasbigleaves ~ thank you for the link to Clearspan. I was looking for a clear tarp and they have them. On my plant shelter, I find common plastic does not hold up. For two years, I have used 6 mil and it sheds like a snake skin. The one I put on this past fall did not last 4 months before it began to come apart. I am intending to try the clear tarp this year ~ appreciate it Jerry ~ pod
TXBigleaves...We went to a few places in Dripping Springs, outside of Austin. Best prices were surprisingly from Tractor Suppy. The 300 gal was $199. The next size up ws 550 gal, and I think it was only $20. more...but it was 6 ft round and too big to hide on side of patio.. or carry in truck.
One flyer we had was for a company called Norwesco....www.norwesco.com.....and those are the ones we were looking at in DSprgs. Go to their website and check out the sizes. I believe the 1550 gal one that we had originally planned to use was about $475. That may give you an idea of the costs. We were told to get two of those for the size of our yard. They would be way too big for our small backyard, tho.
Pod....It does have a discharge at bottom w/faucet. DH opted not to buy pump for it. 'Said water pressure would be sufficient. When he 'demonstrated' watering out in the yard, he could only lift the hose a couple of ft. before it quit running. Was pretty funny. We now have pump to attach tomorrow....And I've already stuck a trellis with a jade vine on it in front of the tank. Won't cover it before winter, but I'll think of a more permanent cover..like jasmine before spring.
I wondered how much water pressure as the tank didn't appear to be elevated much. That would have helped too.
Everyone we talked to, that has tanks, told us, "You have to have a pump, no matter where you place tank." We were going to put it down behind our pond where the yard dips down. Knew we'd have to have one there. Now we know we have to have one anywhere! Live and learn...Behind the tank is the side of little greenhouse. This side yard is gated because the storage shed for the lawn equip is back there also and I didn't want to see it when I was in the backyard. (Why am I explaining this? Because DH was reading over my shoulder and doesn't want anyone to think the GH is part of the house.......geez.......)
Pod...just one more...This is the back of the tank where it attaches to the gutter. Downspout coming down from gutter has a smaller pipe attached near top that goes over to the tank. When the downspout fills up (first wash), the remaining water in the gutter travels through the smaller pipe at top over to the tank. Most of the roof junk/leaves goes into the downspout, which gets flushed periodically.
I think that is great ~ my system is more primitive with rain barrels to catch run off.
Doesn't your DH know that we would truely be jealous if the GH WAS part of the house? LOL
It would take a lot more "whine" to get him to let me have a sunroom instead of a temp. gh off from the gameroom...but that would be ideal!
Anaid...I'm sorry I hijacked your thread with Pod! But I do want to let you know I have lots of tropicals that I can share with you if you'd like. It's getting to be that time when we start cutting things back,... and then hate to toss the cuttings! Let me know if you're interested in some before the cold sets in.....or remind me next spring (Feb.).... BB
Dont worry BB; Im eating up everything in here. I can always use hints and pointers from other's experiences so I wont make the same boo-boo's. As for the cuttings, GIRL LET ME HAVE THEM!!!! It will give me more to watch over during the winter in the green houses. Last night I was out there till dark. I am thinking of having an electrical line out to them to allow me to stay out longer. It's better than sitting in front of the tube scarfing down what I shouldnt, right? Just let me know how much postage to send u BB cuz I want to make sure to get it to u for the cuttings................... " I'M SO EXCITED NOW"
I'll d-mail you a list of things I have in the next few days, and you can decide what you want. Some will already be rooted and others will be cuttings. I also spotted some pots of plants that are duplicates. I bought a couple of rolling racks of plants from Lowe's this summer for $5. each. There were quite a few little tropical plants on those. I donated some to garden club, but still have some to share. 'Should give you a head start for next spring. It's still raining here, so it'll be a few days before I can gather things. BB
Np, just let me know. I too share my plants but its with the order of nun's that use to run the school I attended as a child. Have u heard of Our Lady of the Lake University? They use to run it and now just have their offices and residence on campus. My sister works there and once a year they have this plant sale. I give my sister pots with cuttings and such to help with their sale. I can share some of what I get from you. Thank you sooooooooo much!
Sure,I know about the Univ. We lived in Live Oak a 100 yrs ago when DH was a pilot at Randolph.
Mayneed a "drop off point" in SA, 'cause I have stuff in pots that I don't think you wantto pay postage on! Maybe I can convince DH to make a run to Randolph or FT. Sam soon. You could meet us somewhere near? Will get back to you when I get plants all together.
I dont mind traveling. My father was born and raised in Lockhart and we (his kids) go to eat sausage at Kreuz (sic) often. Thats on the way to Austin. I dont want to put u out majorily so u tell me what's more convenient for u. I drive an F150 so hauling is no problem for me. I hope u know how excited im getting.......
Well, do you just wanna come here? I can give you directions that are pretty easy from I35. We're off Loop 360. Would love to have you. 'A truck and maybe a shovel.... doesn't get any better than that!!! You're probably 90 minutes from us. I have a dear friend here that grew up in Lockhart! Her first name is Veliae. Could you know her????