Anyone have a 'basement' greenhouse?

I love to garden so much that I'd love to do it year-round. Someone suggested that I use my basement (it's unfinished and there's not much down there). It doesn't get too cold or too hot either. Is this a good idea? What kind of things would I need or need to do to get started? Anyone have any advice? Maybe some pics of their own 'basement greenhouses'?

Growing up, my neighbor had a basement filled with plants. He had raised beds made of wood around all the walls, filled with gravel to hold water for humidity. The plants were potted and sat slightly down in the rocks. Over the top were light fixtures on chains for adjustments in height. He had a water tank hooked to the ceiling where water came to room temperature, with a small hose that reached all parts of the basement for gentle watering. I'll let my mind wander to see if I remember anything else. It was amazing.

When I lived in Missouri, my Dear Husband fixed our basement up with lights and I had a 'greenhouse' setup there - it was a great success! Now that I live in Florida, I have a real greenhouse, but the great weather allows me to keep my plants in the ground, so I only keep orchids and succulents in the greenhouse right now.

I have lots of questions regarding a basement greenhouse, but my main question is: Is there a way that bugs would not develop and permeate through the house? I guess I'm worried I'll start growing in the basement and next thing you know, I've got weird little bugs flying around the house... EW!

Well, if you don't treat your soil and plants for gnats and white flies, you will have them in your basement, and if you leave the basement door open to your home, they will come in your living quarters. It's best to put up the yellow sticky paper and also buy some white fly spray.

And don't forget lights, lights, lights.

I've got one. It's about 12' X12'. WONDERFUL dh built it for me one year in my January blahs so I could start veggies. It's 2x4" studs covered with heavy plastic. I first used it with one rotating 1000 watt gro light. Then added a second light. Now I could easily double the size! Had to laugh that gro-light came in an unmarked plain white box. I have also used it to overwinter tropicals. I do suggest adding water spigot. And whitefly is a problem...although I haven't gotten them into other parts of house.

I think the only two negatives:

1. I'm always nervous somebody will call me into DEA and I'll wake up to 50 agents ramming my front door down for some veggies and Brugs LOL

2. My entire extended family does imitations of me trying to get around in it (because it's so full there's only a 9 inch wide isle LOL)

Addicted2plants,

How exactly does one rotate a growlight? I've head of motorized tracks for moving them back and forth, but not of anything that rotates the light. I am always trying to improve my indoor grow-room so I'm always open to good ideas.

Doug

It's a rotational arm. It rotates one way then reverses back the other way. I think we got it from Albuquerque Hydroponics http://www.ahlgrows.com/lightmovers.html Not sure why I went with it over track but I think it's because my room was square 12 x12.. Tracks look cheaper. This is also place I got 1000 watt lights. They've come fast and I believe we had a transformer go out that they replaced no charge. Stuff seems to come quickly and in plain white boxes LOL We only run ours minimal in winter but go up to 16 hours/day in spring. Be prepared for increase in electric bills!

You don't have to tell me about electric bills. Vermont has among the highest rates in the country, and I have the electric company with the highest rates in VT! I'm waiting for this new LED Technology to be perfected. It is the wave of the future as far as growlights are concerned. It should cut the power usage to a fraction of what it was before; and yes I have received many of those plain white boxes myself!

Doug

I have been growing in my basement for a few years with good success. last summer my HID lamp was stolen by, I am pretty sure, friends of my teenage son to grow a particular crop that I don't grow, I watch WEEDs and don't want to go through all that grief.
We harvested figs all winter and my agapathus has never bloomed so profusely outside as it did in my basement this winter. I did have terrible white fly which even tho I treated over and over with organic sprays and yellow sticky traps everywhere still were a problem. I want to hear more about Cathy4's neighbors operation.
We splurged on a two new HID lights, one HPS, 600 watt and one MH, 400 watt.

krfleet, ask away, I'll answer if I can remember. He's in heaven now, or I'd arrange a tour.

The sticky traps won't do any good for control. They're simply an indicator of how bad the infestation is. Pretty pointless, IMO. You can tell how bad an infestation is by just looking at the plants.

I used Forbid 4F which was rec. on Brug forum for mites but also controls immature whitefly...as I recall you can use it mixed with permethrin to knock down adult population but check me. The really interesting thing is that Bayer, the manufacturer, sells Forbid in Canada that is half the strength AND it is approved for use on edible crops, but I think they wanted person to limit to 2 applications per season. In my Brugs 2 applications was all it took and I truthfully might have gotten by with one but I was mite phobic at the time LOL So basically for ornamentals the dose would be 1.2 ml in gallon.....edibles in Canada get half that amount in gallon. BTW the reason I liked it so much was that it was lower warning pesticide level than Avid for mites and it was the only thing I found that actually will penetrate the leaf so if you miss a part of the underside but get the top you still can kill the mites/whiteflies. It is so expensive that you might start keeping a secret "whitefly-mite" fund...LOL