Sunday, April 12, 2009

Greenhouse


After two years of trial and error and six months working on this project, the greenhouse is finally up and operational. I certainly learned the hard way not to cut corners or scimp when building a greenhouse. Several earlier editions tried using PVC pipe for the greenhouse frame. These plastic frames ulimately failed in high winds. So, last year, with a lot of help from Fletch and Karen's brother Jeff, I finally was able to frame out the greenhouse and get the steel hoops in place. Karen helped me pull the plastic skin over the frame (on a very windy day!) and her experience with greenhouses helped me secure it down. So far so good. We have had big storms and high winds and everything is still in place. As you can see from the picture above, we have moved tables into the greenhouse. I have also put a potting bench in there with seed starter mix, fertilizer and a wireless thermostat. The greenhouse is small by commercial standards (only 28'x14') but when I am inside it seems like a lot of space. I've already planted several flats of lettuce and other greens and expect to plant several flats of tender annuals next weekend.

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