The Small Greenhouse Place

By Clair Schwan

Now is the time to build a greenhouse — a quality homemade greenhouse. Start growing vegetables year round and free yourself from the ever rising cost of produce. That’s exactly what I have done.

A quality homemade greenhouse isn’t difficult or expensive to build — I’ve constructed three different designs with no previous experience. All are well built metal and wood structures that will last a lifetime. If you are serious about growing vegetables and you want to save money, then you should seriously consider building a quality homemade greenhouse.

Here is how I built my second homemade greenhouse. It started as a large patch of weed infested ground, and now it’s a nice strong hot house that serves me year round. The idea was to create two 3 foot wide by 36 foot long raised beds with a sunken walkway in between. A metal and wood frame greenhouse would then be built on top.

I dug it. The first steps of the process involved creating the sunken walkway that would run between the large raised beds. This was done with a backhoe and skidsteer. The backhoe dug out most of the walkway, and the skidsteer was used to do the final digging and smooth out the floor of the walkway so it would be level for the walls of the raised bed.

The walkway was dug plenty deep, about 5 feet, to allow for high walls and a deep bed of sand to cover the walkway. It also had to be excavated a little bit wide so the walls could be installed and lined with corrugated metal to keep the power poles from touching the soil in the raised bed. Outside and end walls were also constructed in a similar manner.

The upper story. The basic design of the greenhouse is similar to a single car garage. The walls are vertical and 5 feet tall. The roof is 10 feet from eave to ridge with a 45 degree pitch to capture light and shed snow. Metal tubing is used for the walls and rafters, with 90 degree EMT conduit elbows used at the ridge to connect the rafters. Metal tubing is also used to create purlins, angle bracing for the walls, and diagonal bracing across the structure.

Chain link top rail serves as the primary metal tubing for construction. It is light, easy to work with, inexpensive and readily available at the local home improvement store. Chain link fencing end clamps are used extensively to fasten together walls, top plates and rafters. Walls are secured to the power pole foundation by drilling holes and pinning them in place with lag screws. Diagonal bracing is secured to the power pole foundation with large spikes.

The ends of the building are constructed from 2 by 4 lumber painted white. Vents and an exhaust fan are installed, both controlled by a single temperature switch. The building is covered with woven ripstop poly in three pieces. One piece for each end, and a single piece that covers the walls and roof. The poly is stapled to the wood ends, and held in place across the structure by plastic lath and self-tapping screws.

Note: this project required 2 people and heavy equipment because of its size and the heavy materials used in construction of the base. If you build something similar without heavy equipment, you can limit the challenges by choosing lighter materials like railroad ties at 80 pounds a piece, making the beds shorter, and making the sunken walkway more shallow.

The finished greenhouse is now in full production. In the summer we grow two dozen summer and winter squash plants, and about 20 cucumber plants. In the winter we grow kale, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, about 8 plants each. All of the resident vegetables seem to enjoy the warmth that the enclosure provides, and the high winds out here on the prairie don’t have a chance of drying out our precious crops.

Clair Schwan is an experienced vegetable gardener and has constructed 3 homemade greenhouses from local building materials. He has eliminated the high cost of produce by growing it himself. As part of his frugal and self-reliant lifestyle, he grows over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and extends his vegetable gardening season to a year round adventure. Get detailed how-to discussions, tips and photos about building greenhouses, growing vegetables, and vegetable gardening at http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clair_Schwan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Homemade-Greenhouse—Build-it-For-Less-Using-Local-Materials-and-Basic-Tools&id=1252162

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Build Your Own Greenhouse (Greenhouses)

By Clair Schwan

Build your own greenhouse? Yes, and it isn’t difficult or expensive. If you are serious about your gardening, then you should consider building a greenhouse.

I was led to build a greenhouse to eliminate the high cost of produce. I just couldn’t see paying a few dollars a pound for something that I could easily grow myself. Our weather here in Wyoming is challenging, so a greenhouse was the answer. I also wanted to save money on the project, so a homemade greenhouse was my solution.

It is a satisfying adventure to build your own greenhouse. All it takes is a little imagination, some planning, a little investment in time and money, and basic handyman skills and tools. Your enthusiasm for gardening will carry you the rest of the way to success.

I know you can build one, because I built three with no previous experience. Here is how I built my first. It was an old under-utilized shed that is now a nice productive greenhouse for vegetables.

Starting with a dirty and dusty building that was assembled from scrap materials, I assessed its worthiness as a greenhouse. It had a dirt floor, so I didn’t need to tear that out. It had a nice southern exposure, so that was good. It had electricity and water inside, so the essentials were there.

Time to demolish — carefully that is. The demolition involved the following key steps:

• Removed the wall sheathing
• Peeled off the roof sheathing
• Removed nails, screws and other hardware from the wood frame
• Dug out the rolled roofing material that was placed as a covering on the dirt floor

The north wall sheathing and a narrow part of the roof in the middle of the building on the north side were left in place. The north wall provided the building with added rigidity and didn’t affect the light gathering ability of the structure. The narrow roof area allowed me easy access to the top vent and ridge of the building.

After a little testing and assessment, I knew that the building needed bracing. Here is what I did:

• Installed cross bracing on the three walls with no sheathing
• Nailed sheer wall in place on the north wall
• Built three diagonal braces in the mid-section of the building
• Replaced two joists because they were cracked
• Reinforced every rafter with plywood gussets at the peak
• Tied the diagonal braces into the gussets, joists and sole plate
• Framed in for a large access door, vent and power exhaust fan
• Built and hung a large access door

Now that my structure was sound, I had surface prep to do. This included:

• Power washing the old wood to remove age old gunk
• Sanding smooth every surface that would have the greenhouse plastic glazing touching it
• Sealing the wood frame with a white water-based sealant
• Painting the structure with several coats of bright white water-based paint

After all that work, I was ready to take the final steps of the project to bring my greenhouse to life. These steps included: stapling on the woven ripstop poly covering; installing the power exhaust fan, power vent and thermostat controllers; wiring everything to the electrical supply; creating and filling raised beds for planting; and, spreading a thick layer of sand on the floor for a clean and comfortable work environment.

Now the greenhouse is in full production growing vegetables. Peas, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, Swiss chard, eggplant and herbs enjoy the warm and moist environment. They are protected from wind, hail and driving rain, and are producing very well — much better than they ever would outside in our drying winds.

Best of all, on a cold sunny winter day, we head for the greenhouse, sit back in our easy chairs and wiggle our toes in the sand. We have a warm tropical paradise on the high plains outside of Cheyenne — and it keeps us well fed.

Clair Schwan is an experienced vegetable gardener and has constructed 3 handsome greenhouses from local building materials. He has eliminated the high cost of produce by growing it himself. As part of his frugal and self-reliant lifestyle, he grows over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, and extends his vegetable gardening season to a year round adventure. See detailed how-to discussion and tips about building greenhouses and growing vegetables, and see pictures of his greenhouse projects and vegetable gardens at http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clair_Schwan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Build-Your-Own-Greenhouse-and-Get-Serious-About-Year-Round-Gardening&id=1237979

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Build Your Own Greenhouse: How to Construct, Equip, and Maintain It

By Clair Schwan

I always wondered about having a greenhouse of my own. What are the benefits? Could I put it to good use? Is it costly? Do I have the room? For me, those questions were answered long ago and now I am happy to be a greenhouse gardener with three quality structures that I designed and built myself.

Here are my top 10 reasons to build your own greenhouse. Let’s see how many fit with your desires and lifestyle.

10. Multiple purposes. Although I like a greenhouse for growing fresh organic vegetables, you can also use it to grow flowers, house plants, bulb plants and seedlings of all types. Change what your focus is each year or mix it up as you like.

9. Dedicated place. A greenhouse allows you to have a designated spot for gardening. It provides a home for special accessories, tools and supplies necessary for starting seeds, transplanting, growing, harvesting, cleaning and preparing vegetables and cut flowers.

8. Choose your own design. A homemade greenhouse provides you the opportunity to design it yourself. It can be as wide, as long, as tall and as strong as you need it to be. Need another door or vent? Just put that into your plan. You’re not stuck with someone else’ design.

7. Save money on materials and labor. If you build your own greenhouse, you save more than half the cost of a kit, and all the labor costs associated with having it assembled.

6. Extend the season. Get started earlier than normal. Garden longer than your normal summer season. Unless you are growing plants that are very temperature sensitive, and your environment is harsh, you should be able to count on nearly two months head start and two months extended growing season, all with no supplemental heat.

5. Create a warm and humid environment. Plants love warmth and humidity. They thrive in it. A greenhouse allows you to easily capture and maintain an environment of warmth and humidity.

4. Get out of the wind and harsh weather. Greenhouses shield you and your plants from the damaging effects of a storm that might bring high winds, driving rains and hail. It also protects your plants from the constant drying effects of winds in more arid environments.

3. Garden year round. In most places across the country, the sheltered environment of a greenhouse provides enough protection for growing vegetables year round. Even when temperatures drop into the single digits, many cold tolerant vegetable crops can survive just fine.

2. Beat the cost of grocery store produce. One of the best reasons for a greenhouse of your own is to beat the escalating price of food. For a family of three, a greenhouse will pay for itself in a year or two. No more multiple dollars per pound for produce that you can grow in your own backyard.

1. Self-reliance and independence. As consumers, we are ever more dependent on jobs, fuel, utility companies, and government. A greenhouse of your own helps you become independent and self-reliant in one of the most important areas of life — keeping you and your family fed.

If you aren’t certain about having a greenhouse of your own, go visit someone that has one and ask a lot of questions. You’ll probably find out what I did — a greenhouse is so useful that you’ll want one or more of your own. Whether it is fresh flowers, vegetables or a combination, the ability to grow your own in an extended season makes a greenhouse a high value investment.

Clair Schwan is an experienced vegetable gardener with open sun gardening beds and three quality greenhouses of his own design and construction. He grows over 100 varieties of vegetables, and provides fresh produce year round for himself and his family. To learn more about his achievements and greenhouse designs, visit his website at http://www.frugal-living-freedom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clair_Schwan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Greenhouse-Gardening—Top-10-Reasons-to-Build-Your-Own-Greenhouse&id=1266004

By Colin Clifford

Greenhouses are often thought of as the exclusive preserve of the dedicated gardener. However with greenhouses and frames to suit every pocket and size of garden, there is no need for even the novice gardener to feel daunted by the prospect of installing and running one.

The most obvious benefit of having your own greenhouse is that the growing season is extended beyond the first frosts of winter and the last frosts of spring. This is particularly useful if, like thousands of gardeners every year, you are tempted by the delights on display at the garden center early in the year, which are too vulnerable to be put out in the garden until the risk of frost has passed.

It is simply not practical to protect each individual bedding plant with fleece, yet if you wait until later in the season the best plants have sold out. Greenhouses and frames offer the perfect solution, providing an environment for hardening off, gradually acclimatising plants to the elements prior to planting out. Favorite tender plants may also be safely over-wintered.

For most gardeners, propagation remains the impetus for buying a greenhouse. Although it will take time to repay the initial investment, great savings can be made by creating new stock in large numbers. The satisfaction in producing your own plants is immense and the techniques are essentially very simple.

The traditional greenhouse

The traditional greenhouse has vertical sides, closed in lower part, and an evenly spanned roof. It uses space well and the covered lower part conserves heat effectively, making it energy efficient. A wide range of accessories such as shelves and staging is available to suit this type of greenhouse, making it a good all round choice. Many sizes are available, choose one to suit both your garden and the amount of time you plan to spend in the greenhouse. A keen propagator will quickly outgrow a small model.

The lean-to greenhouse

A lean-to greenhouse built against a wall is useful for those who do not want to give up precious garden space. Because the lean-to is situated against a wall, it retains heat well, often benefiting not only from sunlight, but from a certain amount of heat emitted by the heating system of the home.

Lean-to greenhouses can be extremely attractive in their own right and can double up as garden rooms if there is a connecting door to the home. Their reduced glazed surface means that they are less expensive to heat than a conventional greenhouse, although obviously they receive less light than traditional models.

Watering and heating systems are also comparatively simple to install, there being no need to lay cables to a more distant part of the garden.

The mini greenhouse

Mini greenhouses provide an excellent introduction to growing under glass, invaluable not only to the gardener with limited space, but also to the novice who does not wish to make a costly investment in a more substantial model. Both free standing and lean-to mini greenhouses are available.

Specialist greenhouse

A range of greenhouses in unusual shapes and sizes are available. Some are designed primarily for their decorative properties, such as octagonal greenhouses, others for increased efficiency of heat retention or stability in high winds. A major drawback of a specialist greenhouse is that staging, shelving, glazing accessories and replacements are not standard items. The choice may therefore be both limited and expensive.

To see a full range of greenhouses, lean-to greenhouses and cold frames. Why not take a visit to the Greenhouse department at http://www.mygardencenteronline.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Clifford
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Choose-A-Greenhouse?&id=1132286

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