Build Your Own Greenhouse and Get Serious About Year Round Gardening
Filed Under Build a Greenhouse, Greenhouse How To |
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
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