Greenhouse Dreams

[JustAnotherNut]

I really wish I could afford to put in geothermal tubes to heat a greenhouse. My neck of the woods has been down to -15° at night lately and I'd love to grow some little citrus trees.

Thanks for the great photos beautress

What about using something black to attract and hold the heat of the sun in a passive solar heating plan? Something like black plastic or old tires or???? Basically I think most plants can survive some cold weather, as long as they do not freeze. Some things may suffer from cooler temps, but can usually survive

I will be looking into this option as well, just because I don't want to have to heat it. I don't like the idea of running extension cords or leaving a space heater unattended.

View attachment 588267

My favorite -- Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle. I've spent many blissful hours there.

Not to be nosey or anything......well, just a little.........but are you up here in WA???

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Backyard for one's vicarious greenhouse.
View attachment 588343
^^^^^ You could plant all that stuff from seed packs or cuttings from green thumb friends, then plan something really pretty like ^^^^^
Not sure where you could get the white flagstones, though...​

I hear Glidden does wonders........

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

What about using something black to attract and hold the heat of the sun in a passive solar heating plan? Something like black plastic or old tires or???? Basically I think most plants can survive some cold weather, as long as they do not freeze. Some things may suffer from cooler temps, but can usually survive

I will be looking into this option as well, just because I don't want to have to heat it. I don't like the idea of running extension cords or leaving a space heater unattended.







Not to be nosey or anything......well, just a little.........but are you up here in WA???

No, I moved from Port Angeles WA to South Dakota four and a half months ago. It's so much colder here and I knew this -- I was born and raised here -- but the reality after living on the West Coast my whole adult life is intense!

Thanks for the suggestion about the black plastic! I will seriously consider it when I start designing my greenhouse.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

No, I moved from Port Angeles WA to South Dakota four and a half months ago. It's so much colder here and I knew this -- I was born and raised here -- but the reality after living on the West Coast my whole adult life is intense!

Thanks for the suggestion about the black plastic! I will seriously consider it when I start designing my greenhouse.

I have enough problems now with arthritis that I couldn't imagine moving to a much colder climate. If I ever did move, it would be south somewhere.......so I can garden year round

 

[beautress]

I need a greenhouse but I don't want to have to heat it thru the winter and need to figure out a good location, that will help keep the natural heat in winter, but not be an oven in the summer, even with windows open. .


In the meantime and until I can figure something out, I am tempted and really considering buying one or maybe two of those cheap plastic covered shelf units. I've had one before, but they don't hold up well to weather for long. Mine was good for the first year, after that the plastic and zippers gave out...then the hard plastic connectors broke. And they don't stand up well in the wind unless you put some heavy stuff on the bottom shelf to anchor it.

View attachment 588342

You have some really great ideas J.A.N.! I have a shelf like that but it has so much stuff on it I'd probably have to take it to Goodwill (if any of it is any good, that is). That just looks so perfect, thanks! If you work, my guess you are a supreme problem solver! /getting shoes on to check out old metal shelf and a box to put stuff in....

 

[JustAnotherNut]

You have some really great ideas J.A.N.! I have a shelf like that but it has so much stuff on it I'd probably have to take it to Goodwill (if any of it is any good, that is). That just looks so perfect, thanks! If you work, my guess you are a supreme problem solver! /getting shoes on to check out old metal shelf and a box to put stuff in....

Meh.....I've just been thinking and planning and tinkering with the greenhouse options for a few years now and still haven't figured it out yet.

If I were that great of a problem solver, I'd already have it done

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I have enough problems now with arthritis that I couldn't imagine moving to a much colder climate. If I ever did move, it would be south somewhere.......so I can garden year round

I'm lucky to not have problems with arthritis, but I'm finding that another medical problem I have is being exacerbated by the cold, which was never cold enough in WA to be a trigger.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Now ya'll got me started on this.....I'm off to do more research on possibilities..




beautress if you do have one of those plastic covered greenhouses, or expect to get one......I'd suggest to protect the unit by only using it to get starts going, then try packing it away during the hot summer & cold winter. That is my plan if I do get them in the hopes it won't disintegrate in the first season. Though your climate may be different.

 

[evenflow1969]

I really wish I could afford to put in geothermal tubes to heat a greenhouse. My neck of the woods has been down to -15° at night lately and I'd love to grow some little citrus trees.

Thanks for the great photos beautress

Lol, ya heating them is a big cost. There somo areas in eastern Ohio where old tapped out oil wells exist that you can tap for free natural gas. I always wanted to buy one of those properties and build ba large green house. Fresh orange s every morning would be awesome. Unless you live in Florida or California you really don't know what tree ripened oranges taste like.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Lol, ya heating them is a big cost. There somo areas in eastern Ohio where old tapped out oil wells exist that you can tap for free natural gas. I always wanted to buy one of those properties and build ba large green house. Fresh orange s every morning would be awesome. Unless you live in Florida or California you really don't know what tree ripened oranges taste like.

My sister had a big lemon tree when we lived in Long Beach, and the lemonade and lemon pie were amazing!

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Dogmaphobe, that is fasinating. Succulents? Where'd they come from? ....Just wondering...

That particular one is a Haworthia cooperi. There are lots of different Haworthias species and countless cultivars thereof, and the genus is mostly from South Africa.

Here is another South African succulent. It's a Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri

 

[evenflow1969]

My sister had a big lemon tree when we lived in Long Beach, and the lemonade and lemon pie were amazing!

Ya, eating was my favorite thing about visiting my uncle in Carpenteria. He had an orange and lemon tree. Also we would drive down to Camerio to the strawberry farms that would allow you to pick your own. Every once in a while I would find a strawberry as big as an apple. Good times.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

I'm lucky to not have problems with arthritis, but I'm finding that another medical problem I have is being exacerbated by the cold, which was never cold enough in WA to be a trigger.

Found a couple of options. This link offers ideas of how to keep a GH heated thru the winter, and are easy & doable. They mention pea gravel as floor, which is easier to walk on, and rocks of whatever size absorb alot of heat. Though you may need something to insulate under the rocks, so the heat doesn't leak out in the soil, but stays within the GH.

How To Build A Passive Solar Greenhouse For Year-Round Harvesting

Passive solar greenhouse? Hmmm... Aren't all greenhouses solar? Well, yes, they are. But a passive solar doesn't use any supplemental heating, like propane, to keep it warm at night. The insulating nature of the greenhouse

www.backyardgardenlover.com

I would love to have one with a wood bottom as I think it would also help to keep in heat better than just plastic covered or a metal base would. Maybe using pallets that are closed off and maybe filled with some kind of insulating materials like old newspapers or something/anything to fill that gap space.

Kinda like this one......

And I'm all about the 'reduce, reuse, recycle' in the least expensive way possible and free is even better. So pallets, newspapers, empty milk, juice & soda bottles are right up my alley. Not to mention, catching the rain water to fill those jugs or containers. Then that water can either be used to fill new jugs when you need to replace them.......or used on the plants




Another possible option, if money wasn't an issue........is building a Trombe wall that is very similar to like a sun porch or??

Trombe wall - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The image shows it's only a narrow space between the outer wall and the house wall that catches and traps the suns heat, then vent holes are piped into the house as a way of heating your home. Or atleast adding to it. But I wonder if something like that would be possible if that space was large enough for some shelves for plants? Which would be more like the sun porch idea

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Found a couple of options. This link offers ideas of how to keep a GH heated thru the winter, and are easy & doable. They mention pea gravel as floor, which is easier to walk on, and rocks of whatever size absorb alot of heat. Though you may need something to insulate under the rocks, so the heat doesn't leak out in the soil, but stays within the GH.

How To Build A Passive Solar Greenhouse For Year-Round Harvesting

Passive solar greenhouse? Hmmm... Aren't all greenhouses solar? Well, yes, they are. But a passive solar doesn't use any supplemental heating, like propane, to keep it warm at night. The insulating nature of the greenhouse

www.backyardgardenlover.com

I would love to have one with a wood bottom as I think it would also help to keep in heat better than just plastic covered or a metal base would. Maybe using pallets that are closed off and maybe filled with some kind of insulating materials like old newspapers or something/anything to fill that gap space.

Kinda like this one......


View attachment 588380

And I'm all about the 'reduce, reuse, recycle' in the least expensive way possible and free is even better. So pallets, newspapers, empty milk, juice & soda bottles are right up my alley. Not to mention, catching the rain water to fill those jugs or containers. Then that water can either be used to fill new jugs when you need to replace them.......or used on the plants




Another possible option, if money wasn't an issue........is building a Trombe wall that is very similar to like a sun porch or??

Trombe wall - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 588379

The image shows it's only a narrow space between the outer wall and the house wall that catches and traps the suns heat, then vent holes are piped into the house as a way of heating your home. Or atleast adding to it. But I wonder if something like that would be possible if that space was large enough for some shelves for plants? Which would be more like the sun porch idea

That's a lot to absorb. I'll chew on it through the day and do some research. Thanks! You are on it!

 

[Old Rocks]

This thread is all about a greenhouse in the backyard for the fun of growing something your climate does not allow. Fun? Profit? Eye candy? A Tropical environment in the dead of an arctic winter? Is your growing zone too hot or to cold to grow certain trees, fruits, herbs, or veggies? Are you fascinated by greenhouse architecture? Do you want to grow pineapples but don't live in Hawaii? Citrus but you don't live in Southern Cal, the Florida Keys, or the Equator? Let's jam!

Firstly, I just like the look of a stunning greenhouse, large or small... eh! So I'll start with one from Finland ...
View attachment 588231View attachment 588229View attachment 588230

Denmark has some too:
View attachment 588237View attachment 588236View attachment 588240​

Growing vegetables in northern Canada in the winter.

 

[beautress]

I'm lucky to not have problems with arthritis, but I'm finding that another medical problem I have is being exacerbated by the cold, which was never cold enough in WA to be a trigger.

Plz eat 2 apples a day for the next 3 weeks. They fix what's broke 8

Found a couple of options. This link offers ideas of how to keep a GH heated thru the winter, and are easy & doable. They mention pea gravel as floor, which is easier to walk on, and rocks of whatever size absorb alot of heat. Though you may need something to insulate under the rocks, so the heat doesn't leak out in the soil, but stays within the GH.

How To Build A Passive Solar Greenhouse For Year-Round Harvesting

Passive solar greenhouse? Hmmm... Aren't all greenhouses solar? Well, yes, they are. But a passive solar doesn't use any supplemental heating, like propane, to keep it warm at night. The insulating nature of the greenhouse

www.backyardgardenlover.com

I would love to have one with a wood bottom as I think it would also help to keep in heat better than just plastic covered or a metal base would. Maybe using pallets that are closed off and maybe filled with some kind of insulating materials like old newspapers or something/anything to fill that gap space.

Kinda like this one......


View attachment 588380

And I'm all about the 'reduce, reuse, recycle' in the least expensive way possible and free is even better. So pallets, newspapers, empty milk, juice & soda bottles are right up my alley. Not to mention, catching the rain water to fill those jugs or containers. Then that water can either be used to fill new jugs when you need to replace them.......or used on the plants




Another possible option, if money wasn't an issue........is building a Trombe wall that is very similar to like a sun porch or??

Trombe wall - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 588379

The image shows it's only a narrow space between the outer wall and the house wall that catches and traps the suns heat, then vent holes are piped into the house as a way of heating your home. Or atleast adding to it. But I wonder if something like that would be possible if that space was large enough for some shelves for plants? Which would be more like the sun porch idea

0% of the time. Doctors will not tell you that. You have to find out the hard way or have a friend who got the apple fix.

Like-eee!

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

Plz eat 2 apples a day for the next 3 weeks. They fix what's broke 8


0% of the time. Doctors will not tell you that. You have to find out the hard way or have a friend who got the apple fix.

Like-eee!

I will be happy to eat apples but for now they must be cooked. I can't chew anything crunchy because of the nerve damage in my face.

Thanks!

 

[beautress]

Found this one in search for "Most beautiful greenhouse in Scotland:"

​

 

[beautress]

Someone somewhere posted this one in "abandoned fairy tale." In its day it must have been amazing because to me, it still is...

 

[beautress]

Scotland? There wasn't much said about this picture from online search engine: