Post by ogeezer on Oct 5, 2007 7:10:19 GMT -6
For anybody living close to the land, having a dependable food supply is primary. Therefore, consideration must be given to building a small greenhouse for homestead use.
A greenhouse can provide countless hours of enjoyment and a steady supply of wholesome food. The benefits of producing your own healthy plants and crops, extending the growing season, and even helping to heat your home are certainly possibilities when utilizing the homestead greenhouse.
The greenhouse itself comes made in as many styles and materials as there are homesteaders. From elaborate metal and glass pre-manufactured sun-rooms to inexpensive plastic film stretched over a crude frame, greenhouses run the gamut in design and construction. Yet, each fulfills the same basic purpose of extending the growing season for us who depend upon producing as much of our food as we can.
Here's one I built for a friend in North Texas a few years ago (reason for poor picture quality) and how we (he 'n i) did it.
First, a treated 2 x 4 was bolted onto the exterior wall of the garage below the eaves. The foundation consisted of short 4 x 4 posts set in the ground 12 feet from the wall. Treated tongue and groove 2 x 6s were secured to the posts to allow for some leveling which was necessary on the slight slope. 2 x 4 plates were applied, and holes were bored in both the top wall plate and the base plate to accommodate the conduit. As each rib was set in place and fine tuned to the correct arc, a small hole was drilled in each of the plates, through the conduit, and a galvanized nail was used to secure the rib. Next, the door and window openings were framed, using measurements to accept the used door and window frames obtained for a few dollars at a garage sale. Caulking was applied to the door and window trim as each was set in place to help to seal the fixture.
The greenhouse covering can be some ordinary 6-mil clear plastic film was applied, but b/c this stuff is only lasts prehaps one season, we opted for a heavy plastic films specifically made for greenhouses, purchased online from reputiable garden supplier.
For more information on this rugged woven plastic covering,
contact Northern Greenhouse Sales, Box 42, Neche, ND 58265.
Inside the greenhouse, scrap lumber was used to build the benches. Heavy wire shelves that had been discarded by a local grocery store were also added to hold more trays of seedlings.
Germination bed was constructed by first framing up the sides with 1 x 6-inch lumber. A sheet of foil-backed foam insulation board was cut to fit the bed (made just slightly wider than the seed germination trays are long). Next, a one-half inch layer of sand was spread over the foam board. An electric heat cable** was arranged on the sand, and was then covered with about an inch more sand. The cable does a nice job of heating the seed trays and the sand acts as a heat sink, absorbing and distributing the heat.
**you mite not need the electric heat cable in this area but in the wide expanses of a North Texas winter, it was a must.
On exceptionally cold or cloudy winter days, my friend heats the GH from a wood stove inside his shop through a window.
STARTING SEEDS
If you can get 'em, some of black plastic flats that stores and nurseries display their containers of plants in, make great trays for your seed cups. We attached some scrap plywood for a bottom, added a handle, and quickly made rows in flats of soil mix. The planting board speeds things up when planting seeds.
Seeds sprout quickly on a heated bed. Once they grow large enough to move into separate containers, they are gently lifted, one by one, and transplanted into ordinary styrofoam cups or from recycled, clean plastic yogurt cups, saved for that purpose. Prepare the cups by poking two or three small holes in the bottom of each to allow water to drain. This can be done, a stack at a time, by shoving a long nail (i.e gutter spike) down through the cups.
Building and working in your own small greenhouse is a very rewarding way to spend some time. The main thing is to use what you have or can readily obtain, adapt the structure to your own needs, and then use the dickens out of it. If you are working towards selling plants, you will find an eager market waiting. In any case, you will be rewarded with fresh vegetables nearly year-round, healthy and vigorous garden plants, and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re another step closer to self-sufficiency.
A greenhouse can provide countless hours of enjoyment and a steady supply of wholesome food. The benefits of producing your own healthy plants and crops, extending the growing season, and even helping to heat your home are certainly possibilities when utilizing the homestead greenhouse.
The greenhouse itself comes made in as many styles and materials as there are homesteaders. From elaborate metal and glass pre-manufactured sun-rooms to inexpensive plastic film stretched over a crude frame, greenhouses run the gamut in design and construction. Yet, each fulfills the same basic purpose of extending the growing season for us who depend upon producing as much of our food as we can.
Here's one I built for a friend in North Texas a few years ago (reason for poor picture quality) and how we (he 'n i) did it.
First, a treated 2 x 4 was bolted onto the exterior wall of the garage below the eaves. The foundation consisted of short 4 x 4 posts set in the ground 12 feet from the wall. Treated tongue and groove 2 x 6s were secured to the posts to allow for some leveling which was necessary on the slight slope. 2 x 4 plates were applied, and holes were bored in both the top wall plate and the base plate to accommodate the conduit. As each rib was set in place and fine tuned to the correct arc, a small hole was drilled in each of the plates, through the conduit, and a galvanized nail was used to secure the rib. Next, the door and window openings were framed, using measurements to accept the used door and window frames obtained for a few dollars at a garage sale. Caulking was applied to the door and window trim as each was set in place to help to seal the fixture.
The greenhouse covering can be some ordinary 6-mil clear plastic film was applied, but b/c this stuff is only lasts prehaps one season, we opted for a heavy plastic films specifically made for greenhouses, purchased online from reputiable garden supplier.
For more information on this rugged woven plastic covering,
contact Northern Greenhouse Sales, Box 42, Neche, ND 58265.
Inside the greenhouse, scrap lumber was used to build the benches. Heavy wire shelves that had been discarded by a local grocery store were also added to hold more trays of seedlings.
Germination bed was constructed by first framing up the sides with 1 x 6-inch lumber. A sheet of foil-backed foam insulation board was cut to fit the bed (made just slightly wider than the seed germination trays are long). Next, a one-half inch layer of sand was spread over the foam board. An electric heat cable** was arranged on the sand, and was then covered with about an inch more sand. The cable does a nice job of heating the seed trays and the sand acts as a heat sink, absorbing and distributing the heat.
**you mite not need the electric heat cable in this area but in the wide expanses of a North Texas winter, it was a must.
On exceptionally cold or cloudy winter days, my friend heats the GH from a wood stove inside his shop through a window.
STARTING SEEDS
If you can get 'em, some of black plastic flats that stores and nurseries display their containers of plants in, make great trays for your seed cups. We attached some scrap plywood for a bottom, added a handle, and quickly made rows in flats of soil mix. The planting board speeds things up when planting seeds.
Seeds sprout quickly on a heated bed. Once they grow large enough to move into separate containers, they are gently lifted, one by one, and transplanted into ordinary styrofoam cups or from recycled, clean plastic yogurt cups, saved for that purpose. Prepare the cups by poking two or three small holes in the bottom of each to allow water to drain. This can be done, a stack at a time, by shoving a long nail (i.e gutter spike) down through the cups.
Building and working in your own small greenhouse is a very rewarding way to spend some time. The main thing is to use what you have or can readily obtain, adapt the structure to your own needs, and then use the dickens out of it. If you are working towards selling plants, you will find an eager market waiting. In any case, you will be rewarded with fresh vegetables nearly year-round, healthy and vigorous garden plants, and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re another step closer to self-sufficiency.