Want to build a greenhouse

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ I hear ya...

We have been happily growing flowers & Veggies for years in containers... but this year the VARMIN have come out of the woodwork, and are wrecking havoc ... eating & destroying everything in sight. I think it is because of the extremely lonnnng winter we had. My garden has definitely suffered with the slow start waiting for temps to warm up (June) and now this

As much as i’d love to invest in a greenhouse, they are expensive... and take up a lot of space in the yard for what equals a short period of functionality

I found this website, while googling for DIY Greenhouses

https://growerflow.com/forum/diy-mini-g ... e-t51.html

And am considering these options (features both a large unit, and some smaller ones)

He even gives pretty much play by play description here of how to make the taller unit, which is workable both indoors & out

He fixes it up with shelves & lights for seed starting indoors
And yet has enough room to grow tall plants outdoors... (lots of pics of both scenarios)

And just look at those Tomatoes!

Size he made fits eight 5 Gallon Pails... 4 Across x 2 Deep. Perfect for my needs.

I think i’ll make it without the fixed side windows... everything on hinges... so it can easily be transported inside, or left outside over the winter without the windows

ChubChub wrote: ↑ I looked into making a greenhouse, and found some interesting issues. Straight away: Your greenhouse will never come close to paying for itself. If you're doing this for cheap produce, I'd suggest skipping this project. Now, if you like the look, and you like working inside a greenhouse, then there's value to your "brain", and that's hard to put a price on.

The cheapest greenhouse is the plastic with PVC hoops style. IMO, also the ugliest sitting in your backyard, but to each their own. Animals will PROBABLY eat through the plastic, and inclement weather will potentially rip it, but if neither of those things happen, they're pretty awesome $$/performance. Also, this style is good for keeping winter-hearty produce alive in the winter months, while allowing you access to your plants.

The next option is the "pile of windows" style, or "corrugated polycarbonate"; basically troll Kijiji for cheap windows, or buy those poly-corrugated sheets, then you just attach them all together somehow. Animals will likely never get through it, but might be spendy, might not. Advantage is a LOT of sunlight gets through, and potentially low cost. They can look pretty good too.

Another is the "shed/barn with windows" style, which is what I personally want to do. Basically, you make a wooden structure, and at least one side of it is windows. If you want to get fancier, you can make the ceiling transparent somehow (probably poly-corrugated panels), but you'll lose considerable heat through just about anything EXCEPT for skylights. Also, I believe for your greenhouse to be "code", the overhead panels need to be shatter-proof. Advantage is they can look nice, you should easily be able to make it big enough to have you inside to tend to the plants, and potentially becomes a fall sitting area (a-la gazebo). Downside is cost, though this is the only style you'd likely be able to start plants early in the season with.

raptors87 wrote: ↑ definitely not doing the actual greenhouse after seeing the prices for them haha... damn!

Look like I have to build it from scratch ... I was thinking to do the wood structure and use .6mil poly sheet with UV protection but I worry about the winter/weather/animals B&E like you mentioned

Jerico wrote: ↑ Honestly... come get some windows. You could build one with wood framing in between sashes and it would look funky in a good way. How big do you want it?

Jerico wrote: ↑ Im at the office and was just out back... patio doors. We have 3 complete patio door sashes (meaning 6 total). 4 are 36" and 2 are 30".. You could make awesome walls from 6 pieces of patio door, and it would look good too. Would still need front, back and roof. We have lots of windows for that or you could use poly if you wanted. Or heck, screen doors for the roof. Im sure any local window company is in the same boat.

raptors87 wrote: ↑ thats seem like a lot more wood work than i can handle to somewhat get the patio doors in place lol

where is your office?

Dymis wrote: ↑What are you growing and what are you trying to keep out? Here's my experience so far (in Markham) with a raised garden bed (4' x 4' x 11") with no covering (no chicken wire, no frost net, no bird net):

1) Tomatoes, I have 4 plants in the raised bed, no issues with any of them.
2) Bell peppers, I have 2 plants, no issues.
3) Strawberries, I think birds got to them. I bought a bird net from Home Depot, no issues since.
4) Lettuce, got eaten by either a rabbit or a groundhog. I started a new batch of lettuces in buckets that I have on my patio table after they got eaten. No covering on them and they are great now.
5) Radishes, I think there are bugs eating the leaves, I've failed with this crop and gave up.

Other things that I am trying and they seem to be doing okay in buckets on my patio table:

1) Broccoli, I have two fairly large broccoli plants (no broccoli crowns yet). I do have some bugs eating the leaves, but they seem okay so far (probably 2-3 feet tall now)
2) Kale, I have three kale started for roughly 1-3 weeks, seem okay. No issues so far.
3) Carrots, I have a bucket of carrots. I'm curious about this one. Lots of leaves, no issues so far.
4) Lettuce, I have two buckets of leafy lettuce and they are growing great.

This is my first year growing things and I'm surprised by our results. We have not fertilized at all, just soil and regular watering. The tomatoes and peppers we got from a local nursery, the rest I started from seed.

Jerico wrote: ↑ The patio door doors can be put together with mending plates side by side. Or a piece of strapping across the top and bottom.

We are in Dundas, but lots of guys near you.

raptors87 wrote: ↑ it my first year as well... currently growing

red and yellow cherry tomatoes... my best growing veggie
butternut... only a couple squashes
acorn... got one bitten by a squirrel and another one growing which is currently covered by wire mesh to prevent squirrel
strawberries.. not a good type of strawberry because it taste like crap
a few herbs.. thyme, rosemary, basil and mint

next year I want to do cherry tomatoes, maybe heirloom tomato, butternut squash, better type of strawberry, multi-colours carrots, baby kale, bell peppers, fingerling potato, and maybe spinach

trying to prevent rabbits, squirrel, skunks, raccoons, birds and chipmunk



dundas is a bit far... I will check around locally

Dymis wrote: ↑ I'm just trying to say that you may not need to build an entire greenhouse to handle the situation. For me, simply elevating some items have resolved those issues. I have read that you can use cayenne pepper to prevent some of those critters and also hang tin foil will prevent birds from coming. Easy way to help is Google (what's eating my <insert crop here>) and then (how to prevent <critter name here>). As mentioned above, it may not be worth your money to build something that large, but of course that's up to you. My investment so far has been the raised bed box (got them from Costco), soil, and seeds. Next year I'll need to look into some fertilizer because I think that's what I'm missing compared to my neighbour and go from there.

I have a lot of neighbours in the area that grow their own crops (some have converted their entire backyard for this) and they don't have greenhouses and their produce thrive. They have melons, zucchinis, squash, tomatoes, beans, tons of things! Lots to learn on my end, but I love the experience so far. If you need more info, just ask.

Jerico wrote: ↑ The patio door doors can be put together with mending plates side by side. Or a piece of strapping across the top and bottom.

We are in Dundas, but lots of guys near you.

Bawler wrote: ↑ Do patio doors fit into minivans?

Jerico wrote: ↑ The sashes do. The frame are gone, I’m just talking about the doors themselves. The fixed and moving portion. Grab those remove the handles, you could stack about 10 on top of the seats if they fold down (not into the floor). Then stand them up and use strapping or the like to screw them together side by side.