Let's see those homemade greenhouses.

[abqjoe]

So, I'm in need of a greenhouse for winter but I think I'd rather build one than buy one. With that being said I'd love to see some of the communities homemade greenhouses to get some ideas Thanks!

 

[aml1014]

Mines probably a bit bigger then you want to build, but you can always come check it out. They're pretty fun to build and definitely much cheaper, I learned that one the hard way.

Aaron

 

[fredman]

Good thread. I love home made stuff. Waiting in anticipation what comes up.

 

[Don Blackmond]

First, decide what you are trying to achieve. Are you trying to extend your growing season, or are you trying to overwinter your trees?
Greenhouses are meant for extending growing seasons. They use sunlight, and heat generated by it, to lengthen the growing season.
If you just want to safely and securely overwinter your trees, then you don't need a greenhouse, and are better off building a heated or unheated storage building. Dormant trees don't need light, and light can cause more harm than good. Sunlight is your enemy. An unheated, attached garage with concrete floor is ideal. A dark location with a consistently cool temperature should be your goal for maintaining dormant trees.

 

[abqjoe]

Greenhouse would be for my Tropicals, I'll build a cold box for the others.

 

[Jarath]

 

[Jarath]

Mines probably a bit bigger then you want to build, but you can always come check it out. They're pretty fun to build and definitely much cheaper, I learned that one the hard way.

Aaron

How did your greenhouse turn out?

 

[Jarath]

So, I'm in need of a greenhouse for winter but I think I'd rather build one than buy one. With that being said I'd love to see some of the communities homemade greenhouses to get some ideas Thanks!

I have detailed plans on how to build a greenhouse, just hit me up w ur email

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

See avatar <----- This was just before completion... $99 frame kit and about 8 months of collecting curb-side windows.

 

[hemmy]

Long time ago I saw one built from salvage house windows that I liked. Very hodgepodge and probably not very efficient. But cheap if you find a cheap source for windows, like a Habitat ReStore. Here's some similar.

Googled "old window greenhouse"

 

[_#1_]

Is there a difference between greenhouse and cold frame? I mean they both are enclosed and can trap heat.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a portable walk-in greenhouse to act as a big cold frame. Reason is I have a 6.5' maple I'm trying to grow out a bit among other small plants, and no garage . The door and side can be opened during the day to let out heat buildup.

 

[hemmy]

Is there a difference between greenhouse and cold frame? I mean they both are enclosed and can trap heat.

Usually greenhouse is larger and heated.

 

[miker]

View attachment 113792

Nice greenhouse Jarath. I assume the space within is exclusively for tropicals, since you are located in Florida?

My tropicals go into my industrial looking, but functional greenhouse during the months when lows below 50F are common (roughly Dec-Feb).
My subtropicals and native temperate species (collected from FL stock) stay outside, either in full shade once leaves start dropping for deciduous, or part sun for conifers in these categories.
My "up north" stuff goes in the refrigerator to simulate the kind of dormancy that would never be possible to achieve outside here. Stuff like Japanese maple, trident maple, sugar maple, American beech, spruce, Eastern hemlock, hornbeam, Ephedra sinica...obligate temperate stuff. I have been doing this for 11-12 years now with almost complete success. The conifers are a bit more tricky but the hemlock and spruce have survived a full year now with this treatment and are looking well. I just put these two in the fridge yesterday along with a few others to begin "dormancy shift one (mid-Aug - Nov 30), then the rest will go in from Dec 1 - mid March. Works like a charm, just make sure to keep the soil moist (nothing new there) and give the evergreens a few hours of sunlight every few weeks.

I really need to move north a bit. Would still need the greenhouse for the tropicals, but could setup a nice cold frame and let nature take care of the temperate species. Or, move to Miami, lose the greenhouse and get a walk in fridge!

 

[miker]

Usually greenhouse is larger and heated.

A greenhouse, whether heated or not, will tend to trap a lot of heat (large expanses of clear siding and roofing), while cold frames are usually designed to minimize heat retention, but also to insulate from severe temperature swings including extreme cold.

I had a 6' X 8' greenhouse in Northern VA years ago that I kept tropical plants, including palms and bonsai. On a sunny mid-winter day when it was 40F, the inside temp if unheated would usually be 50-60F. This is too warm for keeping (most) temperate bonsai dormant. This setup might be good for subtropicals like Quercus virginiana, Crape myrtle (in small pots), pomegranate, Olive, Bald cypress (?), etc. as long as you kept overnight lows between 25F-45F and highs below 70F or so.

 

[JudyB]

Sunlight is your enemy.

true that! (in a cold storage setup)
A link to my overwintering house...
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/my-cold-green-house.10624/

 

[BrianBay9]

If you don't have huge numbers of tropicals, and have room in your basement, a grow tent can be a cost effective option. I've used something like this with T5 lights for the past three years and have gotten good growth from my tropicals over the winter.

 

[vaibatron]

Is there a difference between greenhouse and cold frame? I mean they both are enclosed and can trap heat.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a portable walk-in greenhouse to act as a big cold frame. Reason is I have a 6.5' maple I'm trying to grow out a bit among other small plants, and no garage . The door and side can be opened during the day to let out heat buildup.

If you have space for a greenhouse, and want to grow out a large maple , why not plant that sucker in the ground?

 

[JoeR]

When I was looking to buy a greenhouse, I came to the conclusion that is was easier and more economical in the long run to just buy one. Unless you could do it out of pvc.

I like the one I have, we'll see how it does this winter. Its the palram 8×12 but the 6×14 would be nice too.

 

[_#1_]

If you have space for a greenhouse, and want to grow out a large maple , why not plant that sucker in the ground?

A friend of mine planted a dogwood roughly the same size as my maple in the ground in her yard last summer. Did really well and even flowered. But it did note make it through the winter. I'm not sure if acer griseum is that cold hardy due to its thin barks. Trying to play it safe as I kinda like the tree.

The soil in my yard is clay like and sandy. I'm afraid if I buries it, even with pot, the clay type ground soil will hold water for too long.

Was planning on covering the greenhouse roof with something to block out the sun. A 12x7x7 cost about $100 so it might be around the same or maybe even less than building a cold room.

I also need something that can disassemble easily and this option seems feasible to me.

 

[GrimLore]

Is there a difference between greenhouse and cold frame? I mean they both are enclosed and can trap heat.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a portable walk-in greenhouse to act as a big cold frame. Reason is I have a 6.5' maple I'm trying to grow out a bit among other small plants, and no garage . The door and side can be opened during the day to let out heat buildup.

For cold storage if people don't have a garage, shed, or similar I "think' a simple nylon tent would be the route to go. They can be dark, all have screened windows so you can vent it or let rain or snow in. What I see at big box stores tells me there is a large variety of sizes and honest less expensive in most case then the hardware required to build most anything...

Just my 2 pennies

Grimmy