Greenhouse experience?

[Sombeech]

No, not Global Warming...

I'm thinking of making a temporary greenhouse in my backyard, just experimental. I'd like to grow some tomatoes during the winter, and if that works, I'll bump it up a notch for next winter.

I've heard that all you need is some sheet plastic to throw over a structure, and exposure to the southern sky.

I'm thinking of just throwing the sheet over my pergola in my back yard, and growing some cherry tomatoes from hanging baskets.

Anybody have any experience with greenhouses?

Here's the structure. 9' tall, and 14' X 14' square. Just look past my wife and boy to see the current state of it. I've got grape vines & wisteria growing up it, and I'm concerned about suffocating it.

[denaliguide]

i had a greenhouse in alaska for 11 years. it was the only way we could grow tomatos. it was large enough for 20 5 gal. pails. by august we more tomatos than we knew what to do with.

it was heated by the way. that was the only way to get an early enough start on the season. once mid may came around we could turn off the heat and it just went by passive solar.

don't know about winter tomatos though. not so much about cold but the daylight hours. plants need a certain amount of hours a day for growing and then the right number of hours to flower.

clear plastic will definitely work. obviously it would be temporary. the wind and cold will probably crack it. easier is to just build a frame and use corrugated clear fiberglass panels. you also need to be able to vent it if it gets too hot in it.

[chickenlicken]

I built this one this spring, and got things moving a bit earlier. Dad has a glass greenhouse that we built for him, But even he doesn't attempt to grow anything during the winter and just removes all his plants to indoors. The heating bill would be tremendous in these cold cache valley winters.
I built this one from 10 gauge vinyl and added some rudimentary zippers so I could open it during the hottest part of the day. I had tomatoes earlier than anyone else in the neighborhood.

[sparker1]

I once built a greenhouse in New Jersey, where winters always have a week or so of below zero temps. It was attached to the garage, framed of redwood and covered with corrugated fiberglass (smoky). I used an electric heater (easier to run a line than add gas) to keep it around 55 degrees. Worked like a champ.

[Sombeech]

I've heard that you don't even have to heat them, that the sunlight would be enough, and the shield from the wind would keep it warm enough. Is this true?

I'd try it, but my main concern is suffocating my grapes. If I put the plastic right on top of the grapevine, do you think it would kill it?

BTW, since this would be up against my house, I could probably open a couple of windows now and then if it needed some heat.

[rockgremlin]

I don't think a single sheet of clear plastic is enough. The plastic has to be pretty strong, and you should try and supplement with something else if you can. I have heard wrapping the enclosure first with large-cell bubble wrap, and then wrapping in plastic works really well because the bubble wrap acts like insulation.

[fouristhenewone]

There's two major considerations when growing something in the off-season, heat and light. I'm not really sure about the growing cycle of tomatoes, but I would think that denaliguide is right. If you want to grow vegetables during the winter, you are going to have to supplement your light cycle, and you are definately going to need to add heat. While there are some greenhouse materials which will retain heat very well, still, with Utah's winters, you are going to want to have a way to ensure that a fairly steady temperature is maintained.

[Jaxx]

They sell lightbulbs for growing plants at Home Depot. I bet that would work for extending the day a little if you needed. They might even put off a little heat to keep them warm while they are on. Night time you will probably want some kind of heater. I was thinking about trying something like this on a way smaller scale. Like 2 plants in a small enclosure. Mabey I will and we can compare notes in the end.

[donny h]

When I was researching a greenhouse for my yard, I learned that in the winter they stay about 25 degrees warmer than ambient temp.

So in Utah, without heating it, you would be able to extend the growing season fall and spring, but that's it.

The heating costs are tremendous for the commercial growers, and in the summer, the electricity to power the fans is a substantial cost.

Someday, I'd like to build a passive solar greenhouse (avoiding the power usage), storing the heat of the daytime sun to be released overnight, but that is a WHOLE project, and I don't have the space for it at my current house.


http://www.hobby-greenhouse.com/FreeSolar.html

[Sombeech]

I'm willing to try it, my Dad has the plastic sheeting, and I don't mind experimenting with 5 bucks worth of tomato plants.

My main concern is suffocating my grapevine. That's my current pride and joy out there. I'm wondering how much of a "buffer zone" they need between the leaves and the plastic, and if it could kill it.

[Jaxx]

I'm willing to try it, my Dad has the plastic sheeting, and I don't mind experimenting with 5 bucks worth of tomato plants.

My main concern is suffocating my grapevine. That's my current pride and joy out there. I'm wondering how much of a "buffer zone" they need between the leaves and the plastic, and if it could kill it.

I'm not sure about the buffer zone. The probably will be ok as long as you just make sure it isn't squishing them, right? You don't want to kill them and piss of the wife.

[asdf]

dood... where is your boys hair?

[denaliguide]

dood... where is your boys hair?

where do you think he got the hair for the big fro he wears?

[Scott Card]

I have had a couple of clients who have had very successful grow operations but they won't be available for 1 to 15 years for consulting purposes. Just kidding. Tomatoes need SOIL temperatures to reach a particular level before they will grow. If memory serves me correctly, that includes night time temps too. They are definately warm weather crops. You could grow cold weather crops, lettuce, peas, beats...etc I would think in a green house in the winter.

[denaliguide]

this article talks about the daylight hours response by plants. also contact you county extension service. they probably have tried it before. no sense in reinventing the wheel.

http://archive.tri-cityherald.com/ho.../garden34.html

[Scott Card]

Part of me kinda wants you to call the KSL Greenhouse Show on Saturday mornings. I just want the gurus of green to say, "Next on the line from Salt Lake City is Sombeech"

[greyhair biker]

I built a greenhouse about 10 years ago. It currently has old doublepaned windows and sliding glass doors in it from remodel projects here and there. I've also brought in old conveyor belt material from the mine and lined the walls with it as well as buried it to about 2 feet along the walls - all to keep the heat in earlier and later in the year. one window opens and the walls & part of the ceiling still has some insulation left. birds have nested in the roof and generations have lived there cause it stays warm all year but not warm enough in the winter without a heater running. It's just too cold up here in the winter to successfully grow anything but I start in the spring growing because the ground is already warm in there by then. Here are some pics...as you can see I store stuff in it in the winter. You really need open southern exposure in the winter for maximum lighting otherwise you gotta use growing lights and this is the only place I could put it..limited space