Danger Lurking in Local Garden Centers

[Charlie]

It would be not only *not* be off-topic, it would be a great education for those of us who desire a greenhouse and can listen in!!

Please, discuss away!

Thank you Charlie

[Michael "Dog3" Lonergan]

"Manelli Family" was forced to post this in: rec.gardens

I would give anything for a greenhouse. I have no room and really don't have enough sun. I'm envious.

Michael

[jangchub]

I have this one, but mine is 10x20 feet

looks like this one, but I didn't buy it from this source. I have the invoice inside the file cabinet and I am flat out from knee surgery so too lazy to get it.

I really love this greenhouse because in winter it protects my tender brugmansia and I start seeds and make cuttings and sell them to local garden centers to support my habit of plants.

However, I think I'm done now with adding more plants to garden. I will just use the greenhouse to winter over my brugs and some other plants, as well as grow some to sell. This house can be turned into a canopy in summer. We use shade cloth, but it came with a canopy. In Texas, the wind can take that thing up like a kite and so I use shade cloth which is not solid material, but has many holes and it helps shade my part shade plants.

Sorry if this post makes no sense, I'm working on virtually no sleep.

[Omelet]

It's gardening, and you grow edibles in there, right? ;-)

[Omelet]

Google for Pop-up greenhouses babe. :-) There are ones to fit every budget in those, they just have a limited life if they are in direct sun. Partial shade works better for them ime.

Those are what _I_ have and they are affordable. Some are small enough not to need much space.

[Ann]

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Cheryl, you're a longtime wreck.gardener, so you know all about sticky pot syndrome. There is no cure (nor do we want one!), the only way to ease the symptoms is to buy that beautiful whatever and stick it in your own garden. Repeatedly!

[Ann]

Omelet expounded:

Googled and Oh, boy, those are neat! How frost-hardy are they - I mean, how early can you plant in them? What would you use to keep them warm overnight for seedlings (I know they're not heatable greenhouses, but will say, tomato seedlings do well in them?) I don't know where you are, so I have no idea of your climate. Thanx for posting about them!

[Omelet]

I live in South Central Texas.

A single 100 watt lightbulb placed in the center keeps them from freezing, but better lighting/heating can be used. Just don't get it close to the walls.

The solid framework works fine for clip and hanging lamps.

They are rain proof so you can treat them like any other greenhouse if you want to run a power cord in there for heating seedling beds!

I've kept succulents and even experimental (overwintering) tomato plants in them but hard freezes are sporadic. Year before last, I had ripe tomatoes in May. ;-d Problem with some plants is not just the heat, but the light cycles. Even with artificial light, tomatoes will only "set" under the right conditions.

I'm still learning. :-)

IMHO the major advantage of those greenhouses is price.

I have 4 of them. After 4 years, 3 of them are still tight and intact but they don't get direct sunlight all day.

One that was out in the middle of the yard that got a LOT more sunlight has rotted due to UV and is falling apart. I need to get out there and tear it down.

[Cheryl Isaak]

Thanks Ann, tomorrow, we see how many pots stick when the gardening neighbor and I hit Lull Brook Farms for "heirloom tomatoes" and what ever else looks good.

AND - I think I found (maybe) a place to site the shrub I fell for, but left behind. It is Sambucus nigra 'Eva'

C

[jangchub]

The reason you may not get a good crop of tomatoes in a greenhouse is due to the way they self-pollinate. They need wind or they need a good shake to disperse the pollen. They are self-pollinating. In the greenhouse there is virtually no wind to speak of.

In my larger greenhouse 10x20 foot house I use an electric heater with a fan. Night differential temperatures are steep up where Ann lives. I would say that you, Ann, could get about three weeks earlier than you normally would because there is no heavy wind in the house, so to speak. You would need a heater, no doubt.,

[Omelet]

That's what fingers are for...

Never gone around and had "sex" with your tomatoes?

Gently squeezing the blossoms works very well. It's just extra work but it works. Mom taught me that trick years ago.

Your point is valid tho'. I did manage to get quite a few sets. IMHO you are better off just doing early starts then putting them outside when the danger of frosts is over.

Like I said, it was just an experiment but you know as well as I do that there is nothing on god's green earth like "real" tomatoes. Early in the year was nice.

I want to eventually get serious about trying hydroponics.

All in good time. I have to learn about that first.

And the pop-ups will work and are far more affordable to a normal budget than many other types of greenhouses. They work just as well.

They go up like a dome tent in under 30 minutes and cost about 1/3rd as much as other green houses of similar size.

The drawback is fire proofing (keep any heat sources away from the walls) and vulnerability to UV rays. I did have one rot at 4 years but the other 3 are fine in partial shade.

When it comes to greenhouses, purchase what you can afford.

[Ann]

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

make it through the winter. I don't know if it was too dry or whether our whacky winter warmth/hard freeze did it in. I'm trying it again in a more sheltered spot this season.

[Ann]

Omelet expounded:

Ah, quite a bit different climate-wise than around here!

I'd probably be able to use it around early March onwards - unless it snows!

I'm not really intereested in growing in them, more in propogating in them, seed starting, etc. I'm definitely going to look into them. Thanx!

[Michael "Dog3" Lonergan]

Omelet was forced to post this in: rec.gardens

Why thankee very much. I will check it out.

Michael

[Omelet]

Hope it works out!

My alarm clock is Persephone's dinner bell. Until that goes off, she knows better than to bother me. ;-)

[Omelet]

I don't see why it would not help with seed propagation. I've used mine for that, but it _is_ warmer earlier here.

Cheers! :-)

[jangchub]

Ann, one of the pop up smaller houses on that website would work well for you. Those little heaters which are enclosed and use electric to heat the oil in them are excellent in those small houses. You can use inexpensive heating cables to keep the soil warm in the flats and line the south side bottom with milk jugs filled with water as it will cool slowly at night. You would be able to start your seeds easily in there at least three weeks before last average frost date.

[Ann]

jangchub expounded:

Thanx, V, since you've lived up around here you know, I appreciate your input. I'm definitely going to look into these things. I'm kinda kicking myself, Ocean State Joblot (an off-price store near us) had them last spring for $250.....I shoulda bought one then!

[jangchub]

You would not believe how hot those can get during the day, even if it's only 30 degrees out. That's why the milk jugs with water seem to work very well. The water heats during the day and keeps the house more steady as it cools down. I never had one of those small pop up houses, but the one I have now is the smallest I've had and it's pretty big 10x20. I don't put it up every year, but this year I will put it up. I want to make some money for next year because I want to go to Nepal.

It's just so great to be in winter then out to the greenhouse and fresh oxygen with great humidity and clean air in the house is so nice.

Cheap as I am, for benches I dove in the dumpster of a carpet store and took the large diameter tubes of paper board which the carpet comes on. I buy enough 2x4 wood and cut holes in the tubes (usually 4 feet tall) and insert the wood in them and place the flats on the wood slats. To keep the bottom of the tube from getting wet when I water, I put plastic bags with tightly held duct tape around the bag. Does this give you a clear picture of what I mean? If not I'll figure out another way to say it! Pain meds...ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz!

[Ann]

jangchub expounded:

Yep, I get the picture!

Hope they're working for you.....