garden journal 2014 - seeds and seedlings in the greenhouse

[NwMtGardener]

3/18/2014 Greenhouse up FINALLY!! Here are some step by step pics.

Here's the before, this framework stays up year-round, the greenhouse is covered with plastic from about March to late June or July.

Here's our plastic, just picked up a new box for about $40. We only ended up using about 25' from this box, since we recycled some panels from previous years. So this will last a few more years.

1st panel up and over.

Once we've got the plastic where we want it, we roll a 1"x2" piece of wood up from the bottom of both sides. The plastic gets stapled around this strip of wood, then screwed in place to the raised bed. That makes it easy for me to vent the greenhouse when it starts getting too warm - just unscrew a few screws and roll the wood strip up higher, and bungee cord it up.

Inside view - we added more 1"x2" strips across the top this year, to prevent big puddles of water from forming up there, like we've had in the past.

DH screwing down that strip of wood inside the plastic.

Using a 1"x2" to gently poke the plastic into place.

This is how the larger, middle panels meet up with the end panels. We leave an overhang on each piece, then roll them together and staple to more wood 1"x2".

Outside of the door, which is an old screen door. It's getting pretty saggy but I think it will hold together for one more season. I'll take old bike innertubes and use them as gaskets around the door, since it has some big gaps.

Inside of the door, and you can see the start of my drip irrigation system in the bottom left corner of the garden.

We were bravely defended from marauding squirrels by Lucy and Charlie! And you can see we still have snow

 

[Smart Red]

Neat! That is a good sized greenhouse you put up there.

 

[dickiebird]

Looks real good!!!
I hope to be able to use mine in a couple weeks.
I did plant some strawberry plants in containers, out there today.

THANX RICH

 

[lesa]

Nicely done! You are all set now...Do you start seeds in there, or move them out from inside? Still so cold here, I haven't thought too much about mine. Next week they are predicting single digits at night. Ugh!

 

[digitS']

Heather, your greenhouse is a lot like my hoop house. I will soon be determining what can be reused and what will need replaced. A "temporary" shelter that has been springing up like a mushroom in the same place during the same months for the last 15 years!

What can you say about your plastic film? Clarity and do you think that makes much difference? Where did you buy it?

You may have more snow after tomorrow night!

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

It's looking good Heather!

 

[NwMtGardener]

Nicely done! You are all set now...Do you start seeds in there, or move them out from inside? Still so cold here, I haven't thought too much about mine. Next week they are predicting single digits at night. Ugh!

Lesa, I start seeds in the house, then i haul things back and forth from house to greenhouse for a while. I will plant peas, onion sets out there soon-ish too, once it dries out a bit. Eventually everything will get to stay out there.

Steve - i got my plastic @ WBC. Its not very opaque, but i will say that even after a few years it hasnt changed that much in color, at least to my eye. The reused pieces have some black on the roof where the water built up in past years, i probably should have scrubbed that off. Too late now. Another thing with this year's setup, the MUD and muck in the yard made it tough, there was no way to get the plastic measured out without getting it in the mud. I might have to TRY and be more patient next year so i dont have to wash mud off the greenhouse plastic.

The 4 mil plastic is plenty durable for me though, i think this is season #2 for the majority of the pieces on the greenhouse. And i staple right through thick folds of it, then yank the staples out when i'm ready to start venting it more. So there are a few holes for sure, but overall it does good.

 

[digitS']

The last film I bought was truly white!

I guess it is okay. I flinched when I saw it but things seemed to have grown okay under it.

Shoot. No WBC around here that I know of.

Steve

 

[journey11]

Nice! What are those white grid-like support panels made from, btw?

 

[NwMtGardener]

The white grid is display grid from the sports store my husband works at. They were throwing it out, lucky us!

Here's an update on my little plant starts! Overall look, those 2 cabbages and 5 brussel sprouts I started back in January are hanging in there, I can't believe it! They're in the front right. A celery base is sending up new shoots on the very right.

My baby peppers! These are Thai Hot Dragon, I also have Anchos that came up well, but the cayenne are taking their danged sweet time. I poked at them, they have sent out the tiniest little green tendril, but have barely grown at all. Patience, grasshopper.


The tomatoes have performed pretty erratically. The 1st one to show up grew an INCH in less than half a day - it was a Northern Exposure (thanks @HotPepperQueen !) so I have high hopes for its performance in my short growing season! I also have Campari, Giant Tomato Tree, Big Bush and Homestead, which I'm excited about. I had to reseed a few pots, we'll see what happens.


In front are 6 basil and in the back are my quinoa!! So excited about how they sprang up so quickly. I'm not sure when they can be planted outside though...hrmm.