My Greenhouse

[Broke Down Ranch]

OK, I know it's nothing fancy and yes I have to walk around on my knees in it. But the materials were free and it's relatively easy to keep warm if a frost hits while there are tender seedlings. We got these windows free off Craigslist and were going to use them for the addition on our old house. When the house burned down we no longer needed the windows sooooo....excuse the mess around it - I claim lack of time and energy for not picking the stuff up.

It works and I wanted to show you don't need anything fancy or expensive...

 

[injunjoe]

Good idea for those old windows.
That should work just fine.

Don't feel bad I have junk everywere, I just crop it out of my pics.
Eby said I have a magic camera. When I show her my pictures she's like "who's garden is that?"

 

[HiDelight]

I think it is beautiful

 

[lesa]

Very cool- that is what I want to do...I saw an adorable little cold frame built like a mini-house. Using two windows to make an A-frame roof. I would like to use your idea, only make it big enough to walk in. Just not sure how to do it. Keep on growing!

 

[chills]

Broke Down Ranch wow, i am so totally impressed .. if i could hand out awards, yeah you'd get the one for best reuse of a product and perhaps another award for keeping items out of our landfill .... i heart your greenhouse .. cant wait to show my husband, it doenst have to cost a grand ..
can i show you what i want santa to bring me

http://www.groworganic.com/item_SEG510_Redwood_Greenhouse_Kit_6_X_8.html

so not in our budget, your greenhouse makes me rethink this .....

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

That is a seriously cool greenhouse! Thanks for the inspiration. I have a bunch of old windows that were just sitting under the deck waiting to become something; now I know what they will be. I'm going to use cinderblocks to raise it up to a level where I can reach in and tend the plants standing upright.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I have put in a request with my resident master builder (husband) for a small greenhouse that I can move around and put wherever I want. I don't think it is high on his priority list, however.

Your greenhouse is cute. I bet you will have fun growing stuff in it.

 

[Greensage45]

OMG, this has such a fabulous expression. It is like it needs a name!

Here is what I can see (because I am psychic LOL) :watering

Go and get yourself several bales of hay/straw (some folks call hay straw, but it is the straw that I mean, not alfalfa).

Get enough to build the lower portion of the walls and then prop the entire glass structure on top. This way you can walk in. You can even plant directly into the straw on either side. If you do not plant in the straw you can prop the inside part in a bit to create a shelf! It could potentially self decompose with moisture, but it would take so long that there would be no fear of collapse. Before then you would have the funds and ideas on a new structure; or, rebuild a new one in several seasons.

The bales are a good insulator too. Locally you might find some that got hit with rain and you get them really cheap!

I can see it now! :coolsun

Ron

 

[injunjoe]

Hay Ron that is a great idea.

 

[Greensage45]

Oh, you know what?

This might be a fabulous time to show you guys something. Your Greenhouse is what made me think of it.

This house, my house, has a ton of broken windows. The glass is all there (except a few bullet holes and missed shards), but they are still intact windows! LOL Mostly my breaks are from the winds throwing pecans against the house.

Anyways, I get this cream stuff from "Hobby Lobby" or "Michaels Crafts" It comes in a bottle and it spreads like lotion out of the tip. Each bottle is labeled as a color. It is called 'Gallery Glass' by Plaid.

I have done several windows in the past. It dries to a thin film of plastic and hardens like real stained glass. Even the faux piping comes in several colors (I like black instead of pewter).

Here are some pics of my work:

This is a southerly facing window and I use this to grow seedlings as well, and it does not interfere.

Oh look, broken windows!

At any rate, I thought you might get an idea at taking and changing old windows into works of art in the garden that still can be used as a coldframe/greenhouse. The possibilities are endless and this stuff can be ordered online if a store is not nearby. It sticks like cream to a window and does not run off, so vertical application is how it goes on. I love it. :rainbow-sun It dries within a day.

This is a perfect project for children of all ages! It allows them to be so creative and contribute to the garden! It lasts for years. Some colors fade a bit, but others stay vibrant forever! For a greenhouse you should use clear colors, not the opaque, except as accent. I leave lots of clear glass areas for viewing outside!

Ron

ps, and it seals up the cracked windows and any bullet holes