kaczercat

I am going out with my dad tomorrow (hopefully ) to get the materials to build a pvc greenhouse. If I insulated it properly and heated w/timer could I plant a dwarf verity (scd) and have it grow all winter in there in the ground? I have been planning to build a greenhouse for a couple years now. What are your thoughts? I am getting a part -time job sometime before Oct to pay for heating. I really want a heated greenhouse. the plants in the house are taking over !!!

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Matt

Richard

If the greenhouse air temperature is above 10C (50F) but the ground temperature remains below 2C (35F) your bananas will die.

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kaczercat

ahhhh had a feeling it wouldn't work , okay thanks Richard.

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Matt

The Hollyberry Lady

The Hollyberry Lady

kaczercat

LOL I know But he has a good point about the ground temp I will try it and see what happens.I will keep the temp at 65 during the winter. in the summer of course no heater:P I was thinking 6 by 8 ft but now I may do 8 by 10 we'll see. Thanks Sherry ! gonna go now I will let you know what I got when I get home.

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Matt

The Hollyberry Lady

kaczercat

okay we got the frame done, it's gonna be 6 ft wide 10 ft long. My parents didnt want it close to the house because it blocks the view and it is quite large. it is in a sunny spot at the side of the yard next to a line of trees. I will post a pic of the progress. I will look into the heating keeping the nannas warm.

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Matt

Dean W.

Keep us updated!

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Bob

Hey Matt, you should look into some heating cables used to keep pipes from freezing in the winter. They're reasonably inexpensive to operate and would keep the ground surrounding your plants from freezing. They might not actively grow during the winter but good enough to keep them alive. Some use them for hardy palms in colder winter areas with great success. I wish I did this past winter!

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Bob3

Hey, ya missed a golden opportunity; ya should've suggested adding a "passive solar heating enclosure" to the side of your house!!!
Perfectly see through, of course, using a thin mylar membrane that would not need replacing every year from UV degradation like plain old plastic sheeting.
It would add an excellent buffer zone, protecting that part of the house from "direct contact" with outside weather.
That's assuming a south facing wall, of course.
It'd otherwise be of lesser effect but still an excellent windbreak!!!
(not to mention you could open the windows to let the extra heat in during sunny days.)

It might not be too late if ya haven't chopped up the plastic too badly yet...

Using PVC pipe would've given a stiffer frame, even if it's more work to get to bend as nicely as possible. A heat gun or careful application of a flame does the trick though. Worst case scenario would have been adding some elbows, not overly expensive.
Please consider going with a double-skin on the critter; the slight extra effort and expense will be more than offset by not just lower heating costs but by final success.
If you need more height, a row of straw bales around the bottom will not only add height but also an insulated "buffer zone" from cold extending through the soil.

I know the "up against the house" part may be a bit of a hard sell for you at this point but have a look-see at a very easy, inexpensive, and effective little "passive solar heating enclosure" that your folks will wind up loving when the heating bills roll in:
Banana Gallery - lean-to
It can be made with straight pieces & elbows but the arch gives tremendous stability in wind gusts up to 40 - 50 mph.
We used plain old heavy polyethylene plastic sheeting but polyester (Mylar) is crystal clear because of the view being an issue.
Here is a place selling Mylar film so you get an idea of what you would be dealing with:
Clear Polyester Mylar® | U.S. Plastic Corp.

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kaczercat

thanks Bob, I have heard of people using them too, I am curently having issues with it standnig straight up since there is no door frame yet. here is a pic of what the base looks like


update-- need support at the back and door frame will go and hold up the front.

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Matt

Bob

Matt take a lesson I learned the hard way with my failed ensete tent and put plenty of "purlins" PVC cross braces along the length of both sides of it..high and low and bolt or at least use ties to attach it to the main frame. The wind will play havoc on it and knock it over....... guess how I know?

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sunfish

Matt it might be better if you use more ridged pipe.Schedule 40 pvc water pipe or elec. conduit.It will hold the shape much better.

kaczercat

yeah when I was at HD I saw the thicker white pcv. they were not long enough. they were 12 ft .I need approx 15 ft. Gonna put some supports in the back tomorrow and make the door frame and put a support along the top roof connecting the front and back and a thin slate on each side..again connecting to the front and back. I'll try that and see how it works.

If I could just buy one I would have it's never fun when something goes wrong. We were gonna buy a greenhouse from harbor fright tools in Cal,Great structure was only $250 or something for a 6x8 . But of course they don't ship to Canada. Also e-bay doesnt ship greenhouses to canada. It's a nightmare living here !

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Matt

sunfish

Clear solar pool cover

kaczercat

the actual greenhouse cover is a pool cover? or are you refering to the thing on the top , darker cover.?

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Matt

sunfish

The actual clear covering is pool solar cover.It's uv protected should last awhile.I've had this up for two years.Cost around $50.

sunfish

kaczercat

that is nice. I might look into a solar cover sometime during the summer. something reasonably priced. I have heard and read they help a lot. even in the winter.

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Matt