• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

greenhouse Green house floor?

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

Have high tunnel / poly tunnel where things are planted in the soil / no floor just lots of mulch.  Planning an actual hard plastic double panel green house kit.  It has to go in one of two places because I want electricity to be available.  Neither of those places are level and I understand the things have to be secured to the ground well or they can blow away.  So planning on doing a pole construction deck sort of thing.  That way, I can build it up over the unflat surface and use a level to be darn near perfect.  Also the green house can then bolt to the patio and heck, I could have a porch too.

So here is the question.  Do I build it like a deck with spaces between the boards?  Do I build it like a floor with sheet and no slots?  My thinking now is like a deck cause although it will be heated, heat rises.  That way, I could spray the heck out of things while watering and it will just run between the slots.

Thoughts?  If you think deck, what do you think of the plastic deck boards that just kind of look like wood?
 
 
ajdrew said:
Have high tunnel / poly tunnel where things are planted in the soil / no floor just lots of mulch.  Planning an actual hard plastic double panel green house kit.  It has to go in one of two places because I want electricity to be available.  Neither of those places are level and I understand the things have to be secured to the ground well or they can blow away.  So planning on doing a pole construction deck sort of thing.  That way, I can build it up over the unflat surface and use a level to be darn near perfect.  Also the green house can then bolt to the patio and heck, I could have a porch too.

So here is the question.  Do I build it like a deck with spaces between the boards?  Do I build it like a floor with sheet and no slots?  My thinking now is like a deck cause although it will be heated, heat rises.  That way, I could spray the heck out of things while watering and it will just run between the slots.

Thoughts?  If you think deck, what do you think of the plastic deck boards that just kind of look like wood?
Click to expand...
a deck would cost you way too much... just get a rotary laser and do some cut and fill calculations. its very easy. they taught it to us in surveying 101... takes like a 30 minute lecture.

greenhouses have to be cheap. thats the only way they make sense in the long run.

a commercial greenhouse high hoop polytunnel is supposed to be less than 10 bucks a square foot ALL in. excluding equipment, but including plastic, steel, doors, foundation, fill material etc. you can do a cheap greenhouse without anything cool like roll up sides... vents and doors and shit like that for less than 5 dollars a square INCLUDING shipping.

you would take your rotary laser, philidelphia rod thing, and a paper tape... take measurements off a bench mark and generate a grid of relative elevations on like 5'x5' grid. then generate a series of profiles in autocad or on graph paper, then make your calculations.

if you have excess material... then increase the elevation of your greenhouse untill you dont, or untill you get it where you want it, then discarde the rest somewhere.


with a level pad you then want to go out and get some good screed material like decomposed granite, and put that stuf down in like 1-2 inch lifts to 4-6 total depth... screede it level.

then you set your greenhouse end posts... then use a string level to set all the arches in the middle.

you can use earth anchors to hold it down... or set the arches in concrete individually, or fasten them to lumber, and then hold the lumber down with earth anchors or piers or even a stem wall if you wan to get crazy.
 
I agree a deck would be spendy. Have you priced composite decking?? 
 
I would get a load of class 5 or something, and rent a bobcat for a day.
 
Retaining wall, if need be?
 
 
you would take your rotary laser, philidelphia rod thing, and a paper tape... take measurements off a bench mark and generate a grid of relative elevations on like 5'x5' grid. then generate a series of profiles in autocad or on graph paper, then make your calculations.
Click to expand...
 
Or just eye ball it. ;)
 
Knowing AJdrew's lifestyle on the farm, I'm guessing ACad and cut/fill calculations are not something he can easily get accomplished.
 
Rent a Bobcat and cut/fill until it works for you. IMHO.
 
Have poly tunnel and yes, you can build them fairly affordably with all the advice here.  I am talking about something much smaller than the high tunnel.  This example is 10' by 12'.  With pole construction and sheet rather than decking, it would not be all that expensive to create a deck for the thing.  Goal is something I can afford to heat.  Tried heating the poly tunnel last year and oh damn that is not a good idea.

Thing is, now you guys have me thinking about changing the goal and building a second poly tunnel instead.

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-12-ft-greenhouse-with-4-vents-93358.html
 
Jeff H said:
 
Knowing AJdrew's lifestyle on the farm, I'm guessing ACad and cut/fill calculations are not something he can easily get accomplished.
Click to expand...
You put your box blade on the back of your tractor and drive one direction over and over.  When you think you got it, you duct tape a level to a 12 foot chunk of lumber.  If it is there, you are done.  If it is not you drive over it again and adjust the box blade. Laser and autocat, boy dun know nutting bout duct tape does he?

I'd say something about a coon's age or a jar of clear, but nothing comes to mind.
 
ajdrew said:
Have poly tunnel and yes, you can build them fairly affordably with all the advice here.  I am talking about something much smaller than the high tunnel.  This example is 10' by 12'.  With pole construction and sheet rather than decking, it would not be all that expensive to create a deck for the thing.  Goal is something I can afford to heat.  Tried heating the poly tunnel last year and oh damn that is not a good idea.

Thing is, now you guys have me thinking about changing the goal and building a second poly tunnel instead.

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-12-ft-greenhouse-with-4-vents-93358.html
Click to expand...
you cant put sheating inside a greenhouse. it will go to shit in 0 time at all.

just add a second poly layer to your poly tunnel and inflate it to like 2" deep. that should give you like r2 or r3... should cut the amount of heat loss to the air in half.

you should also be using gas to heat your greenhouse not electricity.
 
Que, the propane tank is a distance and frankly, it scares the crap out of me.  I know I can get some extra CO2 by using it, but the idea that I will spring a leak and could loose $800.00 over night makes me cringe.  On double poly, maybe.  I have until this fall when hopefully I will be able to afford a winter solution.  I really think that using natural light and providing artificial heat might be cheaper than providing indoor sun.
 
id say leveling earth is best for heating purposes... anything off the ground will get colder faster. i would go with frame with osb sheet floor tho if i was to elevate it. osb sheet should be cheaper than decking i'd think.... is only 9$ a 4*8 sheet here. think you'd only need a couple.. if i went with decking i'd probably end up covering it with some kinda carpet or sheet in the winter to prevent heatloss.
 
i would do the double wall poly tunnel before i bought one those kit greenhouses as well.
 
osb simply will not last if exposed to any condensing moisture what so ever. not without alot of painting.

its meant to stay dry and will swell along the edges if allowed to get wet repeatedly. put a strip in a bucket with like an inch of water and close up the lid to prevent evaporation... check on it a month later you will see what i mean.

the new OSB is alot better than the old shit, but still its not meant to be anything close to water resistant.
ajdrew said:
Que, the propane tank is a distance and frankly, it scares the crap out of me.  I know I can get some extra CO2 by using it, but the idea that I will spring a leak and could loose $800.00 over night makes me cringe.  On double poly, maybe.  I have until this fall when hopefully I will be able to afford a winter solution.  I really think that using natural light and providing artificial heat might be cheaper than providing indoor sun.
Click to expand...
then run the 15lb propane grill tanks?

you can get a tee adapter... simply start with 1 tank, valve off the other, then empty the one, remove and refill while the other takes over.

your problem is you are trying to use electricity to heat something. its simply not going to ever be cost effective.

propane is cheap right now. natural gas even more so.
 
Quee, ya know I have a 100 lbs tank I use for forging & the propane heaters are lower in price per BTU from what I can tell.  Now thinking fairly seriously about it.  Thank you.

Juanitos, was thinking the shelfed kit thing would be better for selling plants.  But now that I think about it, two things come to mind.  First is that I was trying to heat during the winter.  To sell plants, it would be spring.  The next thought is I could build table frames, but have the tops removable.  Folk could pick their palnts in the spring, then I take the tops off the tables and plant below them.  In fact, if I do it right the table frames could be support for tomato plants and other things that get kind of wild once they hit two or three feet.

Between you two, I am starting to think I am building a second tunnel this year.  Much easier for me than a kit since I already know the basics from last year's build.
 
Had to come back and add this.  Our ducks dont much bother established plants, they will eat the bottom tomato but not much more.  Small plants, they can trample.  Those table frames could have chicken wire on them, keep the ducks out after I transplant.  Damn this is starting to sound like a project.
 
ajdrew said:
Que, the propane tank is a distance and frankly, it scares the crap out of me.  I know I can get some extra CO2 by using it, but the idea that I will spring a leak and could loose $800.00 over night makes me cringe.  On double poly, maybe.  I have until this fall when hopefully I will be able to afford a winter solution.  I really think that using natural light and providing artificial heat might be cheaper than providing indoor sun.
Click to expand...
 
Have you looked into heating with compost?
 
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/how-make-hot-compost
 
Explaining how they used compost to keep hot water for showers:
 
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/500-showers-heated-one-small-compost-pile-how-tutorial
 
Or check permies.com as they are borderline nutso about this stuff. :P
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top