We need a greenhouse (Okay we want a greenhouse)- Fall 2021
Last spring Kathy and I decided to enlarge our gardens. We added a total of twelve three by 15 foot beds. We also added several raised garden units which were 4’ by 10’. This was in addition to five twenty foot raised beds built during the past 3 years.
Getting seeds started to support planting of the new beds required numerous 10 in by 20 inch trays of seedlings. Racks of trays graced every south facing window in our farmhouse. We chased the sun across the floor with ever-moving 10-20’s. Then we built a small insulated cold frame box which could be relied upon to be in the 20 deg C (68 deg F) range if the sun was shining. Quick transfers outside for a good dose of sun became a daily ritual.
We were generally successful at growing at least some plants in the varieties we started. The plants were a bit leggy but fully usable. The house had been a clutter of plant trays for several months. While Kathy is reasonably tolerant of mess and disruption, it really was a pain.
It became apparent we could use a greenhouse.
We also wanted to expand our garden growing capability in the spring and fall shoulder seasons.
We wanted a greenhouse.
Greenhouses are expensive and, some of the more affordable ones, are not up to Ontario snow loads. In our area, strong winds are also a concern. We get at least a few 100+ km/hr. (70 mph) storms each winter with gusts even higher. We were looking for a solution that would stand up to our weather conditions while not breaking the budget.
After some research, we found a Gothic Arch to be an acceptable shape for our needs. Look at any European church from the Middle Ages to find lots of Gothic arches.
It was time to break out the primary school compass and some graph paper to work out an appropriate shape. Step one was to make an arch on graph paper. More specifically, a half arch since they are symmetrical.
With a plan in hand, a form was built up on the shop floor. Twenty minutes of bending pulling and twisting resulted in a reasonable arch being formed. (Used ¾” EMT)
A connector for the top of the arch to join the two half arches would be needed. It was made by cutting 12 inch section of 1” EMT and flattening it in the center. A hammer on a solid piece of steel (bucket on the tractor works well). Finally, the twelve inch section was bent to the appropriate angle by trial and error.
A test layout of the first two arches proved acceptable. All the arches were then completed over the next few days.
Two foot sections of 1" EMT were driven through a base piece until only six inches remained above ground. Each arch was then fitted to the anchor posts. Arches were connected to the 1" EMT with Tek screws.(Self drilling; self tapping)
Wiggle wire frames were installed along with a couple of angle braces. The greenhouse plastic had a 2X2 affixed to the lower edge to allow rolling up for ventilation. Ends and doors made from 2X2 completed the build.
The final length of the greenhouse was 12 feet. We decided to keep it small to avoid potential building permit issues. This first greenhouse was really built as a test prototype. If if makes it through the winter we can decide if we want more this size or one much larger greenhouse
Cost at the time of building $788.00
Update: January 6 2022.
We have had three storms with winds in the 80 to 100 km/h range with no damage. So far so good.
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