I need a good used greehouse

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I need a good, used greenhouse. I'm trying to start a home business with very little money. I need help!!

-- G Tanner (tannerink@hotmail.com), June 13, 2000

Answers

Your best bet would be to find an old house with a bunch of windows and yse those. There is also a place in large cities called "The Habitat Re-Store". They are part of Habitat for Humanity and they sell all the things that they can't use because of codes or doesn't fit the plans or whatever there. Super Duper Cheap!

-- Doreen (livinginskin@yahoo.com), June 13, 2000.

know anyone remodeling their house? maybe someone is replacing their old windows and you can use them ask around or even advertise

-- Pat (pmikul@pcpros.net), June 13, 2000.

G: What area of the country do you live in? What size greenhouse are you thinking of? In the meantime, you might start collecting those plastic flats, pots, 6packs, that commercial greenhouses use, and are at all the shopping centers, grocery stores, etc. now, but not for long. They usually throw away the ones that are empty, or have dead plants in them, and are glad to give them to you if you ask. Also collect lumber from building sites to make your benches out of. Then you will have some of the necessities. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 13, 2000.

As an accomplished bottomfeeder, one of my favorite sources of insulated glass is patio doors that have been removed from the houses. Sometimes you can find them waiting for the garbage guys, other times you can find them by contacting contractors, especially those who specialize in remodeling jobs. They're built heavily enough so no wall framing is actually needed, assuming the doors are of the same height. The roof is a different matter however. You don't want something that will trap water (like the seal between the glass and the wood framing on a patio door)

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), June 14, 2000.

I live in Southern Illinios, way down in the sticks. LOL I was wanting something about 20x60 at least, I'm hoping to start a home business.

-- G Tanner (tannerink@hotmail.com), June 14, 2000.


G, can you start smaller? If you've got more time than money, you can scrounge what you can and start small. It is possible to produce a tremendous amount of seedlings using your windows, some grow lights, and hot and cold frames. As your scrounging and money permit, build a small spring house, then another, then a small greenhouse, etc. If you're looking for a year round greenhouse, you'll need ventilation and heat. The heating is expensive.

I knew a man who started tomato plants in his garage and sold them to his neighbors as a sideline. Every year he grew and sold a few more. Eventually put up a small greenhouse in his back yard. Before he died he'd quit his day job and owned a small chain of stores. Wasn't going broke either. When I market gardened, I started seeds on hot tapes in the basement, moved them upstairs in front of windows and under a few grow lights (and I was turning and moving seedlings a lot to compensate) then moved them out to cold frames and "warm" frames (unheated frames that took advantage of thermal mass).

My frames were made of scrounged lumber. Some had scrounged windows on them, others had sheet plastic. And for that matter parked cars work as greenhouses. That would make an interesting "store front". Flowers are in the Chevys, vegetables are in the Fords, herbs in the Dodges. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 14, 2000.


I have a friend who made a small greenhouse by lining up concrete blocks then bending PVC pipe from one to the other, then placing plastic over the pipe. You might do this on a larger scale or maybe make more than one greenhouse like this. I too am contemplating a home business with a greenhouse. I hope we both make it...

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), June 14, 2000.

I just purchased a very nice 10 X 14 greenhouse from the Gardener's Supply catalog for under $300. I have saved old windows for years in hopes of building one. I think it was a better deal to buy new this time. I can't wait until I get it built. Looks very simple to do. Good Luck

-- Helena , (windyacs/@ptdprolog.net), June 15, 2000.

There was an article in Countryside at one time about using the hog/cattle panels as a shed or greenhouse. We have a shed with blue tarp that is 16 feet long and about 6 feet wide. You bend the panels into an upside down U and stake each end to the ground. You are limited to the width,but can increase the length by 4' measures. It seems that there was also an article about a super heavy plastic that doesnt deteriorate as quickly that you could put over the panels and maybe secure with rocks or a trench and lay plastic in it then cover with dirt. Only thing to note when putting the panels in place to put the sharp corners of the cross bars toward the inside so it wont wear through. Once our shed is done being a barn I had planned to use it as a green house.

It is also amazing how much you can grow under a window pane sitting on a few concrete blocks. I had spinach that went all winter(but didnt grow much until late feb. when we had our first salad-pretty good for Wisconsin though.) I also experimented with tomato seedlings this year. Some I planted in the ground under glass and drug some in and out of the house every night. At first the mobile ones looked better. Once we warmed up a little the others went like gang busters. When I first planted them we had a few nights of about 32 degree weather so I was surprised they made it.

Good luck, Tami

-- Tami Bowser (windridg@chorus.net), June 16, 2000.


just take the plunge and put up one of the comercial plastic double membrane green houses they can be expanded in leanth mine is 30x50. looking back i would have put up a 20' and placed it up on short walls they could have been used for ventelation and made the sides more usable also would have made heavy snowsless of a problem i would also recomend a gothic rather than a round arch ... the bldg are easy to put up and the new plastics have a 6+ year life the double layer of plastic is kept blown up with a small fanwhich gives an insulation.mine is heated with wood using an outdoor wood furnace ,300,ooo btu an hour will not keep the trailer warm and the greenhouse above 50 when the temps drop below 20 but i only have the single skin on mine i never get the chance to do things right myself lol.i tried the cobbled together greenhouses and believe me you need to get a real one

-- george Darby (windwillow@fuse.net), August 05, 2000.


I hate to be a master of the obvious here, but have you done a search online for "greenhouse" and some variations? I did a while ago and found one outfit that actually specialized in selling used greenhouses. The search engine I used (and use most often) is Google (www.google.com). If you want to go the scrounge route and use windows, etc., I'd suggest you get hold of some window replacement companies in your area. Around here all you need do is sit down to dinner and they'll call you. ;o) Good luck!

-- Gary (gk6854@aol.com), June 20, 2001.

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