Building My Greenhouse

All buildings in northern zones must have footings (foundation extensions) which extend below the frost line. Greenhouses are no exception. In my area, footings must be dug to a depth of 3½ feet so frost will not heave the foundation and crack the greenhouse glass.

The Cheese Making Process
The cheese making process will give you different results in terms of different kinds of cheese every time you let it go through a variety of conditions.

We dug and poured the footings ourselves (a measure of economy), but we hired a cement contractor to lay the actual foundation and the greenhouse walk or aisle. The foundation is made of cement blocks; it is 5 cement blocks high and 6 long. The walk is made of cement slabs. This work and the materials cost $285.00 and the job was finished in 1 day. Within 2 days the cement had set and we went on with the rest of the construction.

The actual details of fastening supports and cross-pieces, installing doors, ventilators, and so forth are not relevant here. In the first place, they would require endless pages of text and diagrams-and such data are easily obtained from any number of commercial greenhouse construction sources. Also, there is no one "best" way to build a home greenhouse-there are dozens!

The construction as well as the type will depend on the requirements of your climate and what you desire (and can afford). Incidentally, construction guides are available from lumber firms as well as greenhouse builders. I will offer, how ever, certain points of information that are generally helpful, whether you build your own greenhouse or have it built by a construction firm.

For my framework, I decided to go with wood. The type of wood I chose for my greenhouse frame was redwood. You just can't go wrong with redwood. Not only is it a very hardy wood, it is naturally rot resistant. Rot resistant is very important for wood that is going to be in a moist, humid, climate. For sealant of my greenhouse glass panes, commonly referred to as "lights" in the greenhouse industry, I decided to use Trenglaze. Trenglaze is a putty which is a non-hardening type of putty.

We used non-rusting brass screws throughout. Also, we used double-strength greenhouse glass. This costs about 20 per cent more than single strength, but it is many times more durable. In the 4 years I have had this greenhouse not a single pane has broken or cracked.

The lights, cut to fit by the manufacturer, measure 20 inches wide. On the roof the lower ones are 20 by 42 inches. These are larger than many greenhouse builders use, but they mean much less construction work, admit maximum light to the plants, and minimize drafts. A layer of pea rock covers the ground flanking the walks.

Finally, we painted the outside cement blocks pale green, the framework white, to blend with our green-and-white stucco home.

For Maximum Space

During the first year my greenhouse was in operation I had a two bench layout inside. This just consisted of two 3 foot wide benches on each side going down the length of the greenhouse. As my business started to become more and more profitable, and the orders were steadily coming in, I had to increase my growing capacity.