Greenhouse Prep

The Structure

We’re all about the 3 “R’s” around here. Reuse, repurpose, and recycle. 

It was with that in mind we decided to take an existing and vacant structure and turn it into a greenhouse that will allow us to grow year-round!

This was originally used for our peacock, but when he passed, we used it for our meat birds. Now that it’s empty, we’re able to turn it into something we’ll be able to use for years to come. 

With fall on the horizon, we have a need to get our tails in gear to get this thing ready. While we typically don’t have harsh winters, we do get frosts and the ground gets too cold for things we’d love to eat all year. 

Why Use a Greenhouse???

• Benefit #1

  The ability to grow year-round

• Benefit #2

  Control your growing environment for our seedlings. We can maintain humidity and temperature in a man-made setting.

• Benefit #3

  Protect your plants longer before transplanting leading to healthier plants overall.

• Benefit #4

  Reduce plant disease and bug infestations. Yes, things will get in, but it'll be manageable!

Location & Set-Up

We made sure to park our cage (not a greenhouse yet!) in a spot that gets great sun and was fairly flat so we didn't need to do much leveling at all.

The Foundation

Gear Storage

Bench Availability

Plant Space

What's Next?

This is just the beginning of our prep work. There’s a few MAJOR items missing. 

1. The greenhouse film that needs to actually cover the bones.  This is on order and will be installed within the next few weeks. I’ve decided to use a 6 mil film so we can use it for several years to come. The average life span of these films can be anywhere from 4-7 years based on what I’ve read. We’ll be using zip ties and greenhouse tape to secure it to our structure. All of the sides and roof will be completely covered. 

2. A greenhouse also needs great ventilation! I’ll be cutting a small section in the back of the greenhouse that will house a solar-powered dual fan. 

3. Water source! This structure is close enough to our house with a hose that I can just bring the hose into the greenhouse, however, I have misters so I’m going to get creative with setting these up somehow and get them on a timer so it’s less “heavy-lifting” to keep everything alive. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 when we finish off our greenhouse!