After a few months of going back and forth with my HOA, I was finally approved for a greenhouse!!!!!

I will be getting a 8x20 Rion greenhouse. It is only 6 feet 10 inches tall, but I don't care, I'm only 5'4" and the short stature of this particular greenhouse is what allowed me to get it passed.

I know I will need heaters for the winter and an evap cooler for the summer. But which kind? How big/strong/forceful will I need them to be? I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas and it can get pretty darn hot here.

I am going into this greenhouse gig blind since I do not personally know anyone with one. Any recommendations, do, or don't do would be greatly appreciated.

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Linda

Congrats on the greenhouse. I think that is the goal for all us non- greenhouse growers.

I have no idea what you will need regarding equipment but I am interested in finding out.

I bet me Lin will be able to help you since I believe he lives in the same area! Good luck and congrats!


Ryan

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Hi Linda,
Being in Texas, heat is going to be a problem in the summer. Small greenhouse is especially valunerable. When it is 100 F outside, your best bet is heavy shade cloth and an overhead misting system. Reduce light and hydrate your plant will get them through them summer.

I would get a RO system, overhead misting, and timer / thermostat to turn on when temperature is high. Depending on your water, constant misting will result in calcium deposit on the leaves. Meir lives in North Dallas and he told me he doesn't have much problem with hard water. I am in Tarrant County - we get our water from Fort Worth, TX. Maybe Meir can chime in with his suggestion. He use a timer to turn on overhead misting - and let it run for a number of hours and turn it off. In the summer is very hot that leaves will dry by night. I opt for a timer that turn on misting for 1 minute, off for 5 minutes, and on..etc. You'll probably plan for 2 shade cloth. So one can be put on during the summer months and remove in the winter.

It's important to get this done because once you move your plants into your greenhouse, it would be harder to get hang misting afterward.

Checkout farmtek website and get a catalog. They sell all of this stuff that you can use.

There are many things to share but I think heat seems to be the most critical in our area.

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Peter Lin, Admin
Big Leaf Orchids

Hi Linda,
Check out Texas Greenhouse company. The main office is in Ft. Worth and you can stop by their offices and see different styles of greenhouse. A word of caution - study the subject and don't rush to give your money to any greenhouse co. Once they got hold on your deposit you're stuck with them. While Peter emphesised on summer heat, I would advise you to study the whole project inside out, especially since your growing area is not big and temperature control seems to be a tricky business, in a smaller growing area. Dotty Woodson from the Ft. Worth OS might be able to help with more input.
Good luck,
Meir.

Thanks Peter and Meir.

For the actual greenhouse, I'll be getting the Rion Hobby Gardener since it is the one that passed HOA (aka PITA). We have a very strict and VERY active HOA. I have space for a much bigger and nicer greenhouse than what I'm getting, but that was shot down. No permanent structures and nothing over a certain height that can be seen from a street.

I knew I needed a mister but never would have thought to use a timer/temperature. Now I know to get a super heavy-duty mister. Thanks for the heads up. If we get another summer of 100+ days of over 100° my poor chids might have fried.

Do you know what % shade cloth I will be needing? The greenhouse is translucent polycarbonate and according to the site, it already diffuses 70% of the light.

I will check out Farmtek. I know I will need the following.
Mister
Evap Cooler
Fan
R/O System
Water Tank
Sink
Heater

Anything else I might be missing?

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Linda

If I attach the mister to my R/O water tank, that should prevent mineral deposits on the leaves? Our water is actually pretty good. I technically don't need to use R/O water because our water comes pretty close to it but better safe then sorry, right?

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Linda

When I lived in Irving, Texas - water was decent. But I did not have overhead misting. I was very concerned about having water in the crown. But I saw Meir's greenhouse and it makes sense to keep the plant hydrated. So my new greenhouse has overhead misting. It is bad for water to get on flowers and wet everything down. But hey, in the summer, we do what we can to keep the plants alive.

For your size greenhouse, it would be worth the money to invest in a small RO with enough output for overhead misting. You can use city water for watering etc.

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Peter Lin, Admin
Big Leaf Orchids

Congratulations on your project -- don't we all wish we were so fortunate.

I have no experience, but Peter and others have commented on the hot summers. Conversely, you have recently experienced the opposite -- severe winters. Perhaps others have experience managing severe cold in greenhouses constructed from this type of frame and panels -- especially if your power or heating system should fail.

I note also that your greenhouse weighs only 375 pounds -- I assume that it has ground bolts to protect against severe winds.

Can wait to see pix of your adventure.

Dave

No bolts but it will be trenched in.

We are having a contractor come out to get the lay of the land to see how deep we need to go and what is needed as far as water and electricity.

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Linda

Bulkreefsupply.com sells supplies for reef aquariums but they sell excellent RO units. I had a tank but no longer, but I use my RO unit still and you may think your water is quite good but you'd be surprised. Doesn't take much dissolved solids to cause issues including unsightly mineral spots. Just my two cents.


Ryan

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Linda,
If you go with R/O system, you will need a small tank to collect the water and also some kind of buster pump to push the water from the tank to your hose and your mist system.
If I were you, I would also raise the g/h height to about 8 ft. You will be surprised how fast the air is heating up in a low profile g/h. When asked, I always suggested to take care of height of the structure than anything else.
Meir.

Did anyone mention some sort of integrated controller? I have a basic one, and it was still a little pricey - without it I think my greenhouse would be a burden.

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Tony B.

If you do not go with some type of integration for all of the electrical controls you will need separate thermostats for the overhead watering, the fan, and the heater. Additionally you might need some type of rheostat/temperature control for your fan so that the speed increases (or decreases) as the temperature changes. That is why Tonys idea is a good one....The RO system can have a shut off system in the fill tank. If your intake water is coming from a pressurized line, you do not necessarily need an electrical system for the RO pump. The GE Merlin system works well and is about $400. Jeff

For the shadecloth, I like Aluminet, and Farmtek and others carry it. I am in North Texas and in summer I need about 70% shadecloth for phals, at least, and mine have done better since I put solid insulation on most of the roof. It keeps temps more moderate year-round, so it is easier and cheaper to heat and cool the greenhouse.