Putting Up a Greenhouse

We made it home last Saturday at 1 a.m. with our new greenhouse.  It took five of us 11 hours to get it down and loaded.  Not too bad really.  We finished loading the 26' U haul in the dark at about 9 pm and decided to head home to our own beds instead of a hotel for another night.  I had a cold, still do, so sleeping was an issue. 

It was, of course, windy while we were removing the plastic.  It was a pretty funny battle though.  It wasn't so windy that it was impossible.  Just windy enough to make it comical.  I was yanked off the ground a few times.  Just imagine a 32 by 96 foot sheet of plastic in an open corn field with five people hanging on, rolling about, trying to keep the wind out of it while folding it in half, then in half again and then rolling it neatly into a giant log of plastic.  Did I mention that there were two sheets?

Some of the ground posts put up a good fight too.  Good thing we had strong men with us.  The top arches were rusted to the ground posts in some areas too so we cut them.  No big deal.  Those posts just wont go into the ground quite as far as the others.  We took all the good wood.  Some was a bit too far gone. 

We are now the proud owners of two large Modine heaters, two vent fans and a poly blower to inflate the double layer of plastic.  We also have three 90' (approximate) rows of benching.  I wont need that much so some of it is going to be used to barter.  Some will be used as chicken yard fencing and the rest will be for me.

We have decided to put up a 20' by 32' section in the backyard, close to the house, as my seedling house.  The other portion will be put out front as our unheated hoophouse.  I plan to plant tons of different flowers and veggies in the ground in that one.  I will be able to focus on extending the season and offering overwintered crops which will really help keep the farm rolling year round.

We were the proud recipients of 3 inches of wet snow yesterday so that set us back a bit as far as getting into the dirt is concerned.  I guess it is good since it gives me more time to prepare and buy supplies but still...come on!

We are going to get what remaining supplies we need for the gh this weekend.  We will have someone come over to do a little bit of earth leveling so that we can get it all set up asap.  My plants are getting to the point of needing transplanting now so the space is certainly needed.  I was having nightmares this morning that my plants starting to die because I never transplanted them, ha ha.  But seriously, yikes.