One Alaskans greenhouse

Alasgun

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
4,303
Points
195
Location
S. Central Alaska
Due to our short season and the challenges that presents, a greenhouse is essential if you want to reliably grow some things up here.
we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, bush beans, celery, parsley and summer squash in ours.
initially there were shelves around the sides and we placed smartpots on those shelves.
Well, pretty soon you’ve got everything jamming into the ceiling, making things difficult.
Last winter i upgraded by building the beds shown here. It accomplished a couple things beyond lowering the plants and now the irrigation is more user friendly, the crops have a deeper bed for a better root zone and it’s easier to maintain than with the bags. In the fall all the bags were dumped into brute containers and re-amended for the following year then the bags refilled each spring. Now i just apply the compost in the fall and walk away from it!

just some odd rambling here and a few pictures inside and out. In the spring it’s pretty loaded up till i move all the stuff on the sawhorses etc out to the beds. Then in short order it becomes it’s own jungle!😳
 

Attachments

  • 9038F0E4-991B-4B3D-8192-4DE20E3DD95F.jpeg
    9038F0E4-991B-4B3D-8192-4DE20E3DD95F.jpeg
    273.2 KB · Views: 356
  • A3C2EA33-139F-47B3-8ECC-CF633B73E8B9.jpeg
    A3C2EA33-139F-47B3-8ECC-CF633B73E8B9.jpeg
    247.9 KB · Views: 359
  • 1A06B6EF-F3EB-4A5A-ADEC-EF6EBC636175.jpeg
    1A06B6EF-F3EB-4A5A-ADEC-EF6EBC636175.jpeg
    244 KB · Views: 346
  • 21CE89B4-9EC0-4FAE-A6CF-A38DC4CA3DF3.jpeg
    21CE89B4-9EC0-4FAE-A6CF-A38DC4CA3DF3.jpeg
    223.7 KB · Views: 341
  • FDB722C2-20B8-48FD-9BAE-CE2477401B5E.jpeg
    FDB722C2-20B8-48FD-9BAE-CE2477401B5E.jpeg
    340.5 KB · Views: 348
  • 425C849B-9069-4A50-AB9D-D8F5A7C26840.jpeg
    425C849B-9069-4A50-AB9D-D8F5A7C26840.jpeg
    235.4 KB · Views: 337
  • A724EE8A-D37B-4F8D-81B2-1BB93DC5EBDD.jpeg
    A724EE8A-D37B-4F8D-81B2-1BB93DC5EBDD.jpeg
    181.5 KB · Views: 351

Alasgun

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
4,303
Points
195
Location
S. Central Alaska
@thistlebloom, this one is 12ft. Wide by 24 ft. Long. I use a Toyo stove to heat from mid April till early October. It stays on 24/7 set at 64 and it mostly runs of a night when it cools. During the day (some days) that 16 in. exhaust fan runs from 10:am to 7pm! No more than a couple weeks of that. In a season i’ll burn 100 gal. of #1.
 

ducks4you

Garden Master
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
11,116
Reaction score
13,689
Points
417
Location
East Central IL, Was Zone 6, Now...maybe Zone 5
That's quite a setup!!
I notice that you have the ingredient that I do NOT--surrounded by trees. We get straight line winds that take down corn too often and if I had Your greenhouse, it would be ripped to shreds.
I am content to build a cold frame this year from the free bricks I picked up last year. It will be south facing, right next to my garage, FULL SUN, and have protection from the west...where the wind usually comes from.
 

Alasgun

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
4,303
Points
195
Location
S. Central Alaska
@thistlebloom, the toyo’s are nice. Anything “direct vent” will no add moisture during combustion, which is a good thing. They’re very reliable, and very user friendly.
Now, we are talking about heating a greenhouse here so some consolation is needed. Set at 64, when the ambient dips to 20-30 my greenhouse will still be in the mid 50’s. When the ambient goes into the 10-20 range we shut everything down for the year. This year, on a whim i kept everything going into November (wanting to break my previous tomato record) and the stove ran 24/7! During that time it burned 100 gallons of #1, a little over $200. Normally 100 gallons will carry me thru the entire season when it’s only running of a night. This is the lazer 300, the smallest one they make.
Our greenhouse is double pane which helps some but i dont mind the expense of fuel as it‘s worth it to us having another month plus of grow time!
I’ll get a better picture of it and the dehumidifier which is a huge home run as well! Without which none of this would work as well. More to come.
 

thistlebloom

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
16,473
Reaction score
17,390
Points
457
Location
North Idaho 48th parallel
Obviously you have generator backup. Right now I'm in the thinking it out phase. I confess my garden has been a lower priority the past few years, as well as being in an increasingly unsuitable location. (That got changed last year :) )
I've been distracted by my horse, and working a physically demanding job.
But with the country going to hell soon I'll be making some necessary changes.
 

Alasgun

Deeply Rooted
Joined
Jan 11, 2021
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
4,303
Points
195
Location
S. Central Alaska
Generators, yes but i pray it doesn’t come to that! The toyo is a huge part of the equation for us but equally important is that de-humidifier. Most years it runs 20 hrs a day to keep the RA at 60% or below. Without which the various mildews can run rampant up here. It’s normal position is under the sink, next to the stove.

you mention the state of the country, back at Y2-K when the world was gonna end; i built that wood stove and have fired it less than a dozen times since. These days, it holds up the ivy and a salt lamp! But like most Alaskans, we’re ready for anything🥺
 

Attachments

  • 7D30AFB0-185E-4EE3-AD94-49F22BF37653.jpeg
    7D30AFB0-185E-4EE3-AD94-49F22BF37653.jpeg
    179.6 KB · Views: 328
  • A0FC4D47-2EE2-4B2C-B137-48DB1AFC664A.jpeg
    A0FC4D47-2EE2-4B2C-B137-48DB1AFC664A.jpeg
    123.8 KB · Views: 340
  • C93C6387-B39E-4371-8C62-DE4DFD4DD1B5.jpeg
    C93C6387-B39E-4371-8C62-DE4DFD4DD1B5.jpeg
    121.3 KB · Views: 320
  • 8BBDBF27-C185-4636-8B8F-41AC7B0BDF67.jpeg
    8BBDBF27-C185-4636-8B8F-41AC7B0BDF67.jpeg
    113.4 KB · Views: 329

catjac1975

Garden Master
Joined
Jul 22, 2010
Messages
8,938
Reaction score
8,858
Points
397
Location
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
Due to our short season and the challenges that presents, a greenhouse is essential if you want to reliably grow some things up here.
we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, bush beans, celery, parsley and summer squash in ours.
initially there were shelves around the sides and we placed smartpots on those shelves.
Well, pretty soon you’ve got everything jamming into the ceiling, making things difficult.
Last winter i upgraded by building the beds shown here. It accomplished a couple things beyond lowering the plants and now the irrigation is more user friendly, the crops have a deeper bed for a better root zone and it’s easier to maintain than with the bags. In the fall all the bags were dumped into brute containers and re-amended for the following year then the bags refilled each spring. Now i just apply the compost in the fall and walk away from it!

just some odd rambling here and a few pictures inside and out. In the spring it’s pretty loaded up till i move all the stuff on the sawhorses etc out to the beds. Then in short order it becomes it’s own jungle!😳
Thanks for sharing. It is all very impressive. I am a big fan of anything Alaskan. I love all they discovery TV that follows people that live off the land. I have seen the giant crops that can be grown when you have 24 hour sunlight. Keep the stories coming.
 

Latest posts

Top