Very little progress has been made on the greenhouse shed project yet. The persistent rains combined with a much needed family vacation postponed construction, excavation and pretty much everything except for planning. But the planning is probably the most important part in any big project. This is easily the biggest project I've attempted so far and I'm making sure to spend lots of extra time on the minute details. We settled on a location that would receive adequate winter sunshine yet mostly shade the rest of the year. I've gathered enough windows that every wall can be clear of opaque surfaces for plants to receive the light they need. There are even enough windows for the roof to provide light for the inside of the greenhouse. You're probably wondering what I'm thinking about for the design. Today you'll find out!
One of the places I frequent to read interesting posts on gardening is GardenWeb. There are all kinds of forums there from garden art to plant propagation to what else? Greenhouses! Among all these thousands of threads of information I found a link to Anna-Marie's photos of her greenhouse that she built from recycled windows, reclaimed decking, and other materials that looks just perfect for my purposes.
The exact size and dimensions of the greenhouse will be different because of the windows that are being used. My greenhouse will also have to serve as a shed for the lawnmowers as well as the greenhouse which will require a set of doors large enough to fit the riding mower through. It also won't have electricity, water hookups, or a phone line although my wife and I have discussed walkie-talkies so that I am not forever lost in the greenhouse...
Inside the shed Anne-Marie installed a sink and used folding table legs with balusters to create propagation tables for her plants. The flooring is partly made of reclaimed decking and the rest is made of discount paving stones. I'm aiming for stone or brick for the base of my greenhouse since they gather and store heat from the sun during the day and release the energy at night.
To read more about what Anne-Marie's greenhouse check out her post: Wyndyacre's greenhouse.
All greenhouse photos in this post are courtesy of Anne-Marie/Wyndyacre.
See how the Garden Shed is today: Dave's Garden Shed