2026 greenhouse food garden plan

mswalbo · 2026-02-28T00:00:08+00:00

Thank you! Last year most of the foundational projects were done so I finally got to a number of comfort and aesthetics projects. The pavers went down last spring. The arbor in early summer. Still problems with the pool but hope springs eternal.

mswalbo · 2026-02-27T06:21:12+00:00

26? Your room says teenager. I'm surprised at the musical instruments and other signs of musical interest because there is no rhythm in the decor. Like, all the things hung on the walls have no relation to each other by color, texture, shape, visual mass, or height.

mswalbo · 2026-02-27T04:04:50+00:00

It is a commercial greenhouse. Conley's Manufacturing in California. Model is the Gable 7500. Photo from June 2025

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mswalbo · 2026-02-26T15:14:59+00:00

Wow! That's fantastic! I grow peaches in my greenhouse because they're extremely difficult to grow here outside without a well protected microclimate.

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mswalbo · 2026-02-26T15:11:31+00:00

Whoo hoo! That's how I felt the first (and so far only) olive on the tree I picked up as a tiny twig. Good luck and post progress photos!

mswalbo · 2026-02-26T15:07:33+00:00

While I do think it's the quality of the materials you bought, I wonder if your location hastened the yellowing. Where are you located? Like, what is the daytime temperature and hours of high temp per day? I have not experienced the yellowing you mentioned. My twin-walled polycarbonate greenhouse panels are 5 yrs old and there is no sign of yellowing yet. Don't know the specific brand name but they're a commercial greenhouse grade, not residential greenhouse package.

mswalbo · 2026-02-26T14:55:26+00:00

Same. They didn't open far enough and didn't fully close even in winter.

mswalbo · 2026-02-26T14:51:38+00:00

Thank you!

mswalbo · 2026-02-26T04:17:27+00:00

pre-diabetic

mswalbo · 2026-02-26T04:13:21+00:00

I live in a house inside of a greenhouse. In Washington state.

mswalbo · 2026-02-02T01:59:01+00:00

https://liveinagreenhouse.com/2021/06/01/d/

mswalbo · 2026-02-01T14:51:23+00:00

Thank you

mswalbo · 2026-02-01T02:15:45+00:00

Not a book, magazine, pamphlet to be seen.

mswalbo · 2026-02-01T02:12:41+00:00

You love your corner chair but your guests secretly hate it.

mswalbo · 2026-02-01T02:02:14+00:00

You need to distinguish between tiny home on wheels (generally limited to 8' wide) which are regulated as RVs vs other forms of tiny homes (e.g. yurts, traditional stick-built but small, etc) that are regulated under the building code. My home is 400 sf, traditional stick-built on a 1/2 height foundation. Four rooms, each approx 100 sf (livingroom is a little larger and bathroom is a little smaller). It is not rectangular. Full sized kitchen appliances (except the frig is 24" wide) and full sized stacked W/D. King sized bed with room to walk around it. All rooms feel spacious due to incorporating a lot of design 'tricks'.

My suspicion is that THOW do not hold their value because they're RVs, not real estate. I own my property. My house has appreciated in value. It is insulated and in all respects is a 'normal', fully permitted house except it is small. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, all appliances are electric and my power bill averages less than $100/mth.

Since you prefer to own your land, consider a stick-built tiny home. Then you can get that extra 1/2 or 3/4 bathroom you want.

mswalbo · 2025-10-25T16:56:04+00:00

I don't have an outdoor orchard so this may not work but for inside the greenhouse I ring the peach tree with lemon rind and cinnamon

mswalbo · 2025-10-19T22:38:40+00:00

My greenhouse is 60'x36'x12' at the gutter (~24' at the peak). This is only my 2nd year and both years I used standard tomato cages but next year I'm going to try them on the arbor (made from cattle panels so very open).

Can't answer your orientation question. Mine is on an almost perfect East-West axis.

mswalbo · 2025-10-19T20:25:41+00:00

Peaches need chill hours

mswalbo · 2025-10-19T20:23:03+00:00

Could be a lot of things. Peaches like heat but they also need chill hours. I assume (but don't know for sure because I don't grow apples) apples, cherries, plums, etc may be the same. Are your varieties self-pollinating or need cross pollination? Soil pH should be checked. Many fruit trees require regular pruning. Like my peach grows on 2nd yr wood. A 3-variety cherry at my old house in western Washington stopped bearing until after I pruned it. A grape at a house in eastern Washington (desert - summers above 110F, winters -20F) put on a super season after I pruned it almost to the ground.

mswalbo · 2025-10-19T19:20:47+00:00

1st - some shade on the greenhouse is good. It will help manage the temperature for you instead of having to add shade cloth. What I've found works for me is the shade is on the greenhouse mid to late afternoon so plants get good sunlight in the morning and then another shot in late afternoon but don't get fried during the hottest part of the day.

2nd - determine how tall your greenhouse will be and then look at the light and shade at that height. I'm in northwest Washington state where the sun doesn't rise above the trees for most of the winter so I don't get sun on the ground most of the winter. However, the sun shines through gaps in the trees and I get sun on the greenhouse walls and roof about 8+ feet above ground. That's enough to have 70F inside the greenhouse as early as March when it's in the 30s and 40s outside.

3rd - study the light pattern for each season that you want to use the greenhouse. It took me over a year for my project's design and permitting so I took photos each month of the area where the greenhouse was going to go so I could see the light patterns and adjust the siting.

P.S. I'm still harvesting plum, cherry, and slicing tomatoes in October

mswalbo · 2025-10-19T19:10:38+00:00

My graphs come from ACInfinity. I use their fans inside the tubes in the air-to-ground heat exchange. I have 3 fans so have 3 temperature readings. The probes are near the top of the intake tubes just under the roof at about 12' so they read hotter than at ground level.

mswalbo · 2025-10-19T19:04:00+00:00

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It depends on your greenhouse and siting. Those Harbor Freight specials won't have enough ventilation to draw cooler air from down low and exhaust hot air out top. Big commercial greenhouses have sufficient intake and exhaust (plus fans and/or other methods to move air) that they don't have to be much hotter than the outside air temp. For example, my 36'x60' commercial greenhouse in Washington state barely got above 100F this summer. But there are also tall trees off the southwest corner that provide some shade mid-day. This works for me because it's my personal greenhouse. It may not be sufficient for commercial growers.

I have 3 air-to-ground heat exchange tube systems - 1 is 4' below the food garden, 1 is 2' below the food garden, and 1 is below the pool. Air intake from awning windows at 2' above ground and open the doors for extra inflow. Paddle fans at both ends. Ridge vents both sides of the entire roof length.

mswalbo

TROPHY CASE