10/24/16: We've started work on the new big (16x20) hoop house, which will replace the 8x16 greenhouse plus have room for growing in the ground. The past 2 days we spent by moving the Rion GH off it's base, using "rollers" cut from PVC pipe and planks (which were actually old bifold closet doors). I really didn't have much faith that this would be successful, expecting it to flex too much and break, or at least lose a lot of the panels. However, we managed to move it not only off the base, but then another 30 or so feet to the west, near where we store the picnic table in the winter. Today John started removing the gravel and probably got about 2/3 of it done -- I cleaned weeds out of the area in the garden that will be inside the hoop house, and also cleaned up the area where the herb barrel is. Also, the greenhouse film for covering the new hoop house was delivered today. We pretty much have all the materials that we need, having bought them at Menards while an 11% rebate deal was going on. After the great success with the tomatoes in the small hoop house this summer, I'm pretty excited to have a larger area for growing under cover. It should also be pretty convenient for using the hose, with the south door only being about 15 feet from the outdoor faucet.
The floor of the old greenhouse consisted of gravel on top of sand, with a path of pavers down the center; we ended up removing the pavers and digging out all of the gravel and most of the sand, replacing it with garden soil. Although my intention at this point is to use that area for growing my seedlings in the spring, there's always the chance that I could decide that I wished I could use the entire hoop house for growing in the ground -- and if we didn't do this step now it would be unlikely that I could change my mind later on. Once we have the hoop house structure completed and move the benches and such in, I plan to use shredded cedar mulch for paths and under the benches.
11/1/16: Working on the base of railroad ties
11/ 9/16: Constructed the sidewalls.
11/14/16: Moving along with the new big hoop house; today we put up the PVC-pipe roof structure. We attached one of the halves to a sidewall using pipe clamps, then joined the 2 halves using the PVC cement. Before actually raising the structure up to its roof shape I used "Rustoleum Plastic" spray paint to cover the outer aspect of the pipes, for UV protection and to prevent PVC-to-plastic film contact, which is said to degrade the plastic film prematurely. I also have some white felt tape to use for that purpose, but will wait until spring, when we add the plastic film, to attach that to the pipes.
I also tilled the ground inside the area of the HH, and raked it out fairly level. Just need to construct the endwalls in the next couple of days, and then we will wait until spring to cover it with the greenhouse film. I'm really happy at this point in that so far the plan is coming together very well!
We put the roof structure together in 2 halves -- this is one of the halves:
11/15/16: Constructed the lower part of the north endwall, including the door frame.
11/16/16: Constructed the lower part of the south endwall, including the door frame.
11/18/16: Constructed the upper part of the north endwall, and added the plywood sheathing; went together nicely. Used pipe clamps to hold the end hoop to the door frame uprights, and zip ties to fasten the hoop to the plywood. We're running out of good weather, but still may be able to get the additional (upper) bracing done on the south endwall.
11/22/16: This is as far as we'll be going until spring, when we'll add the doors and the plastic film covering. We were able to use pipe clamps to fasten the PVC roof to the south wall 2x4's in 4 places, which should hold it in place securely.
7/12/17: The completed greenhouse, with tomato plants growing inside; we didn't get the covering put on until June 1st as we were waiting for a day that was fairly warm so the plastic would be a little more cooperative. We used wooden lath strips screwed to the wooden frame to hold the plastic on; a LOT of lath strips and screws! We also have a support pole in the center to keep the roof from sagging, and for the winter will put 2 more supports in, about halfway from the center to each side.
10/26/17: The greenhouse has been a great success as far as growing the tomato plants; they have grown so tall that I've had to trim the tops back several times as they were hanging down over the tops of the 5-foot wooden cages and making it difficult to get between the rows. There is essentially no sign of disease on the plants, which is a huge difference from when we've grown the tomatoes outside. And, we are still picking tomatoes! This bowlful was harvested today, and there are still lots of tomatoes coming along
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