Support Probelm with my Small Plastic Greenhouses

November 6, 2009

I set up the small plastic greenhouses last week on my fire escape and backyard vegetable gardens.

When I had set them up on my fire escape, I tied some strings up at the top to support the weight of the plastic and debris that fell on it. I didn’t do the same with the ones in the backyard.

So after a few days of rain and me not being there to drain off the water, the weight of the water fell onto the plants causing them to flatten out a bit.

There is no excuse for that happening except my laziness. I drained the water off the plastic, removed the containers and had to prop the plants back up. I’m hoping that it didn’t cause too much damage.

Now I have to set up some reinforcements on the greenhouses so that they can support some weight.

I don’t think the small plastic greenhouse is a failure. It’s just still a work in progress.

Shawna Coronado

Try using plastic cake covers from the grocery store or Costco - - Duct tape and the cake covers together might work better. :-) Also - once it gets to a certain coldness the soil will freeze. Have you considered insulating the pots as well?

Good luck!

Shawna Coronado
Mike Lieberman

Good call on the cake covers. Thanks. As for insulation, I've wrapped them in either some sheets or towels to help insulate a bit. You think that'll do?
Shawna Coronado

What zone are you in? I'm in zone 5. If I wrapped them in sheets, they'd already be dead. It's 30 and 40 degree nights right now. It'll be below zero in another month, so would have to physically heat the containers as well. How much longer do you have until "0" weather?

S
Mike Lieberman

Um, I have no clue on the zone. I just know that I'm way too cold right now. It's starting to get down to the 40s during the evenings.
Shawna Coronado

If you live in New York City, you are in zone 6 according to the New York Botanical garden - http://www.nybg.org/hgc_online/gardening_calend.... You can see the rest of the nation on this hardiness map - http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html.

The benefit of knowing your zone is it saves you money. You know, for instance, that a petunia won't make it through the winter because it is a zone 9 to 11 winter hardy plant, and you live in a 6, which means it will freeze and die.

Almost all vegetables die completely out at the first sign of frost. Not all - but almost all. SO - living in zone 6 you have a little more time than I do in zone 5, but not much.

Building a hardier greenhouse system and considering HEATING that system will extend your growing time considerably. :-)

This might be a good idea for a "real" greenhouse to be built between your windows. You could have a little heating system and a lighting system rigged up with little expense.

:-)

S
Mike Lieberman

Hit me up. Tell me more. You obviously have something genius in mind.
truecrimson

Hey, dude, haven't checked out your blog in a while so I'm still catching up, but I had an idea this week you might find interesting. When surfing craigslist for free furniture I've noticed a lot of china cabinets, curio cabinets, and display cases going for cheap. They are usually wood, plastic or metal with glass doors and pretty sturdy. Most have a light already installed so with the right bulb you could supplement the sunlight. A little plastic lining would protect the cabinet. It seems like they would make good greenhouses. Once I get my finances improved I'm planning on giving it a shot.
Mike Lieberman

That's an awesome idea. I love it. Totally doable here in NYC. People are always tossing furniture and windows. Thanks!