Category Archives: greenhouse information

How to Patch an Unreachable Hole

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Occasionally there will be damage to a spot in the cover that is really hard to get at. The approach and advice given here, for safety’s sake, is a 2 person job. If you have a double cover structure, first unplug the inflator fan.

You will need to attach a padded cross piece to a long ladder. This piece should be 50% longer than your structure hoop spacing. i.e. if you have 4’ spacing your attachment should be 6’ long. This cross piece should be located high enough so that when you lean the ladder against the building it will be making contact with the “bulge” of the hoop.

The base of the ladder will be quite a ways out from the building. It is important that the helper firmly anchor the base of the ladder so that it can not kick out from underneath the person climbing the ladder.

If the hole in the cover is past the top of the ladder, you can lean against a hoop while standing on the ladder.

The area of the cover damage must be dry and warm before trying to put on a patch. Patches will not stick well to cold or damp covers.

As always, please call the office if you have any questions or need any clarification on this information.

Getting Your Structure Ready for Spring

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From our recent Winter Q&A

  • Reduced anchor holding power in wet ground
  • Ventilation ahead of planting time
  • Uninflating roll up sides
  • Coping with excessively with loose covers
  • Extra protection for tender crops

Stay tuned for future Q&As and submit your questions to be featured!
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Caring for your Structure after a Snowfall

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Segment #2: Caring for your Structure after a Snowfall

  • How much snow is a problem or dangerous
  • Balanced and unbalanced snow loads
  • The correct pattern for removing snow
  • Handling Structure Damage
  • Coping with Snow / Ice / Rain Combination

Stay tuned for future Q&As and submit your questions to be featured!
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How to Prepare Your structure for Winter

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From our recent Winter Q&A

Segment #1: How to Prepare Your structure for Winter

  • What to include in the visual check
  • Potential Flying Debris
  • Drainage Around Your Building
  • Installing Temporary Snow Supports
  • Inflating Roll Up Sides for the Season
  • Making a Snow Removal Tool

Stay tuned for future Q&As and submit your questions to be featured!
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How Can I make my greenhouse its best?

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Different tips to make it more efficient, proper space for plants, proper light,
when to heat and not

There are numerous ways of making your greenhouse more efficient and a better return for your investment.

The first question which needs to be answered, however is, “What does it need to be efficient for?” The answer to that should be in line with your goals and priorities for your greenhouse.

As an example, if you are not going to be growing in the winter, you will not need to make the structure “heat efficient” but you will need to ensure that it is “snow efficient”. If you are growing in the greenhouse through the summer time, the efficiency of your ventilation system is critical.

Making your structure more heat efficient (summer perspective) will be expanded on in post #5 and more heat efficient (winter perspective) will be expand on in post #6.

When you intend to start plants in early spring and then move the greenhouse to start another crop, the moving process can be made more efficient by installing “skis” under the base.

Anchoring concerns are touched on in post #3. This is also a way of making more efficient use of your property with investing in more greenhouse space.

When you implement a trellising program, you will make more efficient use of the floor space in your greenhouse. It is important to consider the need for your plant load being balanced on your structure.

Another important thing to be mindful of is the shading that is created when you implement vertical growing. Under certain conditions you may need to consider supplemental lighting to make things grow.

One consideration that is important to be mindful of as well, is that in the confined space of a greenhouse, you can not grow everything. This is not just a space limitation, but a climate limitation.

Certain plants prefer it warm and some like it cool. Other plants prefer wet and others dry. It will be more efficient use of your greenhouse if you collaborate with a like minded person. You grow more of certain things and the friend does likewise and then you trade the extras.

Here is to working together and growing together!

How do I make sure it stays where it is supposed to?

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Pointers on anchoring, what kind of things will impact holding power of anchors,
anchoring after moving a structure

A phrase Norm has used thousands of times in his career is, “There is no such thing as too many anchors.” We consider it important to help customers understand the aerodynamics involved with a greenhouse shape.

The relatively small cost of the anchors is a short-lived savings after a building has blown away or shifted. By understanding and implementing what is required you can ensure a long term usage of your structure.

The job of your anchoring system is to counter the three aerodynamic forces working on your building.

  • Down force is usually seen as snow load
  • Up lift and lateral shift are forces typically associated with wind load
  • Wind going over a structure creates lift similar to wind going over an airplane wing

The first thing you will need to assess is what you are actually working with. If you have bedrock close to the surface, you have large rocks, or you have straight sand, it will impact your options for anchoring.

The actual holding power of your soil is an important consideration. Soil that has been recently excavated has considerably less holding power than soil that has not been moved in a long time.

The total surface area of an anchor post in contact with the soil is an important consideration. Large and short may have more contact area than long and slender.

When anchors can be used in alternating directions, it will multiply their individual holding power.

Wet soil usually does not have the same holding capacity as well drained soil. An important consideration here is rainwater which is shed by the building. As an example, with a 16’ wide structure, 8’ of rainwater goes each way. This means that the narrow area next to your building get 8 times the rain that the rest of the property gets. If you have poorly draining soil, this could be a potential problem.

If you are planning to use the movable structure option, proper anchoring has some additional challenges. Since your building is vulnerable to sudden increases in wind during this process, your anchoring protocol needs to be done quickly. Always do a test in the new area to confirm what you will be working with. With the quickness that is required, there is also a reminder that taking shortcuts will come back to haunt you.

We would like to reiterate, “If you are not 110% sure, please ask” There is no situation out there that is so unusual that we have not already been through it.

Your long term success is very important to us!

We hope you are finding value in this series of posts, helping you prepare for your new growing adventure! Reminder that the deadline is May 31st for Fall Delivery. We look forward to working with you for your projects!