I want to grow veggies in hydroponic shelf beds
in a greenhouse, year round in my mild northern
California climate. I'm thinking tomatoes,
peppers, squash perhaps. The few tomatoes I
produced in buckets were excellent and I want
MORE!

I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.

I'm wondering if I can just weld up a frame from
say, 1-1/2" square tube, send out sections for
powder coating and use recycled armored
glass panes to form walls and ceiling?

What approach is working the best for you and
what resources do you recommend? What would you
have done differently?

Thanks!

--Winston

"Winston" wrote in message
...
...
I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.
...
--Winston

Since you don't have snow I'd make it from pressure treated 4x4 corner
uprights with two 2x6 x 12' side beams supporting 2x4 x 10' purlins.
Southern yellow pine (SYP) is nearly as strong as oak. I use beams one size
larger and 2x4 x 4' diagonal corner braces to hold a heavy snow load.

Suntuf polycarb holds up well as roofing.
http://www.palramamericas.com/Suntuf_gallery

jsw

In article ,
Winston wrote:

I want to grow veggies in hydroponic shelf beds
in a greenhouse, year round in my mild northern
California climate. I'm thinking tomatoes,
peppers, squash perhaps. The few tomatoes I
produced in buckets were excellent and I want
MORE!

I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.

I'm wondering if I can just weld up a frame from
say, 1-1/2" square tube, send out sections for
powder coating and use recycled armored
glass panes to form walls and ceiling?


You're describing a conservatory. Nice enough if you can afford it, I guess.
If steel and powdercoating is cheap enough and you can get sufficent glass
free, perhaps it would be, though you'll need a lot more steel to hold up
glass than for twinwall polycarbonate rigid glazing, or rolled plastic
greenhouse cover. On the plus side, you're describing small, so it won't
be that hard to make it strong enough.

Remember that greenhouses need adequate ventilation, or things cook in
warm (or even cold but sunny) weather. I don't know if you have anything
useful in the way of agricultural extension with all the CA budget crises,
but if you do, find your local extension agent and see what they have
for info.

Or look here...(but it's from an eastern state with real winters)

http://www.nraes.org/nra_order.taf?_...37#description

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

Ecnerwal wrote:
In ,
wrote:

I want to grow veggies in hydroponic shelf beds
in a greenhouse, year round in my mild northern
California climate. I'm thinking tomatoes,
peppers, squash perhaps. The few tomatoes I
produced in buckets were excellent and I want
MORE!

I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.

I'm wondering if I can just weld up a frame from
say, 1-1/2" square tube, send out sections for
powder coating and use recycled armored
glass panes to form walls and ceiling?


You're describing a conservatory. Nice enough if you can afford it, I guess.
If steel and powdercoating is cheap enough and you can get sufficent glass
free, perhaps it would be, though you'll need a lot more steel to hold up
glass than for twinwall polycarbonate rigid glazing, or rolled plastic
greenhouse cover. On the plus side, you're describing small, so it won't
be that hard to make it strong enough.

Remember that greenhouses need adequate ventilation, or things cook in
warm (or even cold but sunny) weather. I don't know if you have anything
useful in the way of agricultural extension with all the CA budget crises,
but if you do, find your local extension agent and see what they have
for info.

Or look here...(but it's from an eastern state with real winters)

http://www.nraes.org/nra_order.taf?_...37#description

Thanks!

--Winston

On Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:23:36 -0700, Winston
wrote:

I want to grow veggies in hydroponic shelf beds
in a greenhouse, year round in my mild northern
California climate. I'm thinking tomatoes,
peppers, squash perhaps. The few tomatoes I
produced in buckets were excellent and I want
MORE!

I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.

I'm wondering if I can just weld up a frame from
say, 1-1/2" square tube, send out sections for
powder coating and use recycled armored
glass panes to form walls and ceiling?

What approach is working the best for you and
what resources do you recommend? What would you
have done differently?

Thanks!

--Winston
==============

Good for you.

Google on hydroponics (25,300k hits) or aeropoincs (783k
hits) and review what other people have done to avoid
reinventing the wheel. Aeroponics seems to be the current
hot trick.
http://www.futuregrowing.com/commfarms.html
http://www.zeitnews.org/biotechnolog...op-garden.html
http://www.myairgarden.com/2011/04/m...oponics-tower/
http://gardenings.co/sustainable-gar...c-urban-garden
http://video.webnet.lt/aeroponics/
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/d...rt-aeroponics/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_970222.html




To avoid raising supermarket produce [not generally cost
effective] you may find the following urls helpful.
http://www.pepperjoe.com/
http://www.henryfields.com/category/tomato_seed
http://www.pennystomatoes.com/
http://www.reimerseeds.com/hidalgo-hot-peppers.aspx
http://seedrack.com/tomato.html?gcli...FQk65QodFjMtCQ

--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

F. George McDuffee wrote:
On Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:23:36 -0700, Winston
wrote:

I want to grow veggies in hydroponic shelf beds
in a greenhouse, year round in my mild northern
California climate. I'm thinking tomatoes,
peppers, squash perhaps. The few tomatoes I
produced in buckets were excellent and I want
MORE!

I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.

I'm wondering if I can just weld up a frame from
say, 1-1/2" square tube, send out sections for
powder coating and use recycled armored
glass panes to form walls and ceiling?

What approach is working the best for you and
what resources do you recommend? What would you
have done differently?

Thanks!

--Winston
==============

Good for you.

Google on hydroponics (25,300k hits) or aeropoincs (783k
hits) and review what other people have done to avoid
reinventing the wheel. Aeroponics seems to be the current
hot trick.
http://www.futuregrowing.com/commfarms.html
http://www.zeitnews.org/biotechnolog...op-garden.html
http://www.myairgarden.com/2011/04/m...oponics-tower/
http://gardenings.co/sustainable-gar...c-urban-garden
http://video.webnet.lt/aeroponics/
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/d...rt-aeroponics/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_970222.html




To avoid raising supermarket produce [not generally cost
effective] you may find the following urls helpful.
http://www.pepperjoe.com/
http://www.henryfields.com/category/tomato_seed
http://www.pennystomatoes.com/
http://www.reimerseeds.com/hidalgo-hot-peppers.aspx
http://seedrack.com/tomato.html?gcli...FQk65QodFjMtCQ


I Googled but got discouraged when my first few hits were folks
selling stuff rather than general info, as you've provided here.


Thanks, Unka' George!

--Winston -- Now reading......

On Oct 10, 8:23*pm, Winston wrote:
I want to grow veggies in hydroponic shelf beds
in a greenhouse, year round in my mild northern
California climate. *I'm thinking tomatoes,
peppers, squash perhaps. The few tomatoes I
produced in buckets were excellent and I want
MORE! *

I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.

I'm wondering if I can just weld up a frame from
say, 1-1/2" square tube, send out sections for
powder coating and use recycled armored
glass panes to form walls and ceiling?

What approach is working the best for you and
what resources do you recommend? What would you
have done differently?

Thanks!

--Winston

Winston...check out the local recyclers for building materials.

One can use recycled windows/patio doors for the glazing.

TMT

My view, hydroponics just adds unnecessary expense...

I built Milady a high tunnel greenhouse. Crops grow in the soil. Roll
up sides and end windows for ventilation. because of my MN location, I
did put in a small propane heater, you wouldn't need it.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies...nnels_1 .html

If you go this route, I'd be glad to consult.

Karl

Jim Wilkins wrote:
wrote in message
...
...
I can devote say 10' x 12' with the majority of
the slanted roof facing South.
I want to spend less than $1500 and I would
like to be finished within 5 months or so.
...
--Winston

Since you don't have snow I'd make it from pressure treated 4x4 corner
uprights with two 2x6 x 12' side beams supporting 2x4 x 10' purlins.
Southern yellow pine (SYP) is nearly as strong as oak. I use beams one size
larger and 2x4 x 4' diagonal corner braces to hold a heavy snow load.

Suntuf polycarb holds up well as roofing.
http://www.palramamericas.com/Suntuf_gallery

Thanks, Jim.

The lumber I can get isn't nearly as stout as
that available elsewhere, based on the casual
'swayback' look adopted by the 4x4 floor joists
in my tiny storage shed (over only 8 feet).

I will add four concrete piers at the midpoints
(5' and 6') and at center to make the floor look
kind of flat.

To CAD I go!

--Winston

Karl Townsend wrote:
My view, hydroponics just adds unnecessary expense...

I built Milady a high tunnel greenhouse. Crops grow in the soil. Roll
up sides and end windows for ventilation. because of my MN location, I
did put in a small propane heater, you wouldn't need it.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies...nnels_1 .html

If you go this route, I'd be glad to consult.

Thanks, Karl.
The professional and efficient grounds crews employed
by one of my neighbors like to rid themselves of concrete
scrap by launching it over our common fence, so I
require hard walls to survive the bombardment.

--Winston