Thursday, July 06, 2006

Greenhouse Part 2 of 3 - A Bit Late

Between the 'day' job and greenhouse/herb activities, a year has passed since I started the Birth of a Greenhouse play by play. Hopefully I can catch up and start sharing the other exciting things that have happened as a result of having the biggest greenhouse operational.

Back to the original story line:

We found a 24’ x 60’ greenhouse, a 20’ x 48’ greenhouse being used as a cold frame and a 13’ x 20’ frame with shade cloth only. The two larger houses were full of tables and had automatic sprinkler systems. The largest house had a gas heater. Also included were trays galore and boxes of brand new pots. We agreed there was only one thing left to do: WRITE THE CHECK!

Now, how on earth were we going to get these structures apart and move them 35+ miles to their new home? We agreed the best way to protect the investment and our marriage was to have someone who knew what they were doing dismantle and move the greenhouses. A big truck was a plus, too. I was having nightmares about going down the highway with big greenhouse parts hanging off a too-small truck, ending up in ditches or whacking other drivers! The call was made, cost was absorbed and the date was set for the move.

If I told you it all went that smoothly, I’d be lying. Without incriminating detail, let me offer these warnings:
1. Even though you may get a bill of sale in writing, be very careful of any casual conversation you have with the person from whom you are purchasing. They will sometimes carve into stone the general statements you make. Put every little detail down, no matter how trivial it may seem at the time.
2. Even if you think you are quite handy with tools, don’t attempt to dismantle and rebuild a greenhouse without plenty of research.
3. Plan for a place to store the parts and equipment if the rebuild is not going to be immediate.
4. There WILL be extra costs involved. However, if you get a good deal, you may still be paying less than you would for one brand new, decked-out greenhouse. Do your homework first.
5. If you don’t have a friend in the business (I was lucky – thanks, Michele!), I would highly recommend going to a local garden center and ask questions. There are also some very good resources on the internet.
6. The weather will NEVER fully cooperate!

The greenhouse parts sat through the winter and we used that time to ponder our options. Since we both have full time “day jobs”, it became clear that we could not piece these bad boys together after work and hope to have at least one of them fully operational by fall. The best spot we had for them was not table-top level. After more serious discussion, we decided that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. We called the same greenhouse firm that moved them and hired them to put the two largest ones up, structure and plastic only.

Remember that thing I said about the weather? Well, it was the last week in April, 2005 before they could start. Prior to day one, we had to scalp the area and lay down ground cover. Their first day, they installed the wall posts and informed us that we had the following day to have gravel delivered and spread; almost 50 tons of gravel. The third day, they would be back to continue with the rest of the construction. We learned another valuable lesson: although it may be a great labor saving idea to have the dump truck drive through and spread the gravel, you can bet it will make holes in the groundcover that weeds will find. In spite of the work, setbacks, and unexpected expenses, it was still an exciting time.