Here's what I found when I arrived in Vermont. The winter was so mild here that our property manager/builder was able to finish my new shed and greenhouse project. It's a small beginning and I just want to experiment with this size to see what extras it needs, how effective it is, how best to regulate temps throughout the year, what type of shelves are best, etc. before possibly expanding, which I really DON'T want to do for many a year! It's still too cold at night to load it with all my cacti now; that will come later. Please excuse the three photos of my outside garden included here in the wrong category: this is the second winter they've endured, so I guess they're all acclimated now (O. polyacantha, C. imbricata, O. humifusa)
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Catch a falling star--but don't try it with a cactus!
Congrats to your new greenhouse. For sure you'll faster recognize that is smaller than you thought. It's everytime the same.
Which size have it? However your plants will reward you therefor.
Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money.
(Wisdom of the Cree Indians)
Fantastic! Looking forward to seeing the results throughout the year as you post pics of the plants. You will certainly get even better results with the greenhouse!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
I really like your new greenhouse and cacti! I almost bought one very similar to it that was set-up at the local Menard’s Store. Now I am regretting not getting it.
Yes, it is a 6x8 GH. We're now into a week of rain & snow showers and daytime temps in the 40s. Cacti have all had their first Spring drench watering and are still in the house until the night temps inside the GH stay above 40. I will have to experiment with shelf design and placement to make the most economical use of the space. My mantra for this year will be "It...is...big...enough"!
Catch a falling star--but don't try it with a cactus!
Beautiful home and yard you have there fanaticactus, love the GH you will soon have it filled and then say to self hhhhhhmmmmmm i need another one.. LOL!!! I here ya about the weather we woke up this morn to snow once again and cold temps, im glad i didnt put my plants out yet.. Looking like maybe another 2 weeks yet befour mine go out.
A rescue dog is never to old to learn to be a real dog.
It's big enough. That is what you said right? Come back next year and repeat that! They are never big enough. What a beautiful layout you have there. Can't wait to the greenhouse occupied.
Susi
Nice greenhouse! I'm a little confused though. You say you are waiting to put plants in there until it warms up. Why? Is it just because you haven't gotten it set up yet, or are you not planning to install a heating system at all?
Also keep an eye on your plants as you progress into the summer. For some reason I don't fully understand plants can sunburn in a greenhouse when they wouldn't do so outside in full sun. You may need to whitewash it at some point.
I'm now selling plants on Ebay. Check it out! Kyle's Plants
@ Tiggy - I really hope I can say it again next year. It depends, as I keep saying, on efficient placement of tiered shelves. I'll probably end up buying several metal or wooden racks of shelving. Right now there's nowhere to expand to, and I'd rather concentrate on keeping a few (well, 150 or so) well cultivated cacti than going for a huge quantity.
@ Saxicola - That's right: no heating system yet. I hope to install one in the fall. The next few months will be warm enough once May arrives, and I will have a number of expenses for the next few months which will tie up my funds until I sell the NY house. I have a few cacti out there that like wide temperature differences and don't mind temps down to freezing for an occasional night or two. So far it's been down to 38F in there at night. Today when I went out to open the door and vent, it was already 104F inside. It quickly cooled to the 80's once the air started to circulate. I plan to have a shadecloth cover as soon as I can to avoid the sunburn you mention.
Catch a falling star--but don't try it with a cactus!
Cacti in greenhouses overheat due to the increased infra-red radiation. They don't usually scorch the same way as plants outdoors which is more often due to UV. UV inside a greenhouse is much reduced.
Ventilation should be your first approach to maintaining plants, with shade cloth when that is insufficient. Unfortunately it only takes one still sunny day to damage a plant. Fans can take the edge off on those days. I would have thought that northern Vermont was just about cool enough not to need shading, especially in the middle of a lake, but I've never lived there or even been there in a heatwave. There are plenty of people in the UK that routinely paint their greenhouse windows, and we're cooler in summer and further north even than the Canadian border. It depends how much effort you want to put into ventilating when you can just grow everything in the dark with zero risk.
i need another one.. LOL!!! 
I here ya about the weather we woke up this morn to snow once again and cold temps, im glad i didnt put my plants out yet.. Looking like maybe another 2 weeks yet befour mine go out. 
It's big enough. That is what you said right? Come back next year and repeat that! They are never big enough. What a beautiful layout you have there. Can't wait to the greenhouse occupied. 
