Colorado Legal Greenhouse

ChuckNice

Well-Known Member
Howdy RUI. Anyone in CO have a greenhouse system they'd recommend for under $600 that can fit 6 bushes? I'm making plans for next season and want to start building/gathering. I know Safe Grow sells the fully enclosed greenhouses but they are $1500 for 10x20. I'd love to just do a carport frame and tarp but that's not really secure from a legal standpoint and a ripper standpoint. I'm somewhat leaning towards a dog kennel with hogwire for a roof at this point but want to see what people would recommend.
 

sensi8739

Well-Known Member
Depends on a whole lot of things. Where you at environment wise, if you don't mind me asking?. Up at elevation above 7000, you have much different considerations than around 5280 in Denver. How much height do you want to give your plants? If you want to keep them lower than 5-6 feet, you can probably get away with PVC framing. If you want to go higher, you're looking at galvanized steel.

For $600 or under, I suggest getting a few 1/2" x 4' lengths of rebar. For a 10 x 20, probably 12 of those.
($4.35 each from Home Depot. So a little over $50 in metal.)

Get your footprint set up. Pound the rebar 2' into the ground from the corners and around the perimeter every 4'

Grab some 3/4" x 20' pvc lengths. These should be about $8.00 each. You will want 6 arches, and maybe a couple extra for trussing for a 20 ft. high tunnel. So probably 8 or so lengths for $60 or so in PVC.)

Slide these over the rebar, creating arches across the ten foot width. Tie a couple down the length of the arch system, to truss it all together. Make sure these run down the inside of the arch, so it doesn't affect the plastic.

Grab some 10 or 12 mil plastic like this option:
https://www.ebay.com/i/252645003637?chn=ps&var=551560738404

That's more than you need though, so maybe you can find a more economical option. In any case, that is about $200 shipped.

Grab a couple 20' treated 2x6 lengths of lumber from your local building supplier. These you can run along the bottom length as baseboards, and gives the plastic something to stretch and tack into. If you just have a truck, or no lumber delivery, you can just grab stud length boards and make it work. I forget, but I think a treated 20' length will be roughly $25 each.

So there you go, basic structure for ~$350. Then you have $250 for whatever accessories you might want to add in, fans, supplemental lighting, fasteners... whatever you'd need to round her out.

Doubt you could go cheaper and have something that will stay up all season through CO winds.
 

ChuckNice

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input. I'm around the 5280 mark which is why I'm more concerned with staying 100% legal and dissuading crimes of opportunity from rippers. I want to give my plants the ability to get nice and tall but I think 8' is as tall as I can get without being an eyesore. Hoop house would be great but it's not lockable without building plywood doors and it would be simple for some asshole to run a blade through the plastic to go around. My one neighbor does smaller runs than what I want to do and I can smell it in the backyard so with our powers combined they will definitely give off a little free advertising.

Maybe best of both worlds is a hybrid of the kennel & hoop house with a 10x20' chain link base with a netted hoop roof. This would let me create vent flaps down low below plant eye level, and vent through the roof.
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
I like the dog kennel. Either with a hoop or an A frame top. The A frame seems like it would be easier to put wire on.

If your dirt is digable, you can go down a couple feet and add height that way. Instead of raised beds, have lowered beds.

And remember that chain link is just stretched wire held together with brackets. A couple of wrenches, and it's laying on the ground. Wouldn't be a bad idea to secure the wire on each side of the door in some way. {I've taken a few gates off their hinges over the years when I've forgotten my key}
 
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