New Mini Greenhouse

The mini-greenhouse we've been building is finally done and installed in the garden.

We had some leftover ribbed polycarbonate after we built Cindy's garden shed five years ago:  O.K., we had a LOT of polycarbonate left over, so when we saw a mini greenhouse in Indiana last year, we decided to use some of it to build a similar one for Cindy.

We used the same construction for the framework of this greenhouse that we used for the small cabinet we made for my flameworking propane tank last month.

We put a piano hinge at the back of the top piece so that the top can be lifted to control the heat inside the cabinet.  We also put an Elfa bracket along the top back rail and hung two standards and ventilated shelves from it.

Rather than having a solid bottom in the cabinet, Cindy stapled some hardware cloth to the bottom rails, which will keep the varmints out of the interior of the cabinet and will also allow any excess water to just drain down through it and into the soil below.  In fact, she had already hooked up her drip lines so that it's all ready to irrigate the plants she puts in it.

She also put down some concrete bricks under the legs to keep them from sinking into the ground; we were afraid that the gophers would undermine it.

Now we're just afraid they might like it so much that they'll decide to move into it.

 

Progeny of the World's Most Beautiful Garden Shed

Garden Shed

When Cindy, her dad Lou and I built the World's Most Beautiful Garden Shed five years ago, there was a slight misunderstanding; when I went to buy the polycarbonate for the sides and doors of the shed, I initially bought clear polycarbonate.

However, it turned out that Cindy wanted an opaque polycarbonate because she didn't want anyone to be able to see into the shed from the street and see her garden tools.  So it was back to the store to buy more of it.  We couldn't return the material we had already bought because they had cut it for us.

So we've had a LOT of clear polycarbonate just sitting around for the last five years and no idea what to do with it.

That is, until we went to see the Butterflies of Malaysia exhibit at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in Fort Wayne, Indiana last April.  While we were there, Cindy spotted a mini-greenhouse made from clear polycarbonate, just like the stuff we had left over.  Of course, that led to an "ah-ha" moment and a project added to the "to do" list.

Son of Garden Shed

However, as it turned out, I also needed to build a smaller container for the propane tank I use to make  flameworked glass beads.  Although the garage where I make the beads is detached from the house, it's not safe to keep propane tanks inside a structure.

So I enlisted Engineer Lou once again to help me devise a small box that would hold the tank but make it easily accessible when I need to hook it up to make beads.

Ease of use was an essential element, as was protection of the tank and especially the regulator from the weather, so we designed it to allow both the front side and the top to be hinged so that both pieces can be lifted at once to get the tank in and out when it needs to be refilled, or just lift the front to connect the hose when I just want to turn on the tank and work.

With the Propane Tank

That led to some creative work with the continuous hinges, but we did finally get it together and I think it's going to work just fine.

And--Preview of Coming Attractions-- Cindy's new mini-greenhouse is currently under construction and should be completed just before she's ready to start her tomato seedlings.