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Avatar for cycadjungle
Jan 24, 2016 8:24 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
Here are some pictures of my new greenhouse which I just finished before our first freeze event. It is 36ft x 20ft and about 11 feet tall at the highest point. It cost $350 to build. I built this one just for growing hot peppers. I vent it by rolling up the plastic on that right side. I tack a 1x4 to the bottom of the plastic and will roll it up when it gets warmer and just before a freeze I drop the plastic down and tack it on both sides. I heat it by dripping water coming from the well. Now i need to put new ground cover on the right side and get the trees out of there. I already had one width of ground cover there and was growing about 60 pepper plants and just built it over the existing growing area. I will be able to grow around 270 pepper plants in this greenhouse and produce all year. Tom
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Jan 24, 2016 8:53 PM CST
Name: Sandy B.
Ford River Twp, Michigan UP (Zone 4b)
(Zone 4b-maybe 5a)
Charter ATP Member Bee Lover Butterflies Birds I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower Greenhouse Region: United States of America Region: Michigan Enjoys or suffers cold winters
Wowser, Tom! You should have some very happy peppers in there Thumbs up
“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." ~ Albert Schweitzer
C/F temp conversion
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Jan 25, 2016 12:08 AM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
Fantastic. That is a lot of peppers!
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!
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Jan 25, 2016 11:48 AM CST
Name: Cheryl
North of Houston TX (Zone 9a)
Region: Texas Greenhouse Plant Identifier Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Plumerias Ponds
Foliage Fan Enjoys or suffers hot summers Tropicals Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
That's a good size. Da bigga da betta!
Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love Truly, Laugh
uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you Smile.
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Jan 25, 2016 11:55 AM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
ShadyGreenThumb said:That's a good size. Da bigga da betta!

:iagree:
No matter the size, most greenhouses can be filled up very easily. Smiling
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!
Avatar for cycadjungle
Jan 25, 2016 3:15 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
This is actually a fraction of the size it will become. I only had time to finish the first 36 feet before the cold. It will eventually, this spring, match up to the 60ft greenhouse right next to it. As some of you may have noticed, the new greenhouse is only half of a gable. If I can sell all the peppers I can produce in the first half, which is about $45,000 with in a year, I will clear the area out beside it and finish the other 20 x 60 side, making it a total of 40 x 60. Which is the size of the one next to it. Here is a picture from the new one looking down showing the other existing one. Tom
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Jan 25, 2016 3:44 PM CST
Name: Ric Sanders
Dover, Pa. (Zone 6b)
And his children Are his flowers ..
Birds Seed Starter Keeper of Poultry Ponds Region: Pennsylvania Greenhouse
Garden Art Dog Lover Cottage Gardener Butterflies Vegetable Grower Garden Ideas: Master Level
Wowser! I wish we could get away with expanses 1/4 that size. Best of luck in your venture. Smiling
Ric of MAF @ DG
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Jan 25, 2016 4:06 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
That would blow away the first day where we live! That is a big amount to get for those peppers! Are they pre-sold?
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!
Avatar for cycadjungle
Jan 27, 2016 8:56 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
I have a decent amount of space. I have enough irrigated space to put in 5 more 40 x 60s after this of I wanted to. Even though I would never want to remove all the trees, I could put 24 more greenhouses this size in the back of my property.
I've been growing super hot peppers for about 6 years, but I have had a certified nursery here for 30 years. I actually got my first two ghost pepper plants as a joke. My next door neighbor was bragging about eating a habanero, so I thought I would grow what was the world record hottest at that time and give it to him to eat and burn his face off, which he never did. So, I ended up selling ghost pepper seeds and made 14 times my money in the first 3 months, so I kept growing them. Each year I have doubled the plants, and each year I can sell everything I can produce and only with just having a website that doesn't even have a "cart" I didn't want to rush into this because I have gotten into certain plants from time to time that were popular and then lost their popularity. Each year I have learned important things about the business and learned some very special cultivation techniques, so I am glad I didn't jump into a big operation and spend a lot of money at one time. I just cleaned out some existing greenhouse space and grew from there. Right now 1\4 of the other greenhouse is filled with pepper plants. I am already selling fresh peppers to 5 different taverns for chicken wing sauce, and 10 different sauce makers, yet alone just regular people who like hot peppers. I turn down business every month just because I didn't have enough peppers to take care of what they wanted, so late in 2015 I decided to go for it and triple my production. No, my peppers are not presold but I am confident I will be able to sell them. I have kept from doing any extra advertising in any way because if I increased the demand, I couldn't have supplied the peppers. I am still going to grow into this operation. I'm not building the 40 x 60 all at one time, so I will still grow as I get more demand. It isn't like I had to spend a lot of money. I'll have about $600 in the 20 x 60 greenhouse, I have 20 yards of my special soil mix sitting around and have a 40 x 20 x 5 pile of used pots still laying around after my landscaping days.
I have found that super hot peppers go for a lot more than other peppers. You can get orange habaneros at the store for $4.50-$5 a pound, so the grower would get much less. Supers wholesale at $20-$25+ a pound. My local competition sells them in small flat rate boxes that works out to be $60 a pound, so there is a lot of room to work with.
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Jan 27, 2016 9:15 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
Very interesting and I wish you lots of luck. It sounds like you have a good plan there. I love super hot peppers!
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!
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Jan 27, 2016 10:18 PM CST
Name: Sandy B.
Ford River Twp, Michigan UP (Zone 4b)
(Zone 4b-maybe 5a)
Charter ATP Member Bee Lover Butterflies Birds I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower Greenhouse Region: United States of America Region: Michigan Enjoys or suffers cold winters
You've found a great niche market, Tom -- Thumbs up
“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight." ~ Albert Schweitzer
C/F temp conversion
Avatar for cycadjungle
Jan 27, 2016 10:35 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
I think so, after all these years, I found a plant product that I can sell everything I produce. I still have 40,000 plants that aren't peppers still sitting around waiting to get sold. I will always have updates on what I'm doing. I think both of you have followed my hot pepper thread in the vegetable forum.
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Jan 27, 2016 10:41 PM CST
Name: Dee Moore
Arroyo Grande, CA (Zone 9a)
Seller of Garden Stuff Seed Starter Garden Art Butterflies Annuals Cactus and Succulents
Greenhouse Container Gardener Region: California Winter Sowing Garden Photography I helped beta test the first seed swap
Tom is that just the greenhouse roll type plastic on the roof?
My daughter wants to put up a small greenhouse and I'm thinking it would be easier with a wood frame rather than with pvc.
I mean she's talking like 8x8 for tomatoes and peppers, and wants to do it cheap.
I have left over heavy greenhouse plastic from my hoop house, if it will do for the roof I think I'll talk her into buying 2x4's.
You have a great looking greenhouse there!
Dee

My Greenhouse 12' X 35'

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Jan 28, 2016 1:46 AM CST
Name: Carol Texas
Central Texas (Zone 8b)
"Not all who wander are lost."
Bookworm Region: Texas Organic Gardener Hummingbirder Herbs Greenhouse
Garden Art Fruit Growers Dragonflies Composter Cactus and Succulents Gardens in Buckets
Wow - that's impressive. Happy growing !
Www.carolmedfordart.com
My passion is painting but gardening is running a close second.
Avatar for cycadjungle
Jan 28, 2016 7:10 AM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
Yes, I'm using the 6 mil poly that lasts 4-5 years. Since I am going to expand this one, I too used an old roll I had sitting around as an emergency to in case one of the other greenhouses lost their top in a wind storm, which in winter, many times comes the day before a freeze. I found that over time, using 2 x 6s around the perimeter where I am tacking the plastic holds up way better and take the pressure better for pulling the plastic tight. You could do that one you have with 12 foot boards and make a 12 x 36 real easy. I built my first greenhouse with wood in 1988 and it still stands today, so using pressure treated wood lasts a real long time. Even those profesional hoop house kits are only guaranteed for 15 years and they are the twice the price. And if they get damaged, it is real expensive because they never fit back together without a big cost. On these, you may have to change out a couple of boards. About 10 years ago, we literally had 3 eyes of 3 major hurricanes go right by me in the same month, and besides all the plastic getting ripped off, it only cost me $100 to fix the 3 greenhouses I had at that time. Tom
Last edited by cycadjungle Jan 28, 2016 8:24 PM Icon for preview
Avatar for cycadjungle
Feb 4, 2016 7:48 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
I got my ground cover yesterday and finished putting it down today. I'm ready to finish filling it with pepper plants now. That will probably only take a couple of weeks. Tom
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Feb 5, 2016 9:35 AM CST
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Looking good, Tom. Thumbs up
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Avatar for cycadjungle
Feb 16, 2016 10:35 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
Well, it didn't take long. I have a few plants to move around, but other than that, it is filled with pepper plants. I still need to buy some tomato cages for the new small ones once they get a little bigger. All ready for fresh pepper production
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Avatar for 843rphyllis
Mar 8, 2016 11:29 AM CST
Charleston (Zone 8b)
Seed Starter
Awesome, have fun in there!
Avatar for cycadjungle
Mar 13, 2016 9:05 PM CST
Thread OP
Lakeland Florida (Zone 9a)
Bromeliad Seller of Garden Stuff Vegetable Grower Tropicals Seed Starter Pollen collector
Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Florida Container Gardener Cat Lover Cactus and Succulents Xeriscape
The peppers are coming along well. It doesn't take long. Some of them are already flowering.
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