Clinton News-Record, 1979-04-26, Page 37•
Hobby green houses popular
By Bruce McBride, P.Eng.
Agricultural Engineer
Extension Branch
Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food
The public is becoming in-
creasingly interested in small
greenhouses as a hobby and as a
means of gardening year round.
Many gardeners are constructing
hobby greenhouses from their
own plans, while others purchase
kits available from suppliers.
Before one begins, local
climate conditions warrant
careful investigation to ensure
structural adequacy of the
proposed unit.
A good foundation is essential
to anchor the small greenhouse
and prevent a possible tip -over
during windy weather. Either a
concrete or a pressure -treated
post foundation must be con-
structed to go below the frost
level. Some greenhouse suppliers
have prefab cedar foundations
which extend 18 inches below
ground level.
Quonset -style greenhouses are
usually formed of galvanized
steel pipe hoops covered with one
or two layers of polyethylene.
Self -builders often erect the
greenhouse structural frame
from wood which, if painted or
treated, should give long life to
the greenhouse. Red cedar and
redwood are the best woods to use
for the framework due to their
natural weathering resistance
and th.9ir resistance to shrinking
•
Choose your
lawn mower
with care
Because lawn mowers are used
more than any other piece of
gardening equipment, it is im-
portant to choose these machines
carefully.
Ross Irwin, School of
Engineering, Ontario
Agricultural College, says
prospective buyers should be
aware that there are basically
two types of lawn mowers.
There are advantages and
disadvantages to both types and
like cars, there are wide ranges
of prices and models.
The reel -type lawn mower,
commonly used by professionals,
operates in a scissor-like fashion
with the reel blade cutting
against a bed knife.
This type of mower, if correctly
adjusted and sharp makes the
cleanest cut and is best for lawns
that are meticulously maintained
and cut low.
However, the reel -type is not as
versatile as the • rotary lawn
mowers and is usually more
expensive initially and more
costly to maintain.
The hand -operated reel -type
lawn mower is ideal for small
lawns. It will give a good cut,
save gas and provide exercise.
The rotary lawn mower used by
most homeowners cuts by the
sickle -like impact of a whirling
blade. This action bashes the
grass off and causes the top of the
blade to turn brown. Because of
this, rotary lawn mowers are best
used for grass control, rather
than for lawn appearance.
Whatever type of lawn mower
you select, get a good quality
machine to make mowing as
pleasurable as possible.
and warping.
When selecting a greenhouse
covering, factors such as per-
centage of Tight transmission,
thermal radiation transmittance,
life of the material and initial
investment must be considered
and evaluated collectively.
Polyethylene can be put on the
frame as a double layer and air
blown between the layers to cut
heat costs 30 to 40 percent as
compared to a single -layer poly -
house. The poly -house is easy to
construct, and is about 50 percent
of the cost of a glass greenhouse.
Double polyethylene transmits 81
percent of available light but has
the drawback of usually lasting
only one growing season.
Glass greenhouses have a high
initial cost but have the highest
life of any covering material.
Glass has a very high Tight
transmittance of 90 percent.
Reinforced fiberglass panels
have good light transmittance,
with many panels having a
guaranteed life of 15 to 20 years.
Other rigid panels available are
acrylic glass and PVC panels.
The disadvantage of a small
greenhouse is that it heats up
quickly when the sun is out and
also cools quickly when the sun
goes behind a cloud. This
characteristic necessitates the
use of heaters and proper ven-
tilation.
The hobby greenhouse can be
constructed free standing or as a
lean-to to an existing structure.
^4, iY-i :r,4Lr /
Con.structtng a leant() grcenhou,se /rum a kit guc, quickly and
ea.stiv Lord & Burnham photo
Page 7
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