greenhouse shelves

habitat_gardener · February 9, 2015

Thinking out loud here.

We're building this 7x8 ft. greenhouse, which has side walls just over 4 ft. high and the peak just under 8 ft. high.
http://www.bepasgarden.com/greenhouseplans.html
(scroll down to see photos)

The plan calls for 2 shelves (each 8 ft. long), but I think I need more shelves. I plan to use the greenhouse primarily to grow from seed.

I'm looking for opinions (and photos! if you have them) on how many shelves to put in. I'm leaning toward 2 shelves on the southerly side, and will keep a single shelf at comfortable potting-table height on the northerly side. Or vice versa. So when I have a lot of potted-up seedlings, I can use the floor space and all of the shelves -- 40 linear feet @ 2 ft. wide. Is an extra shelf a good idea, or should I just go with one shelf on each side?

Also, the plans call for six 2x3s, each 8 ft. long, per 2-ft. wide shelf. That seems overbuilt to me. Since I will be using seed flats, not gallon or larger pots, I think three 2x3s will suffice. Or maybe use hardware cloth?

In this plan, the shelves help make the structure sturdier, so we need to put in at least one permanent shelf on each side.

February 9, 2015	#1
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	greenhouse shelves Thinking out loud here. We're building this 7x8 ft. greenhouse, which has side walls just over 4 ft. high and the peak just under 8 ft. high. http://www.bepasgarden.com/greenhouseplans.html (scroll down to see photos) The plan calls for 2 shelves (each 8 ft. long), but I think I need more shelves. I plan to use the greenhouse primarily to grow from seed. I'm looking for opinions (and photos! if you have them) on how many shelves to put in. I'm leaning toward 2 shelves on the southerly side, and will keep a single shelf at comfortable potting-table height on the northerly side. Or vice versa. So when I have a lot of potted-up seedlings, I can use the floor space and all of the shelves -- 40 linear feet @ 2 ft. wide. Is an extra shelf a good idea, or should I just go with one shelf on each side? Also, the plans call for six 2x3s, each 8 ft. long, per 2-ft. wide shelf. That seems overbuilt to me. Since I will be using seed flats, not gallon or larger pots, I think three 2x3s will suffice. Or maybe use hardware cloth? In this plan, the shelves help make the structure sturdier, so we need to put in at least one permanent shelf on each side.