Help with Garage with Greenhouse in South bay

[solargeek]

I could use suggestions from anyone who has used or built a greenhouse.

We are planning a 3 car garage (not linked to our home) and if we use the south most bay as a green house, it could literally have mostly windows and french doors to open into my 7500 sq ft garden.

The garage would have 4 gable roof lines so that the south facing bay would have a peak to hold more glass and for height for indoor citrus trees. (The new garage must share the pad attached to the "house garage" as we cannot afford another pad). The orientation of the new garage doors is to the west, garden to the south, and south garage bay's longest wall will be 100% south- facing. The roof would be metal and not glass like a regular greenhouse but we would have that wall of south facing glass unencumbered so we think that would be ok.

Heat:  We plan to stain the concrete floor dark to hold the heat in winter as we live in central WI with high winds and very cold temps (-20F at times).  In summer we will cover that floor with white plastic to minimize excessive heat gain. We will need supplemental heat even with the passive solar heat gaining windows and have no idea what kind to get? Not sure about whether we will use a glass garage door to the pad in the greenhouse area but the other 2 bays will have them so will get some solar heat and light gain from that also.We could put a wood stove in but we are not liking the dryness which accompanies usage - we battle that issue in our house every winter. I should mention our house is aggressively passive solar and we often need no extra heat on the coldest winter days IF the sun is out. But a garage is not as well insulated as our ICF home.
We also will enclose the seed trays with insulating bubble wrap and use the heat from the additional seed starting lights to warm the area.

Most of the windows will open and be screened; also some more highly placed awning windows to suck out excess heat/humidity. 

Humidity control: We will need humidity control in winter. This greenhouse bay will be separated from the other 2 standard garage bays by a wall with french doors that open into the 2 other bays (for better summer ventilation). We have no idea how much humidity will be needed in winter as I use hot water pots on our woodstove when it is running and normal household cooking, showers and such for our house.

Air movement: We are planning for at least 2 ceiling fans to move air, raise the heat in winter and cool the plants in summer by pulling the heat up when reversing the fans. Also helps strengthen those baby seedlings. 

Light and heat control in summer:  We plan to use either/both bubble wrap and/or solar shades as curtains to lessen the heat gain in summer. The trees will remain in the greenhouse year round as will other more sensitive plants like my 4'tall old rosemary bush. 

Bug control: solutions are also welcome as the screens will keep out some but others will waltz in when I am coming and going from the garden. 

Water:  Farmhouse 'never frozen' pump right outside of the south bay in the garden and either piped in or run in through a hose in a permanent entry in the south wall. Since I will be seed starting at the coldest point  in Feb. and March, I will likely have an old microwave (from our kids' college days) to warm the water that goes into the seed starting trays (Burpee 10 day self watering trays). 
 
Tons of things we have not yet thought of. 

Any and all suggestions are welcome as now is the planning fun time. (Building it, not so much fun).

Thanks in advance. I have dreamed of this all my life and, to me, it makes this 2nd garage (don't ask....) worthwhile as I can grow greens all winter. At $4 a box/bag for greens here in WI (even at Walmart), and we eat 2/week, it will be worth it. 

[paquebot]

Just do it! You've thought of just about everything and can't beat the layout. Your one worry was winter heat and humidity but you already know how to handle it in the house. System of keeping a pot of water on a wood stove at all times has been around forever and it works.

For winter sunlight, don't worry about the roof not being glass. Sun is far to the south and coming in the windows instead of the roof anyway. By the time the sun is high enough to be useful through the roof, already warm enough outside.

If there is room, as I think that there is, you can always add a sort of half dome to the south end. Or, there are kits to add a greenhouse to an existing building. Either would be beneficial to your fruit trees which would need more direct light than windows can supply in the summer.

Martin

[solargeek]

Jul 12, 2016 22:49:41 GMT paquebot said:

Just do it!

If there is room, as I think that there is, you can always add a sort of half dome to the south end. Or, there are kits to add a greenhouse to an existing building. Either would be beneficial to your fruit trees which would need more direct light than windows can supply in the summer.

Martin

Martin, you are wonderful!

Actually, the trees will be in (as they are right now) giant pots with wheelies under so that I can roll them out onto the concrete apron in either the garden or the garage pad. That way, they can benefit all summer and I won't have to re=pot these monsters each fall as I do now (back-breaking work) to put them into soil free dirt for the winter in our house. I won't care about bugs as I can freely use organic sprays and garlic sprays in the greenhouse/garage.

For some reason I don't get rave reviews now, when I have to spray them with my garlic/dawn/olive oil and water spray IN OUR HOUSE although then everyone asks for Italian food!