Mini Greenhouse Built From Plastic Tanks

2002 - Volume #26, Issue #5, Page #07

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Passersby sometimes wonder if space aliens have landed when they first see Henry Griemann's greenhouse at night. From a distance, the 8-ft. dia. round mini building appears to glow with light from within.
"It's a real conversation piece when it's lit up on the lawn at night," admits Griemann. "You can see it for about a mile."
Constructed from used 1,250-gal. nurse tanks made from thick plastic, the greenhouse is anything but a joke to the Welwyn, Saskatchewan farmer. He built it this past winter and used it to start tomatoes, carrots, radishes and flowers this past spring. He plans to use it again this winter.
"It's good to 15 to 20 degrees below zero," he says. "The neighbors laughed when I put it together, but they have a different tone now."
Set on end, the 8-ft. dia. and 6-ft. long tanks weren't quite big enough to make individual greenhouses. By cutting the top off one tank and the bottom off another and fitting the two together, Griemann was able to fabricate an 8-ft. dia., 9-ft. tall structure.
He reinforced the top with a second sheet of plastic and inserted a U-bolt in the new roof, so he could move the unit with his tractor and bale mover. A piece of 1-in. tubing from an old bale ring was used to reinforce the joint where the two tanks overlap. He also used the steel tubing to make a frame for a 30-in. wide, 7-ft. tall door. All joints were sealed with tar. An electric heater with thermostat was installed to supplement the heat given off by the brooder lamp inside. The former water inlet is used as a draft control for releasing excess heat out the roof of the greenhouse.
The toughest problem Griemann faced, and the easiest to solve in the end, was shelving. He figured making wood shelves to fit the round curve of the wall would waste a lot of material. Then one day he stumbled across the tank ends that had been cut off and realized he could use those to make the shelving he needed.
"They already had the same curve and a lip for bolting to the sidewall," he notes.
Had the greenhouse idea not worked out, he figured the tanks would have made great calf warmers for early season calving or even ice fishing huts.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Henry Griemann, Box 98, Welwyn, Sask., Canada SOA 4LO (ph 306 733-4408; fax 306 733-2004).

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Mini Greenhouse Built From Plastic Tanks BUILDINGS Miscellaneous 26-5-7 Passersby sometimes wonder if space aliens have landed when they first see Henry Griemann's greenhouse at night. From a distance, the 8-ft. dia. round mini building appears to glow with light from within. "It's a real conversation piece when it's lit up on the lawn at night," admits Griemann. "You can see it for about a mile." Constructed from used 1,250-gal. nurse tanks made from thick plastic, the greenhouse is anything but a joke to the Welwyn, Saskatchewan farmer. He built it this past winter and used it to start tomatoes, carrots, radishes and flowers this past spring. He plans to use it again this winter. "It's good to 15 to 20 degrees below zero," he says. "The neighbors laughed when I put it together, but they have a different tone now." Set on end, the 8-ft. dia. and 6-ft. long tanks weren't quite big enough to make individual greenhouses. By cutting the top off one tank and the bottom off another and fitting the two together, Griemann was able to fabricate an 8-ft. dia., 9-ft. tall structure. He reinforced the top with a second sheet of plastic and inserted a U-bolt in the new roof, so he could move the unit with his tractor and bale mover. A piece of 1-in. tubing from an old bale ring was used to reinforce the joint where the two tanks overlap. He also used the steel tubing to make a frame for a 30-in. wide, 7-ft. tall door. All joints were sealed with tar. An electric heater with thermostat was installed to supplement the heat given off by the brooder lamp inside. The former water inlet is used as a draft control for releasing excess heat out the roof of the greenhouse. The toughest problem Griemann faced, and the easiest to solve in the end, was shelving. He figured making wood shelves to fit the round curve of the wall would waste a lot of material. Then one day he stumbled across the tank ends that had been cut off and realized he could use those to make the shelving he needed. "They already had the same curve and a lip for bolting to the sidewall," he notes. Had the greenhouse idea not worked out, he figured the tanks would have made great calf warmers for early season calving or even ice fishing huts. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Henry Griemann, Box 98, Welwyn, Sask., Canada SOA 4LO (ph 306 733-4408; fax 306 733-2004).

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