I thought I would put together some old pics and try to tell a story of how I grow commercial-type citrus in my cooler climate. Sorry about the quality of the pics. I live a little north of interstate 20 between Atlanta GA and Birmingham AL along the state border. I hope that you enjoy. Tim

Here are the trees as they appear when it is not winter.


Assembling the greenhouse.


Trees must be pruned every year to fit within the greenhouse.




Potted plants are moved inside before the cover goes on.








Strips of treated wood are nailed on to hold the cover.




The cover is then turned up and stapled to the strips.






The trees are now safe from cold winter events.


This is my greenhouse heater. I have had it for several years and it works great. It has a thermostat that I set to 32°. It was the most expensive part of the greenhouse but worth the price.


My first navel orange tree.


Eureka Lemon.


My second navel orange tree.


Marsh grapefruit.


Satsuma


Valencia orange.


Lemon. Not sure of the variety. Can anyone ID?






My first navel orange was planted in 1995. I enjoyed my first citrus crop around 1997 and I have been hooked ever since. All of my citrus are seedless varieties. Fortunately these varieties are all sweet, juicy, and have a great taste. I hope that you enjoyed the pics. If you are ever in this area, stop by and we will eat an orange.
Thanks for looking, Tim.

hi TimM this is very nice and u have giving me an idea to use for some
future trees i'm growing with limited space...thanks and keep up the good work

Very enjoyable. Thanks for the pictures, nice job. . I build the same type greenhouses, but without ends, (just to keep the rain off) for preserving and dyeing Oak, which we market through the wholesale florist industry. - Millet (713-)

Than you TimM, very enjoyable.

TimM NE Bama wrote:

...Sorry about the quality the pics...

You must be joking Give us more such whenever possible.
--ivica

Thanks for sharing TimM, those are some great pics of some great trees, very nice greenhouse setup too.

That is fantastic ! Great job. Wonderful pictures . Do you have any problem with heat in the winter ? I noticed the other day that here in Montgomery AL. The historic low for the date was 0 F and the historic high for the same date was 81 F. How do you vent on warm/hot days or is it a problem ? I am guessing it can get down right hot inside sometimes....Tom

Tim how long are your top bows and are they one piece?

Do you use new plastic each year and is it a single layer?

What is your fuel source and how much does it cost each winter?

Thanks for the pictures. They were much enjoyed.

Thank you all for the responses and kind comments. I will try to answer the questions that some of you have asked.
Tom it can get very hot in the greenhouse especially late in the season. The trees have never shown any signs of stress due to heat even with temps reaching well over 100° at times. To vent the greenhouse I simply prop the door open on one end and open the window located on the other end. I also turn off the heat at this time. This only takes about two minutes. I do this every day unless the forecast is for the temps to not get above freezing that day or if it is going to be heavily overcast, very windy, or raining that day.
Darkman the greenhouse bows are 18-1/2’ long and are cut from a 20’ 1” PVC pipe and are one piece. I use a 100’x20’ plastic cover that I double and I use it for two winter seasons. The heater uses about 60 gallons of propane each season.
I hope I have answered your questions in a way to satisfy you all. If anyone has any more questions I’ll be happy to answer them. Thanks again everyone for the responses.
Tim.

Very nice. I really enjoyed your pictures. How long does it take you to set up/break down?

Barbara

Thanks Barbara. With a little help putting the cover on, it takes me about 4 hours to put it up and about 2 hours to take it down. I mark the cover and number the parts so they go back in the exact same place.

It looks like your heater is a C-1 nonvented model with a single stage thermostat. One place I looked said be sure to vent but another place it says nothing. Also it looks like you put it in the center unvented and I like that. They recommend one for every 225 sq. feet but maybe you get by with twice that many sq. feet because of the rounded top and sides of your greenhouse? Are my assumptions ok so far ? About how many dollars? That could vary with time and distance but an estimate please. Thanks. I am fired up !! Tom

Your assumptions are pretty much correct. Yes the heater is in the center and is unvented. There are some very small cracks between some of the crossties that I intentionally left so fresh air can get in. The dimensions of the base of my greenhouse are 12’ x 48’ and that equals 576 sq ft. The heater has never had a problem keeping the greenhouse just above freezing which is where I set the thermostat. I’m not sure if you are asking about the cost of the heater or the cost of fuel each season so I will give you both. I think I bought the heater around 2002 at a cost of $350.00. With the thermostat set around 32 to 34 degrees it takes an average of 60 gallons of propane per season. I usually buy fuel in the fall around $1.80 a gallon so it cost me just over a hundred dollars a year to heat. I’m glad that you are fired up and I hope that I have answered your questions. If you have any more questions just let me know and I will try to answer them. I wish you luck. Tim.

I did have two 250 gallon tanks. I rented one for the house (I have a gas fireplace) and owned the one for the greenhouse. I recently quit renting the tank for the house and connected the house to the greenhouse tank that I own. I can also connect a gas grill tank and regulator to my greenhouse heater if necessary.

Green with envy!
Gorgeous set-up!!