Francis Berger
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Thinking About Spring Projects

1/14/2023

6 Comments

 
It is nowhere near spring here in northwestern Hungary, but the milder-than-usual temperatures and abundant sunshine over the past week have started me thinking about springtime aims and projects.

One project I would like to embark upon is the construction of a small greenhouse. I originally wanted to purchase a ready-made one two years ago, but the prices were unreasonable. The prices have only become more unreasonable since then.

​In light of this, I have decided it would be cost-effective and more fun to build a greenhouse using the many old, single-pane windows I have on the property. The concrete base is already in place; all I need to do is frame the structure and fit the windows. I aim to make the greenhouse look something like this: 
Picture
If the greenhouse I build resembles the one above, my wife will be pleased; however, if the greenhouse I build resembles the one below, my wife may leave me. So, the stakes are high!
Picture
All kidding aside, the decision to build a greenhouse from old windows is just another response to the ridiculous cost-of-living increases that have “unexpectedly” hit the world since 2020. 

Although I have always been thrifty and strive to save money wherever I can, I have had to kick up the frugality meter a few notches over the past year or so. Not to make ends meet but to hinder the blatant wealth extraction campaign the System is currently waging. 

The hens and the vegetable garden have been helpful; both have alleviated some of the pressure brought on by exorbitant food prices. Come spring, I plan to raise a dozen or more chicks to refresh the flock, and I may even purchase a few ducklings and some quail. I am also looking for ways to expand my vegetable garden to increase yields. 
​
As I mentioned above, I plan to do all of this primarily to counter skyrocketing cost-of-living expenses. On the other hand, I know I would be doing it even if the cost of living had not increased -- but I’ll avoid the clichéd sentiments about keeping animals, farming, gardening, self-sufficiency, frugality, and all the rest of it. 
​
6 Comments
JMSmith
1/14/2023 12:55:14

How frequent and large is the hail on the Pannonian Plain? Here on the rolling plains of Texas, hail can dent cars and destroy shingles. Ordinary windows in a greenhouse roof would probably survive one of our ordinary hail storms, but not the golfballs from heaven that fall every ten or fifteen years. I've toyed with the idea of building a greenhouse but then think of those golfballs from heaven and say 'what the hail."

Reply
Francis Berger
1/15/2023 09:55:18

@ JM - The roof will be plastic, not glass (something like the first photo above). I will use the windows exclusively for the walls.

Ordinary hailstorms happen a few times a year in Hungary. Golf ball-sized hail is rare but not unheard of.

Severe hailstorms can cause immense damage to the terracotta roofs found on most houses in Hungary. A big storm destroyed the roofs of dozens of houses in southwest Hungary a couple of years ago, leaving nothing but bare beams and shattered roofing tiles.

We experienced grape-sized hail here in northwestern Hungary three years ago, and that was enough to chip the edges of the tiles on my roof.

If we ever do experience a golf ball hail event here, the greenhouse is the last thing I'll have to worry about.

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David Earle link
1/15/2023 16:12:15

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

I went with "greenhouse plastic" which I got from a local garden center, which I found to be the cheapest and most versatile option. I can patch it with clear tuck tape when necessary, and if it ever gets completely destroyed, it won't be overly difficult to wrap it with new plastic.

The worse we get here is high winds and heavy snow, which it handled nicely during it's first winter:

https://newworldisland.org/res/20210308__dsa3049.jpg (yes, that's about 3 feet of snow)

Reply
Francis Berger
1/15/2023 17:47:08

@ David - Yes, I remember talking about your project earlier. I am very happy to hear that your greenhouse has served you well thus far. Greenhouse plastic is a popular choice in these parts. In fact, many of my neighbors simply have "plastic foil tents", as they call them -- plastic stretched over a bent frame to create a sort of dome. I had thought about that as well, but I have these old windows that are just cluttering up everything around here, so I thought, why not try to put them to some (potential) good use?

I'll post pics of the project as soon as I embark upon it.

Reply
houska
1/16/2023 03:50:25

As this is a "farming" post, I wanted know how you keep the chickens warm in the winter?

Reply
Francis Berger
1/16/2023 08:56:24

@ houska - The winters are relatively mild in northwestern Hungary (10 C to about -5 C on average), so keeping chickens warm is not an issue here, but the information I have encountered thus far broadly advises against keeping chickens warm, even in more severe winter climates.

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