Best Shelving Configuration? Show off your Shelves!

[Spearperson]

Hi All,

I am in the process of redesigning my greenhouse and am stuck on the shelving question. I currently use Home Depot plastic stacking shelves that are about 24" deep. I am not loving them, there must be better configurations or systems out there. Please share pictures and your pros/cons.

Good Growing!

[Fairorchids]

The answer depends in part on: What are the dimensions of your greenhouse?

Many hobby greenhouses are 8', 10' or 12' wide. In the first two sizes, maximum utilization is a 2' center aisle, with a bench along each wall (36" deep in 8' GH, and 48" deep in 10' GH). 48" deep is the maximum depth you can possible reach across.

You can buy greenhouse benches with expanded metal tops in various sizes, or you can make your own out of pressure treated lumber and a metal fabric or mesh top.

If your GH is 12' wide, there is no good layout of the benches.

If your greenhouse is wider than 12', there are some other layouts. Here I will again need the dimensions to comment.

[Spearperson]

Thanks Kim,

It's a funny greenhouse in that I converted a large tool shed which was comprised of two areas. I changed most of the roof to poly and had to compromise with my wife on aesthetics so the side walls are reclaimed windows at waist height, so no floor to roof poly which reduces overall light, but have had no trouble blooming vandas/cats/cymbidiums. The second area is a space that runs parallel to the main growing area and is used for overwintering fig trees but could easily be incorporated into the main area (it has glass separating it from growing area and poly on exterior wall). The main growing area is 22' x 12 and the fig wintering area is 5' x 22'. My thinking was benches on the perimeter with low tables or no tables in center to create an area for really tall plants/vines dare I say it, a Mango or Papaya or cocoa tree? Since the building is a converted shed it actually has almost 16' ceilings at the peak. Or combining the two spaces would get me 17' width with a couple structural obstructions at the 12' point?? My addiction is such that if I have more space I will find a way to fill it so I am not necessarily trying to cram in more shelves as find the best/healthiest overall configuration for the collection. I recently switched from an on demand small hot water heater for irrigation to a 100 gallon holding tank with sump pump and aquarium heater to get the water up to safe temps, it comes out of the tap at about 50.5 degrees and that has sparked the improvement bug in me.

[Ray]

There are several ways to maximize bench space.

One is the use of tiered benches. When I first built my last structure, I used pressure-treated stair stringers, topped with decking boards. The benches along the sides were stepped inward and the central bench was a 2-sided step, so looking from one end, the benches formed a “W”.

I later replaced those with flat benches, built using a wooden frame and Dura-bench rigid plastic panels. They were easy to keep clean and provide lots of air flow. If I were to do it again, I’d go that way, but make rolling benches, instead.

With rolling benches, the tops sit on top of pipes that can roll on a fixed structure below. For a 22’ x 12’ area, you could have two individual benches 16’ long by 4.5’ wide, leaving a single 3’ aisle and that much space at both ends. To access the right side of the right bench, roll them both all the way to the left and walk down the right aisle. To access the left side of the right bench and left side of the left bench, roll them both to the outside, giving you a central aisle, etc.

There used to be a commercial grower in West Mifflin PA that had her entire greenhouse set up in a series of wire fences, running in a zig-zag the length of the greenhouse. All pots had hooks on them and were suspended on both sides of the fences. I did something similar, but instead of posted set in the ground, I made a free-standing version.

[Spearperson]

Wow Ray that vertical zigzag looks awesome, any pics of it in action?

[WaterWitchin]

Question please... I've seen similar setups where it's a lattice type "wall" with lots of plants hanging from them. How do you water and keep the water from plants hung higher from dripping their water down onto the plants hung below them? There must be an answer, but I just don't get it.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Question please... I've seen similar setups where it's a lattice type "wall" with lots of plants hanging from them. How do you water and keep the water from plants hung higher from dripping their water down onto the plants hung below them? There must be an answer, but I just don't get it.

it drips. i do not believe anyone who claims otherwise

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

it drips. i do not believe anyone who claims otherwise

Well, that was my thought. So what about all the "don't share water" spreads virus, yada yada advice? Does it not count if they're hung vertically, or what?

I'm being serious... I stopped sharing water about 10 years back because of that advice. And stopped using a neat setup I had for a wall. Not that I'd ever had a problem, but...

[DirtyCoconuts]

i fly in the face of that advice because i value the premium of space....

i have not had an issue and i don't use the drip as the WAY i water the lower plants but it drips....i try to stagger them on the offset so that it is minimized but....

I use the probiotics, i have great airflow, i give to charity.....

shrug

---------- Post added at 12:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 PM ----------

oh, here are some other examples of the tiered stand

this is from ebay
Neighborhood by J Solo, on Flickr


and the roll Royce are these and the Bactra ones.

Funnels by J Solo, on Flickr

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Spearperson

Wow Ray that vertical zigzag looks awesome, any pics of it in action?

Nope. Dismantled with the greenhouse when I sold it in 2015.

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Question please... I've seen similar setups where it's a lattice type "wall" with lots of plants hanging from them. How do you water and keep the water from plants hung higher from dripping their water down onto the plants hung below them? There must be an answer, but I just don't get it.

Nope. They all dripped all over each other. Although I will add that I've never had a virus issue.