Took a little digging to find my old slides from the early '60s but I found them. My slide collection numbers over 5000.
Anyway... The first picture shows the little greenhouse I built in the fall of 1960 in anticipation of Santa delivering my first orchids. It enclosed a basement window on the south side of the house. The sides were made from pine boards and the front and top were covered with two layers of poly film.......this was in the days before I knew how to cut glass.
The second picture shows the big greenhouse my dad and I built the summer of 1961. It was 14 wide by 12 long, all framed from premium grade redwood. The side glass was wood framed storm windows from my grandmother's house and the end wall was real glass. The first winter the roof was poly sheet and then changed to glass the next summer. The total cost of the greenhouse in 1961 was $200 plus some freebies like the door and eventually all the glass for the roof was donated by a hardware store going out of business.
Inside you can see the old space heater I picked up for $10 and then had to buy a new gas valve for $25 and weld up a crack in the combustion chamber.
Next is a picture inside that first winter, not many orchids but a lot of other stuff. The bird of paradise eventually grew to gigantic size and was in constant bloom, it was potted in a 30 gallon garbage can and every time I went in the greenhouse I watered it and gave it a shot of Rapid Grow.
Lastly, one of my first orchids, from Neil Greenhouse in Carmel Indiana.
Lots of fun back then and a lot of work too.
Hi from a newbie in Ohio
It usually ran about $10/month.
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