{"id":1844,"date":"2026-03-15T12:22:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T16:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novascotiaphotoalbum.com\/blog\/?p=1844"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T12:08:54","slug":"swingset-greenhouse-2-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novascotiaphotoalbum.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/swingset-greenhouse-2-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Swingset Greenhouse Version 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2014, I posted here about the mini-greenhouse I built out of an old swingset frame<\/a>, covered it with secondhand greenhouse plastic. The plastic lasted about 10 years, although toward the end, I was patching it with the very sticky red tape used on house wrap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024 I rebuilt the swingset greenhouse, bigger and better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One limitation of the old greenhouse was that it was hard for a tall person (me) to move around in. That was partly because of the height of the frame, and partly because over the years, the plastic sagged inwards – when it wasn’t flapping in the wind, keeping us awake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I wanted to use more wood framing to widen the interior space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chose to use rough-cut hemlock, which is what’s used around here for long-lasting raised beds. I bought 2x4s directly from a local sawmill and carried them home in my 4-door Corolla, which is a bit of a feat in itself. By now, my financial resources were a little less strained, but I’m still frugal. And I don’t have a truck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another advantage of rough-cut wood is that you get the full 2 inches by 4 inches. It hasn’t been planed into the 1.5 x 3.5 inch studs used in construction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A disadvantage to rough-cut wood is that it’s easy to get splinters in your fingers, which is more of a problem during the building process than it is later when gardening. Wear gloves when handling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old base, made of spruce 2x4s that I’d had lying around, had rotted completely. Wanting something that would last longer, I researched cinder blocks. Apparently, reservations to using them for food gardens pertains to how they used to be made, and they’re okay now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I bought enough cinder blocks to build the rectangular base. Setting them in the ground square and level led me to deep contemplation and appreciation of the stonemasons of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools used to lay the cinder blocks: measuring tape and spirit levels, both short (for the individual block) and long (lay the level on a straight 2×4 to check that opposite walls align), a construction-grade shovel (with a flat edge), biceps and triceps (they blocks are heavy), and lots of patience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The downhill-most corner needed a more solid stone support underneath, and will require occasional inspection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did not use mortar. The blocks are touching each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I didn’t see how they would hold the feet of the swingset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a concrete deck pier block left over from a porch project. Would it work? Yes! I bought 3 more (heavy!) and laid them in the corners on top of the cinder blocks. Bonus: they added to the height of the structure. They would require some creativity in wrapping the plastic, but I’d figure that out later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I framed the south-facing wall with 2x4s to accommodate the 2 shower doors I’d been using on top of coldframes for years. They’re sturdy and they don’t flap! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also had our old aluminum storm door. To include it in the south-facing wall, the frame would have to be as high as the top bar of the swingset, even with the swingset raised high in the deck blocks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door’s frame and hinges were toast (which is why we’d put a new door on the house). In order to add hinges, I securely screwed a 2×2 (ripped from a hemlock 2×4) to the door flange. I could then attach brass hinges to the wood. It worked!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two shower doors plus the kitchen door were the perfect width for the south wall. Plastic would have to fill the spaces above the shower doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(The metal swing frame is almost redundant now.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The south-facing shower doors can come off to prevent overheating in the heat of summer. Peppers and basil love it, and I use it for salad greens, seedlings, etc. in spring and fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shower<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I rebuilt my swingset greenhouse!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[677,607,752,678,751],"class_list":["post-1844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gardening-in-nova-scotia","tag-greenhouse","tag-recycling","tag-reuse","tag-swingset","tag-upcycling"],"yoast_head":"\nSwingset Greenhouse Version 2.0 - Nova Scotia Photo Album Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novascotiaphotoalbum.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/swingset-greenhouse-2-0\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swingset Greenhouse Version 2.0 - 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