Zane Middle School mobile greenhouse

Abstract

Final Mobile Greenhouse Design: Jurassic Greenhouse

The purpose of this Project is to create a greenhouse for Zane Middle School that will be easily moved from classroom to gardened area. The greenhouse will function as an educational process. The project idea came from Ken Pinkerton a Teacher at the Middle School. His idea on a Mobile Greenhouse Evolved and was proposed to the Humboldt State University class, Engineering 215 - Introduction to Design, instructed by Lonny Grafman.

Background

In the Spring Semester of 2014, a mobile greenhouse will be implemented into the educational system at Zane Middle School. This Project is being made to promote the idea of healthier lifestyles by helping the students understand the benefits of growing plants in a greenhouse. The Greenhouse is meant to act as a Canvas for the creative mind of the student body at Zane. This will be done by providing access to the interior or the greenhouse giving a hands on experience to all students. Our objective was to carefully create the greenhouse, making it mobile, but also pay careful attention to how effective the structure will be at making it easy to create an educational course around it.

Problem statement and criteria

The Delphi Matrix proposed that the "Hobo" design would prove to be the best solution to the problem statement according to weight distribution. The "Hobo" topped the charts in most criteria groups but was not chosen for the final project. All Criteria: Safety, Portability, Cleanliness, Aesthetics, Educational, Durability, Cost, and Sustainability were considered. Instead, a Cart was chosen which was a hybrid of the Shelving Greenhouse and the Standard Greenhouse designs.

Description of final project

The final project was created after careful deliberation and planning. Many trial structures were thought up and the final structure was purchased at the local Harbor Freight. This structure is a 3 tier cart with a pair of caster wheels on one side of the cart. The opposite side has a handle and a pair of stationery wheels.

Testing Results

The structure holds up well and is sturdy enough to maintain a large capacity of seeds starting trays. The greenhouse is well made and will withstand basic weather conditions that occur in the Humboldt County area. The PVC is strong but to make sure it would withstand weather, there was a coat of weatherproof paint sprayed onto the PVC. This will also help with the insulation of the greenhouse drawing more heat into the structure. Each joint of the PVC was glued to keep maximum strength and to keep the pipes from slipping. It was found that the easiest way to mount the greenhouse would be inside of screwed down rubber tips. The structure was installed into the rubber tips and a Plastic Sheet was installed on the PVC structure.

How to build

Mobile Greenhouse:

1. Purchase and Assemble the Cart

   • 
     The Cart Purchase
   • 
     Assembly of the Cart
   • 
     Finish the Cart
2. Begin to Build PVC Structure

   • 
     Gathering Supplies for the Structure
   • 
     Start the Assembly of the PVC
   • 
     Finish the Assembly
3. Cement and Paint the PVC

   • 
     Cementing the PVC pipes
   • 
     Prime the PVC
   • 
     Paint the Structure
4. Install Feet/Install PVC/ Fit Plastic

   • 
     Drill holes to install feet
   • 
     Install Feet and PVC
   • 
     Fit the plastic. Finished Product.

Discussion and next steps

The greenhouse is to be delivered to Zane Middle School. The structure is finished and simply needs to be primed for the delivery. Maintenance on the greenhouse will require a constant effort to make sure the greenhouse is always looking its best.

Authors

Left to right: Jennifer Reilly, Toni Castillo, Jason McMack, and Braden Nichols