harvst Terrace User manual
Your “Terrace” mini greenhouse
Setup and assembly guide.
Document version 1
Terrace model 1.x
Contents
Check that your package contains the following parts. If anything is missing, get back
to us as soon as possible : [email protected]
1 x Left end panel
Tools and small parts
1 x Right end panel
Bolt and fixings kit
1 x Front timber base board with double
plastic channel
4mm allen key, 8mm spanner
1 x Rear timber base board with single
plastic channel
1 x Lid assembly
1 x Control unit
2 x Front crossbar with double plastic
channel, for above doors
2 x Black temp/moisture sensor
4 x Rear panel (black)
1 x Y-splitter for sensors
2 x Rear panel joining strip (H-section)
Solar panel or mains power supply
1 x Front shelf assembly with pipe
Water valves with connecting cable
1 x Rear shelf (30mm angle)
1 x Rear upright (20mm square section)
Optional:
1 x Crossbar (30mm angle)
Water pump with hose attached
1 x Automatic lid opener
Water tank
2 x Front door
Water level sensor
1 x Front upright (25mm box section with
bracket on top)
Rainwater collection pipe (10mm inside
diameter)
1 x Lid prop
1. Prepare the location
Your Harvster will need level ground to sit on. You can put it directly on grass, on a
raised bed, or a hard standing like concrete or brick. If your foundation is not flat and
level, your lid and doors won't operate smoothly, so it's worth putting the effort in
now.
The rainwater collection system also requires a flat and level base. A slope of 5% (1 in
20) is just about OK.
Sunshine
Put your Harvster somewhere that gets as much sun as possible; grow lights will help
germinate seeds and provide a bit of top-up light, but they are not a complete
substitute for the sun. The solar panel (if you’re running off grid) can be placed up to
3m away from the main unit.
Power
Mains power is not needed unless you add heaters and/or grow lights. If you do add
mains power, you will need to work with a registered electrician to install an outside
power socket, or position your Harvster within 5m of an indoor power socket. The
mains powered Harvst control units come with 5m of cable.
Water
If you have a garden hose, you can run a tee’d connection to your Harvster. It can be as
far as you like from the tap.
If you don’t have a hose, you’ll need a pump, and a water tank of some sort. You can
use the Harvster tank, or a water butt if there’s one within 2m of your Harvster. If you
live in an area that doesn’t get much rain, you might want to consider running a gutter
offshoot from another roof onto your Harvster to collect more rainwater.
Base
Harvsters can be placed directly on the ground, on an existing raised bed, or on one of
our Harvster raised beds. Consider how much soil depth you want to have for your
plants. At least 25cm (10”) is wise for many vegetables that are suitable for growing in a
Harvster.
A 40cm raised bed under the largest Harvster (1.2m * 2m / 4’ * 7’) will take about 500kg
of soil / compost. That’s about 10 wheelbarrows full - this will vary based on the type of
soil you get and how moist it is.
Containers are great for growing in; the Harvster is designed to take standard 600mm
euro stacking crates.
2. Attach baseboards to end panels
Parts
2 x pre-assembled end panel
2 x timber base board
8 x 50mm furniture bolt
The base board with the double black
plastic track is on the front of the
Harvster. The ribs on the timber face
out.
The base board with the single black
plastic track is on the back of the
Harvster.
Attach the timber base boards to the
end panels, using the furniture bolts.
Tighten the screws well.
3. Fit the rear shelf
Parts
1 x 30mm aluminium shelf
2 x 20mm M5 bolt and nut
The rear shelf (without the irrigation
pipe) is fitted to the bottom of the
plastic blocks using a single bolt at the
end of each shelf.
4. Fit the front shelf
Parts
1 x Front shelf
2 x 20mm M5 bolt and nut
The front shelf is the angle aluminium
with a black pipe connected.
The twin water valves will fit on the
right later.
Fit the shelf to the brackets in the same
way as you fitted the rear shelf, and do
the nuts up tightly.
5. Fit water valves
Parts
1 x twin water valves
1 x jubilee/pipe clip
Fit the water valves to the right end of
the pipe on the front shelf. The snap-on
hose connector faces backwards
towards the rear of the greenhouse, so
that the bottom outlet plugs into the
front shelf pipe.
6. Fit front upright
Parts
1 x square box section with
black plastic moulding.
2 x 55mm M5 bolt
2 x penny washer
2 x M5 washer and nut
Bolt it loosely to the inside of the front
base board using the large penny
washer on the outside, and a small
washer and nut on the inside.
The riveted bracket faces inside the
Harvster. Tighten the bolts later once
you have aligned it vertically.
7. Fit cross-brace
Parts
1 x 60cm aluminium angle
1 x 55mm M5 bolt and nut
2 x 12mm M5 bolt and nut
3 x M5 washer
This part holds the front upright
securely to the two shelves, running
from the front of the greenhouse to the
rear.
Slide the cross brace between the
bottom of the front shelf and the black
water pipe, then, using a 55mm bolt,
attach the front to the right hand side
of the front upright (as you are looking
at the front of the Harvster).
Use an M5 * 8mm bolt and nut to
secure the cross brace to the bottom of
the front and rear shelves.
The holes are extra large for
adjustment of the lid catch.
8. Fit the rear upright
Parts
1 x 20mm bar (84cm)
1 x 40mm M5 bolt
1 x M5 washer & nut
Place the bar onto the stub in the
middle of the rear base board, and bolt
it to the middle of the rear shelf.
9. Fit the rear panels
Use the supplied punch to put holes in
the black rear panels.
Parts
4 x Black rear panel
2 x Black plastic H-section
2 x cable tie
From behind, drop the four black
panels into the slot on the rear base
panel, and outwards into the slots in
the end panel uprights.
Slide the H-section down between the
panels. It doesn't matter whether the
long leg is inside or outside.
The cable ties are used to hold the
H-section to the shelves.
Punch a hole either side of the
H-section, so that you can thread the
cable ties through the double holes in
the rear shelf.
10. Fit front bars and doors
The left hand door goes on the inside
track. The right hand door (with both
handles fitted the same way) goes in the
front track:
Parts
2 x Door bar (25mm box
section with twin black
plastic track)
2 x Door panel
1 x Door handle w/bolts
Put the doors in as per the drawing on
the left. The right hand door has a
sticker at the top right.
Once the doors are in, put in the
support bars which have the track in
which the top of the doors slide.
On the left hand door, you’ll see two
holes for mounting the small handle.
Bolt the handle to the door using two
M5 x 12mm bolts, with a washer and
nut on the inside of the door.
The right hand door doesn’t have a
small handle; you can use the long
handle attached to the side of the
door.
11. Screw in the mister nozzles
Parts
7 x Yellow mister nozzle
1 x Lid assembly
Screw the yellow mister nozzles into
the pre-punched holes in the black
pipe which runs underneath the ridge
(attached to the lid assembly)
Set the arrow on the nozzle facing
forwards (towards you) for the nozzle
to be on. Twist it sideways to turn that
nozzle off.
12. Fit the lid
This step can take a bit of time. Don't
rush it.
Parts
1 x Pre assembled lid
3 x M5 30mm bolts
Place the lid onto the top of the unit
with the pipes facing down at the rear
of the greenhouse.
Slot the top of the rear panels into the
base of the ridge piece.
Align the holes in the end of the ridge
piece with the threaded holes in the
top of the end panel uprights.
The 30mm bolts drop down through
the ridge into the uprights. Take care
not to strip the threads in the top of the
end panels.
When everything is lined up, tighten
down the bolts.
13. Fit the lid prop
Parts
1 x 83cm aluminium section
1 x M5 * 12mm bolt
1 x Nylok nut
Fit the lid prop to the right hand side of
the front shelf. It rests on top of the
cross bar on the right hand panel.
14. Connect the mister hose
Parts
1 x 53cm water hose
1 x Steel pipe clip
TIP :
Warm the ends of the hose in hot
water for a few seconds to soften them.
Push the hose onto the ridge irrigation
pipe, and then onto the rear port of the
twin water valve which is fitted to the
front shelf.
Tighten up the pipe clip around the
water valve.
15. Assemble the lid opener
Parts
1 x Automatic lid opener
This opener is shown with a bracket on
the end of the lifter arm (at top). We
have removed this and fitted it to the
lid of the greenhouse.
This will open the lid of your Harvster
when it gets hot, thanks to wax melting
inside the black cylinder.
Follow the assembly instructions
supplied with the opener to put the
black cylinder into the mechanism.
The temperature at which it opens
depends on how far in the black
cylinder has been screwed. Fully in, the
lid will start to open at around 20C.
Fully out, it’s nearer 30C.
WARNING : this part is springy and
may catch your fingers if you let go
of it unexpectedly while open.
16. Fit the lid opener to the lid
Parts
1 x Automatic lid opener
Prop the lid open using the lid prop.
The top of the lid opener arm is held to
the lid using an M5 x 20mm bolt with a
nylok nut.
Remove the bolt from the lid opener
assembly and put it through the metal
bracket attached to the catch
mechanism under the lid. Don’t tighten
the bolt so much that the mechanism
jams; leave it a little loose.
17. Attach the lid opener to the frame
Parts
1 x Automatic lid opener
Put the lid prop away and clip the
mechanism into the bracket on the
rear of the front cross piece, above the
doors.
18. Tighten the front upright
Now that you have everything together,
you can tighten the front upright in the
vertical position, making sure it’s
aligned centrally with the middle of the
lid.
If you cannot get it aligned properly,
double check you have a flat and level
base for the greenhouse.
19. Adjust the catch
When the lid is closed, the catch will
hold it shut until the automatic lid lifter
pushes from the bottom, or you release
the catch by pulling on the ball.
If the catch mechanism is binding or
not releasing, you can adjust it by
moving the front upright forwards or
backwards slightly, by loosening the
bolts in the oversized holes of the cross
brace.
Control system
Connecting to your WiFi network
Now it's time to set up the control box and connect to WiFi. You can do this indoors,
before you install the control box into your greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame.
1. Ensure your WiFi network name and password are handy.
2. Turn on your Harvst control unit. It will start beeping fast and the red LED will
be on.
3. If, after 10 seconds, no previous WiFi connection has been found, the unit will
start beeping slowly; once a second. It has just started it’s own WiFi signal.
4. On your phone, go to WiFi settings, and connect to the "harvst-wifi" access
point. You should be automatically redirected to http://192.168.4.1 *
5. Click the blue "Configure WiFi" button.
6. You should see your WiFi network listed. Choose your WiFi network by clicking
its name. If you don't see yours, click "Refresh".
7. Enter your password and click save.
8. The unit will pause for a while and then if it connects OK, you'll hear a double
beep.
If you run out of time, or have trouble connecting, turn the unit off and then back on
again to restart the WiFi connection process. A successful connection will be
remembered the next time you turn the unit on.
* If you’re NOT redirected automatically to the setup screen once you have connected
to harst-wifi, then open a browser (Chrome, Safari etc) and type in “192.168.4.1” to the
address bar; where you would normally enter a website address. This will take you to
the blue “Configure Wifi” button.
Scan this QR code with your phone to
view a video which shows you how to
connect your control unit to WiFi:
Control system
Mounting into your greenhouse
Once you’re happy that the control unit connects to WiFi indoors near your WiFi router,
you can install it into your Harvster.
At the top right of the rear panels you’ll see four holes. Use the M5 x 12mm bolts to fix
the control unit to the rear panels.
This will be easiest if you prop the lid open, so you can reach the inside and outside at
the same time.
Mains power supply for heated greenhouses
If your Harvster is heated, with a mains power supply, mount the power supply
underneath the control box, to the rear panel. Run the cables behind the shelves
(between the shelf and the rear panel), down the ground where the mains cable goes
out via the notch in the timber base board.
Solar panel for off grid greenhouses
If your Harvster is solar powered, run the solar panel cable through the hole in the rear
panel and plug it into the control box. Mount the solar panel to something solid close
to your Harvster.
If you don’t have anywhere suitable, you can place the panel on the lid of the Harvster;
secure it down with strong double sided tape.
Self watering
Connecting the pump and tank (optional)
If you don’t have a garden hose that you can leave connected permanently to your mini
greenhouse, you can use a tank and water pump. The low voltage submersible pump is
powered by the control unit, and the tank can be filled using the greenhouse gutters so
that you don’t have to top it up as often.
1. Position the tank on the right hand side of your Harvster. We recommend that you
place it outside so that you get more growing space. If you don’t have space in your
yard or garden, you can place it inside the frame.
2. Ensure the water pipe is firmly attached to the pump with a pipe clip, then drop the
pump into the tank.
3. Attach the short hose with a snap-on connector to the water valves. If your tank is
outside, point the elbow on the end of this short pipe out through one of the holes in
the right hand end panel.
4. Put the pump wire and the tank level sensor wire through the hole in the right hand
panel now (the plugs won’t fit through once the pipe has been fitted).
Now fit the pump hose to the elbow on the short hose assembly. It’s a tight push fit,
and will be easier if you warm the pipe in hot water for a few seconds first.
5. Connect the pump plug into the control box; it’s the two-pin socket next to the large
power supply socket.
6. Connect the tank level sensor plug into the control box. It’s the smaller two-pin plug
on the bottom. Drop the other end (it looks like an audio/headphone plug) into the
water tank so that it rests about ⅓ of the way up.
When the water level drops below the sensor, you’ll get an email and text message to
suggest that you fill up your tank.
Self watering
Testing your irrigation
Put some water in the tank (or connect your garden hose), and turn on the control unit
(which should already be paired with your WiFi network). If it’s a solar powered one,
wake it up by pressing the yellow button on the left. It will stay awake for 5 minutes.
From your Harvster dashboard, click the “access device directly” button, and you’ll be
taken to a grey screen which is the control box itself. Here you can click “water now” to
run the pump and test your system.
The watering will run for a number of seconds, which you set on the dashboard.
Remember that changes to settings on the dashboard can take up to 30 minutes to be
updated on your control unit - to speed this up when you are testing, click the green
“get latest settings” button on the grey device screen.
Environmental sensors
Soil moisture and temperature sensors
Your Harvster comes with two black dual-purpose sensors, which will measure soil
moisture as well as soil temperature. These are best placed in an area where the
temperature and moisture doesn’t change too fast; such as a large container of soil, or
the ground. It’s best placed horizontally, just under the surface.
The first soil sensor is what drives the irrigation (and optional heating) for zone 1. The
second sensor (with the red band around it), is used to monitor zone 2.
We recommend that the bottom of your Harvster is zone 1 (watered by the sprayer
pipe) and the shelf is zone 2 (watered by the mister bar).
The soil sensors plug into the 4-pin connector on the control unit, via a Y-splitter.
To measure the soil moisture, place the sensor so that the bottom half is completely
under the soil. In shallow soil (such as a seed tray), you’ll need to place the sensor on
its side.
The temperature is measured by a device halfway up the body of the sensor; again, if
you have shallow soil and want to measure the temperature of the soil itself, this will
need to be below the surface.
Air temperature sensor
A silver temperature-only sensor comes pre-wired into your control box. You can use
this to monitor any temperature; typically it’s used for outside air temperature, and
will show as “air temp” on the app.
WARNING
Do not plug or unplug the dual purpose sensors while the control unit is turned on.
Heating
If you have a heated greenhouse, it will be supplied with a mains powered control unit
(it has three sockets on the left hand side). The top two connectors are for heaters;
zone 1 at the top and zone 2 below it. Into these connectors you can plug Harvst heater
pads. The bottom connector is for Harvst waterproof LED grow lights, which are
available as optional extras.
You can use up to four heater pads for each connector (unless you are also using grow
lights, in which case we suggest no more than 3 heaters per connector).
Since the zone temperature sensors are in the same dual-purpose sensor as the
moisture detector, we recommend the following setup:
Zone 2 (top of greenhouse, with misters)
Have at least one seed tray or gravel tray filled with soil; you can germinate seeds in it.
You don’t need sensors in every seed tray, so you’ll use this one to control the
environment on the top shelf. This will be your “control” tray. Put a heater pad into the
bottom of an empty seed tray, and then place your control tray into that. Slide the dual
purpose sensor down the side of the soil in the top tray, so it measures the moisture
and temperature of the control tray. When the control tray gets dry (or too hot), we can
assume that other seed trays on the same level are about the same.
Zone 1 (bottom of greenhouse, with sprayers)
Larger tubs in the bottom will heat up much more slowly than seed trays, so they need
to have different heating control. Just as you have a control tray in the top, you can
have a control tub in the bottom, which contains the dual-purpose sensor. If you have a
Yard model and are planting directly into the ground then we suggest your zone 2
control tub is on the middle shelf. Put the heater pad into the bottom of your growing
container before filling it with soil. If you’re confident you are going to keep this
container for this use, then peel off the back of the heater pad and stick it securely to
the container. You won’t be able to get it off again easily. Place the sensor flat, just
under the surface of the soil. We’ve found this is a good position to get good moisture
and temperature readings.
Heat settings
You might want to set seedling trays at 20 °C to germinate peppers, and salad grow
tubs at 15 °C. Read more online about the best growing temperatures for different
crops.
The large tubs at the bottom of a greenhouse could be set to 15 °C, but might not
achieve that temperature if it’s very cold outside. A single heater pad should be able to
keep a large grow tub at least 10 °C above ambient temperature (even when the
outside temperature is freezing).
The pads can reach a maximum theoretical temperature of 40 °C, so it’s possible to get
a small amount of soil very warm. The bigger the tub you try to heat, the slower it will
heat up, and the more heat will be lost at the same time as heat is being put in, so you
have a lower achievable maximum temperature.
Place your temperature sensors somewhere sensible so that they report the
temperature of the soil you’re heating, rather than the temperature of the heater pad.
Keeping one or two large tubs in the base of your Harvster warm will also keep the air
temperature in the Harvster to a reasonable level.
Put any ground-level heated tubs on an insulating layer of wood, if possible, to keep
them off the cold ground.
The power supply can provide up to 150 Watts of power. Each heater pad uses
approximately 15-20 Watts, which means you can in theory fit 8-10 heater pads. We
have provided outputs and splitters for up to 8 heater pads. The power supply itself will
give off a fair bit of warmth, and because that’s mounted inside the greenhouse, you’ll
get an extra boost.
Lighting
The Harvst heated greenhouses support low-voltage waterproof grow lights, to help
your seedlings grow stronger, and to help plants grow better in the darker months of
the year.
Up to 4 grow lights can be fitted, using a splitter connected to the lower outlet on the
left hand side of the control box.
The grow lights are provided with a versatile clamp and flexible stalk, so you can
position them wherever you want them. We recommend that lights for top shelf plants
are clamped to the front of the shelf, with the LED plate positioned just under the
closed lid. This will let water from the misters reach your plants. Lights for lower plants
should be fitted on the back of the middle shelf (for the Yard model).
Loading and planting
Every gardener will have their own way of doing things, but to help you get started with
the unique growing environment in a Harvster, we have some tips.
Main crops
The bottom of the Harvster is where you’ll grow your main crops; the ones that need
the deepest soil, and will grow the tallest. If you have your Harvster on the ground, you
have the soil right there. If your Harvster is on brick or concrete, you can add height
with our raised beds, or you can use deep containers. The Harvsters have been
designed to take standard 600mm euro crates, which we can supply. We use the ones
around 220mm (10”) deep.
Salads, herbs and mid level crops
The shelves of the Harvster are where you might want to grow crops that don’t need as
much height or as much soil depth. Perhaps salads, herbs or micro-greens. In a tall
Harvster, this would typically be the middle shelf. In a wide Harvster, you might want to
set one side of the shelf for mid-level crops and one side for seedlings.
Typically the mid level crops are sown directly in the tubs that they will grow in.
The shelves are designed for standard seed trays (38cm x 24cm).
Seedlings
Your main crops can either be sown directly where they are going to grow, in the
bottom, or you can start them in seed trays on a shelf. Even if you’re sowing your main
crops directly, it’s a good idea to do further sowings of the same crop in a seed tray, so
that when you harvest your main crop, you have some strong seedlings ready to
transplant.
Seedlings are started on the shelf of the Harvster; the top shelf if you have a tall
Harvster, or one side of a wide Harvster. Our heated seed trays and grow lights are a
great way to get seeds to germinate at any time of year, if your Harvster is connected to
mains electricity.
The top shelf of the Harvster is watered with a misting spray. You can turn off each
mister individually if you don’t have a tray under it.
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