Does anyone have experience with greenhouse kits? Or reliable firms to purchase from?

[peacebird]

I am seriously considering a redwood frame kit from ACF - http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/sunshine.shtml

I looked at Charleys Greenhouses also, but accessories there run a quarter to a third higher than at ACF... And their redwood greenhouse is not as tall, and more expensive. I am able to spend about $3k for this... I live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge in Virginia...

Any info would be appreciated. I have been researching on the web for about 6 months but would feel better with some "real" feedback before plopping down that kind of money.

Thanks!
:hi:

[sazemisery]

1. What are your plans for the greenhouse?

Are you planning on growing veggies year-round or are you looking for winter storage of your potted plants? Are looks important and why redwood over metal? I too am on the market for a greenhouse. I have decided to build the hoop house I posted about here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=246x4678

Aesthetics are not my top priority and I can spruce up the outside so it looks nice. I plan on winter veggie growth and potted plant storage and summer propagation.

[peacebird]

2. I will have a hoop house over the winter veggies in cold frames

but want a green house for summer veggies (tomatoes, green beans) in the winter and for my orchids and generally my sanity... A warm place for growing green things in the winter.

The hoop house will go up over cold frames (a la Coleman's Four Season Harvest) for winter veggies. I was looking at redwood vs metal thinking the wood would be better insulation, less of a wisk for cold - but I could be wrong? btw - Thank you for a great set of plans for the hoop house!

[susanna]

3. Have you read Eliot Coleman's book

called Four-Season Harvest? He has some great information in the book about build-it-yourself hoop greenhouses. He harvests hardy greens through the winter in Maine using them. I'm in Michigan and am sorely tempted to give it a try myself. I have just the space, but I need to find out if there are any silly city ordinances that I'd be butting up against (I'm in a urban area).

[peacebird]

5. I have Colemans book and am using it extensively in planning but want some input

from others about kits they have tried....

I am seriously considering a sunshine greenhouse (redwood frame with twinwall polycarbonate)
I think I need a heater because I want to put a large grapefruit tree in (grown from seed from hubbys grandads tree in Florida when we went to grandpa's funeral) and winter this year has had almost two months of weather below freezing at night, and many nights in the 20's or lower....

So I picked sunshine greenhouses for their 10 foot ceiling (for the tree) and because I like the size, price and layout. But I want any input from others before I put down just over $4,000...

[roguevalley]

4. Here are pictures of greenhouses like mine. They can go as

inexpensively as $100. I can't wait to use it.

http://www.greenhouses.com/FlowerHousePortableGreenhouseKits.html

[peacebird]

6. I bought a $50 mini greenhouse to use for starting seedlings this year

it has four shelves and a cover.... but the greenhouse I am hoping to build early fall is a "permanent" structure that can house my plants (orchids and grapefruit) over winter.....

[dpbrown]

7. Thanks for the tip...

I've been getting Charley's Greenhouses catalog and waiting for the greenhouse I want to go on sale, but maybe with your link I can find one I like cheaper.

[GregD]

8. Harbor Freight

www.harborfreight.com has a pair of aluminum-frame greenhouses.
http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=greenhouse

The 6x8 has a good track record, and the 10x12 has a mixed record. I'll explain:

We bought ours early last year and discovered that this was just after the product was announced. Manufactured in China, the instructions were clearly never checked by someone who actually tried to assemble the unit with them and no prior experience. It was simply a nightmare.

A bunch of us gathered around this forum and exchanged notes until a handful of the units had been assembled and customized.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/strucs/

By now, a year later, the 10x12 is probably a safe bet. The instructions have been refined and my recent visits to the forum reveal far fewer folks threatning acts of violence during the assembly process. Clearly you will receive as much value for the purchase in the poly panels alone.

If you get this unit, be sure to look over the various posts. Many good ideas about VERY NECESSARY reinforcements have been posted. If you have the HFGH in a windy area, or where you get snow, it needs to be reinforced. $100-$150 of materials will make this unit very strong.

Ours is mounted on 2x12 lumber so as to provide a rigid footing, we added angle aluminum over the doorway, and rigid conduit to tie the side walls to each other. Then we added raised bed boxes inside, steps from the outside, and are really very happy with the unit. Veggie seeds we planted a month ago, despite snow and freezing temps, have sprouted 1/4 inch and are growing steadily.

[peacebird]

9. Thank you so much - great link - loads of information!

I had not heard of the HFGH before, the price is certainly quite nice. I will do more reading when I get home tonight. Thanks again Greg!
:hi: