# Selecting a greenhouse



## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

I put up a greenhouse about 4 years ago. The front door zipper failed in the first year. When I tried to clean off mold this summer, the plastic ripped. I need a max 8x8 foot replacement. I use it for starting peppers and eggplant early and growing them out during the summer. In the fall-spring, I store my chicken coop supplies in there as well as a place for the chickens to get some time out of the coop on rainy days.

Here are my requirements:
1. I'm limited on funds - about $500 is my upper limit
2. It needs to be something that two old geezers can put up easily without causing a divorce vract:
3. I don't want a repeat of the plastic failure

I realize that $500 will not buy a lot of quality but it's the best I can do right now.

Costco has this one.

Harbor Freight has this one but they offered it to me for $269.

I've looked at Home Depot and Lowe's but nothing floats my boat. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? TIA.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Yes.

Build a simple greenhouse from Palram Polycarbonate panels you find at Lowes or Home Depot. Use the 8' sheet s or cut the 12's in half for 6 foot sections.

The side facing away from the sun can be opaque, so just use plywood.










Here's another way:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

I've been dealing with greenhouses here in N.Florida for about 10 years now, first one beign a 10 X 25 ' poly tunnel. Too much to heat.

I'm still using the poly plastic sheets because I hear the panels fade and turn fairly quick. Don't know if its true. 

We had a leanto up against the house last year and even that was hard to heat. 

Still I'd go with the $269.00 deal. I have a GH full of tomatoes, peppers,cabbage, lettuce right now and the snap freeze is a good reminder to close it up after October and open back up in March. Not worth all the work and expense. We are old too.


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

LincTex said:


> Yes.
> 
> Build a simple greenhouse from Palram Polycarbonate panels you find at Lowes or Home Depot. Use the 8' sheet s or cut the 12's in half for 6 foot sections.


I only wish...Hubby is even protesting at putting together a kit, much less building a beauty like that. I have arthritic hands and knees and he has an agonizing back injury so the two of us would have to work on a project to complement each others weakness.  I love the look and ideas in that video though.



Meerkat said:


> Still I'd go with the $269.00 deal. I have a GH full of tomatoes, peppers,cabbage, lettuce right now and the snap freeze is a good reminder to close it up after October and open back up in March. Not worth all the work and expense. We are old too.


I'm envious! My tomato plants will be history here in a few days so I will bring in the green tomatoes to ripen indoors. I may go with the Harbor Freight deal but the reviews leave me with cold feet.

Thank you both!


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

My son has the one from Harbor Freight. He likes it OK.


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

hiwall said:


> My son has the one from Harbor Freight. He likes it OK.


THANK you!!


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Tucker said:


> THANK you!!


 We have too much trouble keeping ours heated, maybe because of its size. On hind site would have chosen one more the size of what your thinking about. Also we live in N.Florida and still cost too much to keep it open and heated.

From now on will only sow seeds to produce before mid October. Sow sometime in June maybe.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Meerkat said:


> I'm still using the poly plastic sheets because I hear the panels fade and turn fairly quick. Don't know if its true.


Fiberglass deteriorates,
Vinyl fades...

Polycarbonate LASTS


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

LincTex said:


> Fiberglass deteriorates,
> Vinyl fades...
> 
> Polycarbonate LASTS


And reinforced plastic isn't reinforced.  When I tried to clean the moss from mine, it ripped from side to side.

I'm leaning towards the Costco one because it has a 5 year limited warranty vs. 90 days for the Harbor Freight. Guess I better get my order in quickly before it expires.

---> :flower:


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## 21601mom (Jan 15, 2013)

How well do the polycarbonate panels hold up to Texas winds? Not a tornado, but the typical wind.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

LincTex said:


> Fiberglass deteriorates,
> Vinyl fades...
> 
> Polycarbonate LASTS


 Thanks for the info. I thought they were one and the same. Learned something new today.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> I'm leaning towards the Costco one because it has a 5 year limited warranty vs. 90 days for the Harbor Freight.


They sure look very similar and the Costco one is about twice the price.


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

hiwall said:


> They sure look very similar and the Costco one is about twice the price.


I know. I know. The downside to the Costco one is that the manufacturer is in Israel so if you need replacement parts you have to navigate that minefield. The plus is that the warranty is 5 years, it comes with a roof vent opener, and you have Costco's name behind the product. The downside to the one at Harbor Freight is the negative reviews, sharp corners, flimsy, and only a 90 day warranty. The plus side is the cost.

Sure wish I could afford a better choice but I've been unemployed for a year+ and hubby isn't working either. Keeping food, especially home grown, on the table seems to be a necessity though and our short warm weather means that it's really difficult to grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc. without a head start. Sigh.


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## 21601mom (Jan 15, 2013)

Tucker--it will likely be cheaper to build your own and it will probably be of better quality.

I've read the reviews on both and am starting to think building my own would be a much better choice.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

21601mom said:


> Tucker--it will likely be cheaper to build your own and it will probably be of better quality.
> 
> I've read the reviews on both and am starting to think building my own would be a much better choice.


Agreed. You don't have to use all new materials. I built a nice cabin at my B-O-L using almost all recycled materials and it cost very little.

You don't have to spring for the polycarbonate panels all at once. Use sheet plastic with a staple gun, and replace a section here or a section there as time and money allows.

You can also build a very FAST and EASY "Hoop House" in the interim. Use it while you are building the permanent structure!


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## lilmissy0740 (Mar 7, 2011)

We have a small lean to on the house, have had it about 7 yrs. the only thing I have had to do so far to it was caulk it a few times. Have picked tomatoes in Feb in PA. But we heated it by ducting our wood burner into it. When we moved things around I could no longer heat it that way. Electric heaters just didn't work and I even wrapped the inside of it with radiant barrier. But it did very well starting seeds in Feb/march. 
This yr hubby built me a free standing greenhouse onto my garden. We will use it as a chicken coop in the summer for our meat chickens, they can walk freely into the garden. Right now I have fall plants growing well in it. But we have boxes on crates, with the bottom of huge crates wrapped in radiant barrier and come colder weather will make these boxes into a hoop house for double protection. Not sure how this will work, but all greenhouses are trial and error for each individual. 
This all being said, I think you are better off building. Look on Pinterest, lots of up cycled and recycled ideas. 


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