HelpfulGardener.com

This week I built a Harbor Freight 10' X 12' greenhouse. There is still some strengthening work that needs to be done to keep it from blowing away in the wind. The kit went together in 14 hours. Here's time lapse photography (once per hour) of the build.

I am so envious!

How will you be using this greenhouse? Will you heat it through the winter?

I'm intending to grow lots of tomato transplants starting in about April. I'll heat the greenhouse on a few extra a cold nights at that time. The rest of the time it will be unheated. I may plant some frost tolerant things like spinach for an earlier harvest in the spring. If they're not ready to harvest by the time I need the space for tomatoes then they can get composted. I expect that I'll start some fava seedlings the first of March.

When I start the tomatoes I'm also expecting to start okra, tobacco, potatoes, eggplant, watermelon, tomatillos, etc.

I may use it to conduct some frost tolerance tests on tomatoes, by growing out a bunch of sacrificial flats, and leaving them outside on cold nights to see if anything survives...

Very Nice and ..

. A Great Job showing us!

I have one from Farmtek to set up in DD's backyard in the Spring. I will have to come back here and take inspiration from your work!

Steve

Looks very much like the one I have, that was given to me (I'm so lucky!). It is very flimsy though. Mine is on a metal base(I work for a sheet metal shop), that is anchored in the ground and the green house is anchored to that. The panels tend to pop out with strong wind. I am considering screwing the plastic panels to the frame with 1/4 inch screws to give it some extra support. I have a lot of tropicals that I put in the greenhouse in the winter ( I am in zone 9). On freezing nights, I have an old bbq pit that I put a few bricks in, and 1/2 of those 3 hour wax burning logs. Works fine.

Last time I built this model, the panels popped out in every wind, so I screwed them to the frame. I also added bottom chords to a couple of the rafters, and screwed 2X4s above the door, and on the back wall to strengthen them. I screwed the doors to the frame if heavy winds were expected. I screwed chains to the windows to keep them from blowing off, and screwed the window opening lever to the frame during winter to keep them from blowing open. I am working on doing the same to this version.

@catgrass: Re: " On freezing nights, I have an old bbq pit that I put a few bricks in, and 1/2 of those 3 hour wax burning logs. Works fine."

That is one of the best suggestions I have seen for heating a (smallish) greenhouse. Firepit keeps it small and contained, so you don't have to have a huge greenhouse, and bricks (I might use more than a few) will keep it radiating heat for a good long time. Put the log in the bottom with bricks all around it.... A brick or metal firepit would also be thermal mass. Cheap and easy and energy efficient. It's enough to make me re-think greenhouses!

Yes, Rainbow, it is cheap and easy. I also keep a tub of water in the greenhouse, too, and that holds a little heat. My area rarely gets deep freezes so this all works great for me.

I'm trying to figure small bbq pit, logs and bricks. Perhaps pit a metal dish type thing or the bowl from an old weber type grill?
On to the logs. I presume you mean the logs available at many stores now, saturated sawdust wrapped in paper. I would hesitate to use them for extended cold spells. It is my experience they burn nasty. I won't use them in my fireplace (burn hardwood, except for a couple pieces of pine kindling.) Burning could leave a residue on the plants. Where you are, burning a few hours now and again to bring temp up a few degrees probably is workable.

The lid is cracked open about 3 inches-and yes, that is the logs I use. Have not had a problem with residue. No one I know actually uses those in their fireplace. I use them sometimes in my outside fire pit. It only burns for a few hours and greenhouses aren't sealed well (at least mine isn't) so I'm good!

I have that same greenhouse. Been using it for about 10 years. Been very frustrating to say the least. My biggest challenge besides wind issues is having to replace the panels because of UV breakdown. So far I've replaced 7 of them and all of them are now yellow and cracked. So I've decided to tear it down and build a stick built glass house. But I will say it has served me fine and I have heated it in the winter every year in zone 7b. Great for greens - Tom

So the harbor freight green house lasted 10 years but had issues? I am glad I read this as I am really wanting to do something for a nice Small green house. I was considering the small 1 with panels and aluminum frame I see in the sale ad's sometimes on sale,I think it is 6x6?

I do know my neighbor bought 1 of the plastic material covered things with the little pipe pieces you put together. $139 or something like that.Worked but the cover failed 3 months later and I had a hard time getting the manufacturer to provide me a replacement cover. It came from Big lots.

What do you have going on in the greenhouse nowadays? Or have you taken a break for ski season?