What do y'all think of this?

[BrianS]

http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?...38E16FBF528%7D
We are seriously considering getting this. Anyone ever use this or something similar before?

My main worries are Spring storms blowing it over

[Tex]

I plan on trying this.

http://www.ericsprojects.com/?p=3

This looks like a good idea.

[kygreg]

Brian,

I use two smaller green houses - about the size of one side of the one in the link photo; I got one on sale at end of season from Walmart and the other from Lowes.

I put their backsides agains the sides of our deck, put bricks in the bottom layer and secure them to the deck with those stretchy tie things if inclement weather is on the way;

It looks like a pretty good greenhouse for the money.

[akgardengirl]

http://www.shelterlogic.com/greenhouses/
I bought one of these a couple of years ago. It was around $120 at a local hardware store here in Anchorage for the 10 x 10. I put it up and take it down each season and this year it went a little faster!
Sue
I see now that you are looking for a seed starting greenhouse. I start my seeds indoors and they go out into this gh when it is warm enough. It is quite large at 10 x 10 - maybe too much for seed starting.

[BrianS]

I think we are gonna get it.

Do you all use any for of heating in the event it gets really cold?

[akgardengirl]

I don't use any heat source in mine. These are really on the portable level and the heat wouldn't stick around too long. My philosophy is that what ever produces and tastes okay in our short season is a good thing. The gh allowed a little longer growing season for the tomatoes tho as they were previously grown without cover. The rain really did them in in August. It gets quite warm in there when the sun is actually out and I have to open up the panels to get a breeze going through.
Sue

[BrianS]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking it would be good to set my mater and pepper plants out in March.

BTW, how cold does it get in AK while you are using yours (w/o heat). The reason I ask is so I will know around the best time I wont have to worry about it getting too cold for the plants

[akgardengirl]

I am using it during 50 - 70 degree weather although Anchorage had more 50+ days than in the 70's. The plants go into the gh usually the end of May- first part of June. I put them out when the temps are staying at least around 50 or above. Last year was very cold and the plants produced poorly. Most fruits were smaller than normal also. This was all due to the weather. Sherry AK also has a couple of these gh and she usually gets better production than I do. She lives where it can be 5 degrees warmer than here. Maybe she will chime in...
Sue

[dr20s]

They will blow over in strong gusts (especially the 6ft. tall ones) unless you apply heavy weights to the bottom or use rope and stakes to secure - which come with most purchases.

You could save $60 - the same type of walk-in greenhouse is $100 at http://www2.yardiac.com/long.asp?item_id=22628
and make the shelves yourself for almost nothing:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...085816689.html

Here's some information on heating small greenhouses:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...445279873.html

[akgardengirl]

Yes, the winds were a concern but we remedied it with those metal dog stakes on each corner where everything tied down. The gh came with some auger type stakes but they were too wide or my soil too packed to go down through. The long dog stakes solved that problem. They come complete with all the hardware so I just had to modify a bit to anchor them more securely. I don't know how you would secure them on a cement patio tho.
Sue

[BrianS]

If the nights get say around 25-30F at night will the plants need heating?
It can get that cold here in March even tho the days can get up to 60+F

[dr20s]

If its a small walk-in 6ftx5ft greenhouse with the Clear vinyl cover, the inside temperature at night usually falls to only 2-3 degrees above the outside temperature. I wouldn't leave annuals like tomatoes or peppers outside in a small (6x5) greenhouse if temperatures were near 32 or less. I've recorded temperatures with a sensor left inside and there wasn't much difference from the outside temp. by sunrise.

Use large heavy blocks or large brick on the bottom to weigh the greenhouse down or secure the rope to a wall.

[Sherry_AK]

Here I am ... chiming in!

I have a greenhouse quite similar to the one from Totally Tomatoes. Mine is about that same width, but probably 6 ft. or more long. Mine was cheaper ... both in price and quality! The cover has held up well for 3 years now, but the framework on mine was pvc and did not fare as well. To anchor it down in our strong winds, we placed cement stepping stones over the bottom of the frame to hold it down. That worked just fine. This is often the first stop for my flower seedlings when they leave the house. Like Sue, I start my seeds indoors because it wouldn't be possible to do otherwise here. The first two years I hauled flats in and out when the temperature threatened to fall below freezing. Last year I was a bit bolder, and I put a heat lamp out there (the one we normally use for the baby chicks) and that made just enough difference that I could leave them out overnight. Can't say for sure what the outside temp was, but it might have made about a 5 degree difference. When it starts warming up, you'll need to be careful about venting, with only a flap on one end. Not much air moves through it.

I also have the exact greenhouse Sue has (the 10x10). For the money I cannot say enough good things about it. It has roll up flaps on both ends, an extremely sturdy metal frame, and the shell is also substantial. The only complaint I have is that it seems more opaque than I would have preferred.

By the way, my smaller g/h is now the most valuable thing on the property. My husband completely rebuilt the frame with copper tubing from an old heating system! That baby is sturdy now for sure!

Sherry

[BrianS]

Thanks for chiming in you all. That helps

[dice]

I have two smaller ones similar to those. They are maybe
3' x 3' x 5' high, with clear vinyl covers. (You cannot walk
into them, the shelves that came with them take up the
whole space.)

I put seedlings in them last year that had been started indoors,
with a shoplight in the bottom with a 100 watt bulb in it. If the
night was expected to drop below freezing, I just plugged the
light in at dark and unplugged it after it warmed up the next
day. None of the plants in them showed any frost damage.
If you get one that is a little bigger, you might want a bit
more heat, say an infrared in a spotlight fixture pointed at
a stack of bricks or whatever.

Mine sit on a patio with quite a bit of protection from wind,
so anchoring them was not a problem. The one issue that
I had with them was that the vinyl was not quite long enough
to reach the floor of the patio. I put folded newspaper and
bricks around the bottom on the inside to (mostly) keep cold
air out.

Once we got past last frost and all of the seedlings had been
planted or given away, I pulled the vinyl covers and stored
them out of the sunlight, stored the removeable shelves,
and used the frames for tomato supports (they were just the
right size for stupice and bloody butcher).