Small greenhouse suggestions

4season · August 23, 2018

Looking for a greenhouse about 10 or 12 or 12 by 16 more or less. Harbor Freight has the 10 by 12 that can be reinforced but I want something that is not 10 1/2 feet tall and I don't want to dig a 2 foot hole to put it in. Any suggestions ?

clkeiper · August 23, 2018

you need to anchor it somehow and 2 and a half feet is good.if you can get it in that far.... and a bit larger rather than smaller is better. the air mass stays warmer longer at night time. and trust me... it will never be big enough.

4season · August 23, 2018

I can dig a hole 2 1/2 feet deep to put the greenhouse in. Almost a pit greenhouse. Do really want an old man to dig that much ? 13 cubic yards more or less.

clkeiper · August 23, 2018

nooo noo! just pound the posts into the ground, no need to dig a hole for the house. the house needs to be anchored to the ground so it can't blow away in a big storm.

eyegrotom · August 23, 2018

Hi 4season you might want to call Harbor freight and check, I think that when they say it's 10 1/2 feet tall it's the top of the roof the walls are probably 8 feet tall. I might be wrong. Mike

4season · August 23, 2018

I know from viewing youtube videos that it needs solid attachment to the ground and some reinforcing structural additions. I will most likely dig the hole because I don't want the roof to stick up so high. From the pictures the walls are 8 feet, I would like 6 or even 4, I would be happy with a hoop but she doesn't want one.

clkeiper · August 23, 2018

You don't want the walls to be only 4' high if you are more than 4' tall yourself. the center should be at least 6' high. you will have to be bent over every time you go inside of it. you will want it at least a foot taller than you in the center. and 4 foot side walls are a waste of your structure if you put benches on the sides, it gives your plants no space to grow. even if you are planting in the ground you still need 6' sidewalls. most plants grow more than 4' tall

4season · August 25, 2018

Everything will be planted in the ground, no benches. If son wants to help we may build something otherwise I will dig a 2 foot trench for the foundation, I refuse to have 8 foot walls.

svalli · August 29, 2018

I have had the Harbor Freight 10x12 here in Finland for seven years now. The side walls are 6’ 6” and I do really recommend it for the height of it. You may not get snow, but here the horizontal reinforcements are essential to prevent the greenhouse from collapsing under snow cover. People who have built lower greenhouses have had trouble since those are hard to reinforce, so that the additional structures are not in the way. I like that I can use the added reinforcement pipes for hanging baskets and tying support strings for tomatoes and cucumbers. I’m 5’ 6”, so I can just reach the pipes, which are at same height as the side walls. Right now most of my tomatoes have grown well above the side wall height, so I would be in trouble, if the greenhouse was lower.

Mine is built on concrete blocks, which are buried in the ground and above those there is a base made from pressure treated lumber instead of the steel base. The original steel base was rusted, when I opened the box, which had been transported over the Atlantic and kept in dry storage for three years. You can read here about my building project.

I do not really understand how would it work to use this greenhouse structure, so that the walls would sit in 2’ deep hole. To do that I would buy some greenhouse kit with 4' wall height and get the inside height taller by digging a hole and building the underground walls from concrete blocks or bricks and set the greenhouse on top of those.

Sari

Cole_Robbie · August 29, 2018

Chain link top rail is fairly cheap, about $1 per foot. I use 1.5" EMTs angles, one for the top and one cut in half to make two 45s for the sides, which slip into chain link posts. I'd guess your metal parts would run a couple hundred bucks, with lumber and poly covering you could build a sturdy structure that will last for years for under $500.

4season · August 29, 2018

Son and I went to the big box and bought a bunch of 2x4 and polycarbonate . Just have to put it together. Soon so it is ready for winter.

korney19 · November 17, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4season

Son and I went to the big box and bought a bunch of 2x4 and polycarbonate . Just have to put it together. Soon so it is ready for winter.

Where did you get the polycarb and is it single/twinwall/triplewall? Thanks.

MrsJustice · November 17, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by korney19

Where did you get the polycarb and is it single/twinwall/triplewall? Thanks.

Hello Everybody!!!

You can find these types of Greenhouses at Home Depot, Lowes, or many garden shops. Many small garden shops will order for you. I am thankful for using them this year because I just found the cover that blows off last night. I am just putting the top back on. So with great structure support "stronger than the one that comes with it' works great.

4season · November 17, 2019

Got it at Home Depot. Don't get the cheaper wavy stuff, it turns dark brown in our sun in a year or two. They only had single wall but there are people around that sell the double wall. I didn't look

4season · November 17, 2019

We are warm enough most winters that double wall isn't needed. A floating row cover in the greenhouse will almost always beenough.

August 23, 2018	#1
4season Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: albuquerque Posts: 308	Small greenhouse suggestions Looking for a greenhouse about 10 or 12 or 12 by 16 more or less. Harbor Freight has the 10 by 12 that can be reinforced but I want something that is not 10 1/2 feet tall and I don't want to dig a 2 foot hole to put it in. Any suggestions ?

August 23, 2018	#2
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	you need to anchor it somehow and 2 and a half feet is good.if you can get it in that far.... and a bit larger rather than smaller is better. the air mass stays warmer longer at night time. and trust me... it will never be big enough. __________________ carolyn k

August 23, 2018	#4
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	nooo noo! just pound the posts into the ground, no need to dig a hole for the house. the house needs to be anchored to the ground so it can't blow away in a big storm. __________________ carolyn k

August 23, 2018	#7
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	You don't want the walls to be only 4' high if you are more than 4' tall yourself. the center should be at least 6' high. you will have to be bent over every time you go inside of it. you will want it at least a foot taller than you in the center. and 4 foot side walls are a waste of your structure if you put benches on the sides, it gives your plants no space to grow. even if you are planting in the ground you still need 6' sidewalls. most plants grow more than 4' tall __________________ carolyn k Last edited by clkeiper; August 23, 2018 at 09:11 PM.

August 29, 2018	#9
svalli Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Vaasa, Finland, latitude N 63° Posts: 838	I have had the Harbor Freight 10x12 here in Finland for seven years now. The side walls are 6’ 6” and I do really recommend it for the height of it. You may not get snow, but here the horizontal reinforcements are essential to prevent the greenhouse from collapsing under snow cover. People who have built lower greenhouses have had trouble since those are hard to reinforce, so that the additional structures are not in the way. I like that I can use the added reinforcement pipes for hanging baskets and tying support strings for tomatoes and cucumbers. I’m 5’ 6”, so I can just reach the pipes, which are at same height as the side walls. Right now most of my tomatoes have grown well above the side wall height, so I would be in trouble, if the greenhouse was lower. Mine is built on concrete blocks, which are buried in the ground and above those there is a base made from pressure treated lumber instead of the steel base. The original steel base was rusted, when I opened the box, which had been transported over the Atlantic and kept in dry storage for three years. You can read here about my building project. I do not really understand how would it work to use this greenhouse structure, so that the walls would sit in 2’ deep hole. To do that I would buy some greenhouse kit with 4' wall height and get the inside height taller by digging a hole and building the underground walls from concrete blocks or bricks and set the greenhouse on top of those. Sari __________________ "I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream." - Moomin-troll by Tove Jansson

August 23, 2018	#5
eyegrotom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: So Cal Posts: 380	Hi 4season you might want to call Harbor freight and check, I think that when they say it's 10 1/2 feet tall it's the top of the roof the walls are probably 8 feet tall. I might be wrong. Mike

August 25, 2018	#8
4season Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: albuquerque Posts: 308	Everything will be planted in the ground, no benches. If son wants to help we may build something otherwise I will dig a 2 foot trench for the foundation, I refuse to have 8 foot walls.

August 29, 2018	#10
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Chain link top rail is fairly cheap, about $1 per foot. I use 1.5" EMTs angles, one for the top and one cut in half to make two 45s for the sides, which slip into chain link posts. I'd guess your metal parts would run a couple hundred bucks, with lumber and poly covering you could build a sturdy structure that will last for years for under $500.

November 17, 2019	#14
4season Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: albuquerque Posts: 308	Got it at Home Depot. Don't get the cheaper wavy stuff, it turns dark brown in our sun in a year or two. They only had single wall but there are people around that sell the double wall. I didn't look