Greenhouses

I've never began a garden early in a greenhouse or had a garden all year round inside one. I'd like to learn about them, what is the best to buy? Glass, poly, fiberglass, what should I choose? What are the best brands to purchase? I've looked into a solar prism greenhouse and from what i've read it could be a nice one...but they're on the expensive side. The one I was looking at was 8x8x15. As a beginner, can anyone give me advice on what would be the best one to buy????

It's going to depend a little bit on what you want to do with it. If you want to overwinter tropicals, then your Solar Prism would work fine, but something made with twinwall polycarbonate will probably be the best combo of lower cost + ability to hold in heat (in either case you'll also need a heater). Harbor Freight has the cheapest ones like this, but even though they're cheap people who have them are generally pretty happy with them. They're supposed to be kind of a pain to put together and I think they come with poor directions, but there are instructions out there on the internet posted by people who've put them together. Here's a link to their 10x12 model, but they also make a 6x8. http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-12-ft-greenhouse-with-4-vents-93358.html

If you're just looking to get a little bit of a headstart on seeds in the spring before you hit your last frost date, then some of the really cheap ones covered with flexible plastic can work--here's one example but there are lots of others too http://www.amazon.com/Flower-House-FHSP300-SpringHouse-Greenhouse/dp/B00012D02W They won't work well for overwintering tropicals though, they just don't hold in heat well enough.

I agree entirely with what Ecrane has said, and as an avid Greenhouse gardener, I would add several other hint / tips for you to consider while making your choice of House,
As I live in UK and don't know what zone you are in, some things may not apply to your situation so ignore any that are not relevant.

Greenhouses are wonderful, prolonging your season, helping to start seeds off earlier, sheltering tender plants that can only be set out for summer and must be brought inside for winter protection, they also cost a lot in time, money and equipment so you need to be absolutely sure this is for you OR, you end up with a very expensive storage shed.

As for what type of house to have, in my experience, wood and Glass structures are way best, (a) for getting max light, (b) for ease of repair/maintenance, and (c) overall appearance, you can fit a wooden (hardwood) structure with either plastic type glass windows / roofs etc, if you don't get lots of high winds or heavy snow fall this will be fine, I would say the plastic / Polly stuff looses it clearness as it ages with the sunlight but it is much cheaper at building stage and so much lighter in weight,
Glass is tougher and looks better, but it breaks with footballs and other kids activities, this can be dangerous too if the glass smashes, BUT, by far, it looks good, easier to clean windows, and lets in more light in winter time, BUT will cost more than twice what the plastic windows will cost for the erection, how often plastic needs changed depends on how the stuff is cared for, glass is easier to purchase but normally is more robust.

A greenhouse or Frame should be sited with the roof ridges running North-south
to get the best winter light and heat from sun.
A greenhouse makes it difficult to go away on holiday from spring/summer as this is the hottest, fastest growing period and for seeds, the time to either plant, prick out the seeds or pot them up into bigger pots, winter is a time to put plants to bed inside, but the greenhouse still needs ventilating, watering and general care to make sure your plants don't suffer from mold, mites or pests eating them that have been brought inside already on the plants.

Once you have your house of your choice, you will need some benches to work on, to sit your potted plants / seed trays etc, it is also good to have a large Bin to store your compost (shop bought) this allows the compost to reach the same temp as the plants/seeds you are working on, seed trays, lighting IF you work as I do till late evening, heater for winter NIGHTS ONLY, as you want your plants to just tick over for winter till spring and then NO heat. what kills plants under glass is improper watering, not being vigilant looking for bugs / deceases etc, wrong watering etc MOST important, lack of ventilation, even in coldest winter days, you need to open a couple of windows or the door to allow clean fresh air to circulate and change to damp air, even just one hour mid day helps in winter, I use this time to work on my plants like, nip out growing tips, remove dead foliage or just general tidy up as the greenhouse does get messed up with old pots, seed packets, spilled compost and this helps to make hiding places for bugs etc.

Last of all, remember out in the garden there are four seasons, under glass there is no beginning or end as every day there is something to be done or you can do depending what you grow, like IF you grow tropical plants under glass they need treated like they are in there own habitat and will need cared for each day, if you just want to start off some seeds, I would not recommend the expense of a greenhouse, I got my greenhouse built by a builder and to keep the cost down, we begged, and searched for old windows that get removed or replaced, this saved a lot of cash, an old door was carted home from the dump and cleaned /repainted, we used New hardwood for structure set onto low brick walling, but remember I live in a different zone and our summers can be quite cool, winter Baltic or summer is very wet, so you need to pick out what you can use from what is above, not to put you off, a greenhouse is a life saver for plants, body and mind, it is expensive to start off and you have to justify this by making full use if it ALL year round, as for equipment, you gather it as you go along, even on ebay, neighbours or church jumble sales, so look carefully and good luck, greenhouses are fun provided you are there looking after them or get help when you are away, Hope this helps you get started and you can enjoy, the only advice I was given was to have the biggest one you can afford as once you have a small one, you regret the little space you have inside for storage, work area and pots. so keep that in mind too.

There are books on greenhouse growing, planting AND fitting out available at book store or Library, they are worth a good read.
Take care and take time to decide. WeeNel.




Where you site the house is very important to get the best use of it, like sun, cold, shade, wind and any other elements that affect your area.

Mo, come on over to the greenhouse forum, lots of the information will be found there. I'm also from MO, and I'll be glad to help answer questions.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/greenhouse/all/

I have a rion double poly. I use it for overwintering tender plants with a small electric barn heater set for 50 degrees and for a giant head start for seeds in late winter through June. Mine is empty in the summer, I have all the doors and windows open or it gets too hot.