Small Greenhouses

[jvs]

I am thinking about buying a small Greenhouse for the yard.  It will probably double as a shed so it cant be too small, but it doesnt have to be huge either.  I have checked them out on the net for a while to see exactly what is available and I see that there are basically two types.  One appears to have Plexiglass panels that fit into a frame and the other type has what looks like Plastic that is rolled over a frame and anchored at various points.


My questions are:


Does anyone here have experience with either type and what do you think?


and...


Would either type be superior for extreme snowfall weight. 


We have a tendency of getting up to 30 inches of snow during the worst of Blizzards and anywhere from 3 to 10 ft drifts.  It doesnt happen often, but it does happen.  Obviously any greenhouse has to be strong enough to hold heavy snow until it melts.


Any ideas?



 

[keith44]

First hand experience with green house, no.  I did buy a canvas "storage shed" two years ago, and will never recommend one to anyone!!


A friend and co-worker built one (a green house) from salvaged window panes and it does well, but lessons learned from his may help you in your decision.  On warmer days with plenty of sunshine the temp inside the green house can reach 120 degrees F, so some form of ventilation is required, and a thermostat controller makes it easier.  In his case a device will open certain panels or close them as needed, and a secondary contact starts a fan if more cooling is needed.


Double layer glazing with a 2 to 3 inch air barrier between will help insulate the green house on cold nights through the late fall and early spring. 


As for serving double duty as storage, due to the higher humidity levels that may not be a good idea.


So I guess what I am saying is use the panel model, it will be more durable, but be very careful about what you try to store in this building.

[bilmac]

I think the models that have just a layer of visqueen are meant to be recovered every year.

There are different kinds of plastic panels. The best to my mind are kind of like corragated cardboard. Two layers with an airspace between. That may be more than you need depending on what you want to do with it. I built some green houses for use in Alaska that were just single layer plastic panels, but we just used them to lenghten the season enough that we could grow maters.

[Drilling Man]

  I always got at least 2 yrs. out of my greenhouses when i covered them with 6mil. visqueen.
 
  As was said, the corragated pannels are best, but make sure you aren't buying a cheaper grade that won't last as long as you want them too.
 
  DM

[charles p]

Friend of mine stick built one using plactic pannels to let in sunlight.  Worked great but needed a fan to exhaust excess heat.  Had to get municipality to run him electricity after other "solutions" failed to vent it.  Last hurricane did not destroy it.