Planning a greenhouse before spring..

[Rey]

So.. I am really new to this but I like challenges. I am planning to get a metal / glass greenhouse and I came across Halls Supreme.. https://greenhouses.com/halls-supreme/p/63918/100392

I really like the design and material but unfortunately it is not available here in the USA. So I settle with this..
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/winter-gardenz-glass-greenhouse-6-wide/glass-greenhouses

I dont intend to use it on winter for my cactus and succulents. I just need a good place for my cacti so they got get soak in the rain. I do like to put my succulents during fall to bring their good stress colors.
I have a yard for it but I am planning what would be the best flooring? Can I just lay stone slabs over grass? Thanks

 

[MoonShadows]

@Rey Welcome to the world of greenhouses! That Hall's is a nice looking greenhouse. Too bad it is not available in the States. May I make a suggestion. Instead of glass, go with a double or triple wall polycarbonate. While glass makes a beautiful looking greenhouse, it can easily break, even though it is tempered. It has a poor thermal efficiency, and there is a greater potential for having your plants burned because of it's clarity...more so than if you just had the plants outside. Polycarb has a better thermal efficiency, is many times stronger than glass (almost unbreakable unless you take a hammer to it), produces a diffused light which helps prevent burning or scorching of plants. Of course, if you are buying glass so you can admire your plants from outside the greenhouse, too, then I guess double or triple wall polycarbonate is off the short list.

Are you a fan of that onion-shaped greenhouse? If so, there are others on the American market that are made in that shape. The onion shape is very good in the wind, and tends to get little snow build up because of it's shape.

I did notice the one from Greenhouse Megastore says it " has been designed to withstand constant wind speeds of 70mph, or gusts up to 90mph", but further down they say, "considered to be a non-engineered structure and does not have documented information in regards to hail protection or load bearing requirements."...which means while it was "designed" to handle those winds, it has NOT been tested in those winds, and they have no idea what the load bearing requirements are (think snow!). It is really important that you get a greenhouse that had been designed AND tested for wind and snow. I've seen too many hobby greenhouses a twisted wreck because of the wind and snow.

Best of luck with your new greenhouse. It's one of the best investments I ever made in terms of enjoyment!

 

[CanadianLori]

I have a Palram polycarbonate. They can be purchased through Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco.

https://palramapplications.com/shop/ and it is a heck of a lot less expensive. ..

It is single not dual wall. I added window film to create an air pocket to create a little insulating effect. When anchored it withstands high winds, does not break when anything is knocked against it or dropped on it. Mine is sitting on my wood deck however if I were to have it down on the lawn, I think I would go with stomp stones. Those plastic things you simply stomp into the grass. Then if you want to create beds inside, you just lift them and dig. I currently have them stomped in where my potting table sits in the summer and am impressed that they stay put.

I put my 6x8 up single handed. Took me 8 hours. I built my base, added fans, lighting, watering systems etc after and in order to do that no matter what type of greenhouse you have make sure that you leave an opening somewhere along the base to feed wires, hoses, whatever.

I bought two more that are 6w x 4d for the deck at the side of my house. Put them together myself and etc etc..

 

[Rey]

Thanks for all inputs, I am worried about snow since sometimes we get over 12inches, the halls supreme is arched in such a way that the snow might just fall off. I really like the design and why why why only in UK!!! I do consider a double walled polycarbonate but I really need to cook my cactus so I need a good transparency. I plan to put a solar powered fan to circulate the air..

 

[Rey]

@MoonShadows I am no way near your expertise on this matter, I am browsing your greenhouse construction and try to learn

 

[MoonShadows]

@MoonShadows I am no way near your expertise on this matter, I am browsing your greenhouse construction and try to learn

All in good time, Rey. I still have a lot of learning to do, but if I can be of any help, it will be my pleasure.

 

[CanadianLori]

Thanks for all inputs, I am worried about snow since sometimes we get over 12inches, the halls supreme is arched in such a way that the snow might just fall off. I really like the design and why why why only in UK!!! I do consider a double walled polycarbonate but I really need to cook my cactus so I need a good transparency. I plan to put a solar powered fan to circulate the air..

The newer palrams have the twinwall tops which I didn't care for so I ordered replacement panels for the top of the new small one and a full replacement set for the older small one. They were cheap to buy. We just had 10 inches of snow and nothing seemed to be hurt...

happy summer day

snow on the outside - clear window film used to help innsulate

close up with more snow outside and then about 5 inches on the roof

 

[MoonShadows]

The Palram greenhouses, which now include the Rion line of greenhouses, (sold by Polytex.com here in the USA) are decent hobby greenhouses. I sold over $65,000 of them on a website I had in 2015., and never received a complaint. They do have their limitations, but as far as backyard growers greenhouses available online here in the USA, they are not bad. I would rate them as mid-line for the typical backyard greenhouse grower.

 

[MoonShadows]

Just took a closer look...are those ceiling fans made for the Palram greenhouse or are they something you bought and fit to your greenhouse. I like them. Also, I can see the 1953 in that stain glass piece, but what is that above it?????

 

[alp]

@CanadianLori You're such an inspiration. I wish I lived near you or in fact, you lived near me .. That way you had a longer, muuuuuuch longer growing season!

 

[CanadianLori]

The fans are dc fans that I bought online. I had to make the brackets to mount them. 2 lb hammer, hacksaw and dremel came into good use for this. They very efficiently move the air. I have them on DC timers. I use the same timers in the winter to run LED's at night - just for the fun of it - and then in the summer, for about 5-6 minutes every hour to keep the air stirred. The fans run direct from solar panels in the summer and then from batteries at night until I shut the house down. I also have a couple of turbine fans and desk fans that run on dc. The only thing that runs off the house ac is the radio. For some reason after converting dc to ac it creates a nasty buzzing noise when playing the radio so I just stuck with ac. It used very little power and I don't have it turned on very often.

I also added louvres to each of the greenhouses. The smaller ones, well, I had to take them apart. Again. To put the louvres in.

I have way to much paraphernalia in the bigger greenhouse and will need to do a spring cleaning before moving plants into it.

 

[MoonShadows]

Do you remember where you bought the DC overheads?

 

[CanadianLori]

mine are similar to this one - this one is a lot cheaper so maybe only good for one season

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/DC12V-5W-Pl...805213?hash=item3621d4731d:g:5BoAAOSwXedZwzK3

 

[alp]

So nice to have you on this forum, @CanadianLori !

 

[Rey]

After all research, I decided to build this one. I am still thinking if 4mm and 6mm polycarbonate double wall matters if the most wind I get on my backyard is 30MPH during storm because I am surrounded with hilly properties, the price difference is about $500. I am reluctant to have glass because if rocks get cought on my mower and hit the walls it might shatter.. Since polycarbonate is much stronger and flexible than glass and much lighter I decided this is my best choice. This one seems reasonable and the complete kit comes with base, a solar powered fan and vents.

https://climapod.com/shop/climapod-9x12/