Harborfreight greenhouse

I was wondering how well this thing held heat at night. I am about to get one.. If I don't wuss

JazzP, you may want to take a look at a link on construction of the HFGH in the sticky thread at the top. There is a tutorial of sorts. Good luck! SB

I sealed my panels in with silicone and used greenhouse bubble wrap during the winter. It did really well.

charlotte

Thanks guys. I emailed the link to my Dh since he is in charge of construction.
I was wondering about the heat since I want to drag some plant out there as soon as it is up. The brugs are taking up too much space!!! I really don't want to kill them but I am hoping that the GH will keep it at least warm enough that they won't die without having to add a heater. What do you think?

This time of year, you'll be fine without a heater. Your immediate problem will be cooling. SB

Thanks Stressbaby :)

HF was also selling an auto vent opener which I was going to get.. although none of the local ones seems to carry it

hmmm didn't know HF had a vent opener too - where did you see it? I go out in my nightie every morning to open mine....

HF has had their auto vent openers on backorder. I think they just got them in. I purchased my auto vent opener from Lee Valley, but there are many places online that sell them.

The vent alone will not cool the HFGH. You need another method of cooling & moving the air. I've got 70% Aluminet installed in my HFGH, plus 2 solar fans mounted on the polycarbonate (one at each end). I've also got 4 smaller fans inside to help in moving the air inside. I plan on getting intake shutters & a fan for mine.

The bad new is that my greenhouse is still not up! (ARGH) the good news is that it isn't supposed to go below 50 through the weekend so I am going to drag the brugs outside anyway

Sandi.. you say the vent alone won't cool the greenhouse? Will it be sufficient for seed starting? I don't plan on having anything in there year round.. what do you think?

Here is a photo of how far we have gotten.. as you can see there is a bumper crop of dandilions in Ohio this year :)

Jazz, today it was in the upper 80s & the temp my mom's newly built HFGH (mine's been up for several months now) was 120. Hers is bare bones right now. Nothing is installed in hers yet except for the vent opener.

yikes

Jazz, it is said that natural ventilation (ridge vent and screen door) will keep a greenhouse cool to within 30*F of the outside air. Add an exhaust fan and you get down to within 10*F of the outside air. Add shade cloth to that and you'll get to within 4*F of outside air...these are just rough guidelines, mind you. Maybe you can look at the outside temps when your seedlings would be in the GH and use the above to figure out if you need more cooling. SB

Most days would probably be warm enough for me to open the screen door in the morning so maybe I can get by with it.. I don't have electricity in the garden so an exhaust fan isn't an option.. hmm.. maybe I can get a zillion of those little solar powered window exhaust fans?? lol

Jazz, at the other house, I just ran an outdoor extension cord (like 100'long) out to the greenhouse and used a box fan. If you leave the window and door open, just a $20 box fan helps a lot! You can also go out there and mist the inside of the panels and the air whenever you get a chance and that cools it down immediately. I've left both my greenhouse and hoop house open the last three nights and everything is doing great-even brugs, ears and tender annuals.

Its been in the 80s here already and with both vent and door open it was 113 in my HFGH yesterday. I don't have electricity to it yet, so no fans. I am ordering shade cloth soon.

Sandi - where did you get solar powered fans?

Becky

Thanks Chele.. my brugs are sitting out in the yard right now but I think the temps are supposed to dip Monday and I wanted to get them in the GH by then... darn weather isn't cooperating today!

Beclu..I made the soloar fan comment and i was thinking of those little ones that you put in your car windows that are supposed to vent out the hot air but don't really do much.. that is why I said I needed a zillion..lol

Just came back to say that I googles solar fan and found a whole bunch that are especially made for greenhouses.. who knew and how cool! They aren't cheap but hey they aren't using electricity and if you get a large enough panel you might be able to power something else in the GH.. ::going off to explore some more::

Progress :)

Oh and I wanted to thank Stressbaby again for the link to the instructions for assembling the Greenhouse. I printed them off and put them on a clipboard for the DH and it really helped make it less frustrating. I didn't see the air turn blue once out there :)

You're welcome, JP, but Dax (conifers) did the work, he's a subscriber here at DG.

Please continue to post pics. :-)

I am at work right now (I know.. bad bad punkin) but hopefully when I get home (7pm) the door will be on and it will be full of brugmansia :)

You are breezing right along! I have to go out and make room for my seed grown canna in the hoop house in a bit. It's about 50 right now and supposed to go down a few degrees tonight. I have about 50 seed grown canna sitting in the back yard and still another 200 to pot up. LOL

Hey, haven't seen you posting on the Ohio RU threads. Are you going to try to make it??

Hey Chele,

Yes, the brugs all made it into the GH last night and it is so cool out I didn't open up the vents today since I think tonight is going to be cooler. Hope I don't fry the critters!

You are busy as usual! What color cannas??

Ohio RU?? What Ohio RU? I need to go to RU forum and look I guess! Thanks for the heads up!

This message was edited Apr 17, 2006 12:11 PM

The first canna I did already are all from saved seed. They will probably mostly be the small red flowers on huge plants. I grow those for the hummers. Many of them are saved off named ones too but I don't seperate so they will be surprises. I also have 100 tropical rose and 100 tropical yellow I grew from seed. I still don't have all the ones I bought and stored potted, but soon enough. LOL

omg..and I am moaning about having to pot up a few tomato seedlings.. sheesh

OK.. Finished greenhouse picture

With all the brugs moved inside.. and before you comment.. no that one isn't wilted.. it was in a tiny pot and I left it too long before repotting and it grew funny.. it hasn't had a chance to straighten up yet.

And last but not least.. my tomato seedlings.. CG and Cricket eat your hearts out! (LOL)

Hey Jazz,

Your pictures didn't get posted, since the new server was being replaced, so could you repost them. I just love seeing all your greenhouses....grinning from envy. lol

Donna

SoCal, they where here earlier today and the greenhouse looked great with the brugs in there.
Janett

Hi SoCal.. It was a temporary glitch. I had another thread where my pics disappeared too! but all has returned!. I have been going out and visiting my greenhouse every day.. just to look at my plants and see how they are doing.. The little tomato seedlings are getting so STOCKY!! I love it.. nice fat stems.. And I was able to nip a wasp nest in the bud.. She liked my greenhouse also but I'm zoned for single family :)


Thanks Janet, you know what? I was fighting spider mites all winter and I had these outside for 3-4 days before the greenhouse got together.. well there isn't a single spider mite visable! I sprayed them down with neem just before I put them in there anyway but do you think the ladybugs had a feast or something?

Oh you served the Ladybug breakfast lunch dinner and a midnight snack.
Those darm mites are NASTY ............YUCK. had a bit of them too this winter but they where soaped away fast. I use a liquid pinesoap and water 1 part soap 4 parts water. spray and let it be on for about half hour and then shower the plant. usually just have to do it ones and the are gone and buried in the sewer.
Is there any way to see on the plant if its a datura or a brug before they put out flowers.??
Asking this since they Motell/gasstation filed bankruptcy last fall and the owners left 10 pots outside and they where only short stems in there and the freeze got them. I did take what was in the pots. put it inside to dry out (they where SLIMY) and then started to water the stumps and from the soil came new sprouts that I cut off and potted up. So currently I have about 15 plants growing indoors that I havent got the foggiest hint of what they are......Brugs or Dats.
Janett

hmm.. well brugs have larger leaves and get bigger than Dats. The leaves are different not as deep green and more scalloped. I would look at some pictures online and see if you can see what I mean.. The leaves aren't as substantial on Dats (if that makes sense)