GH obsessive syndrome need help!!

Hi! Totally new here! Love it so far.Lots of info I can use in so many places! It makes my head spin!
I am completely obsessing on getting a GH.To the point of distraction. I need to make some sort of decision soon or my poor husband will commit me.:)
I have a couple of questions .First, in the Seattle area, what would be the minimum wall thickness to have to be able to use the GH all year? Does it need to be double ply?? Would a Riga be over kill and a Rion be ok?
Also, has anyone ever used Factorydirectgreenhouse.com to purchase? I can't seem to find much on the net about them but some of their prices are quite good.

One last question...Is there anyplace in Seattle the sells GH's where a person could go look at them to see how well they are built etc?

Thanks! I look forward to participating here.

If I recall correctly, Seattle's in about zone 8a or so? It also depends on what you're planning to grow--are you overwintering tropicals, using it for seed starting, etc? If you're just doing seeds then you won't need as much heat as if you're trying to keep tropicals happy. Assuming you plan to heat it during the winter I'd go with the twinwall construction, that will hold the heat a lot better and save you money on heating vs the single wall. For perspective, I'm in zone 9a and I overwinter tropicals in mine (trying to keep nighttime lows at 55), I have the twinwall and I still feel like it costs way too much to heat it (I have an electric heater, gas may be more economical and I'm going to be looking into that next year). If you're planning on using it year round, I would also make sure the one you get is set up with ventilation. I know your summers don't get that hot, but on sunny winter days around here when the temps would get into the high 60's, it can get up over 100 in the GH if there's no ventilation.

Thank you! Yes, zone 8ish.
No tropicals but my cacti collection and grow a few cool weather veggies if possible. Yes, I would heat it when necessary and for sure ventilation.
When you say double wall do you mean like the Sunglo or the polycarb 6mm doublewall stuff?

I've just started looking but so far like the Riga and the Sunglo at Costco.[love those roundy shapes] For what I want those might be overkill and I would rather do it for less cost anyway. How can I find out which GH's are good for all seasons? Is there some magic formula??

The way you make them good for all seasons is shade cloth and good ventilation for the summer, and twinwall polycarbonate walls to help hold in heat for the winter. Some GH's may come with automatic vent openers but others you might have to buy those yourself separately (so make sure to consider that in your total when you're looking at costs). I don't know much about the Riga or Sunglo but I looked at Costco's website to see the prices, and those are pretty pricey, I think you could find something cheaper that would still do the job (although to be fair, I was shopping for GH's in the 6x8 size range since that's all I had room for, so I'm not familiar with the best prices out there on larger GH's like the ones they have, maybe you can't get something much cheaper that's that large.)

Well...I am only looking for a 6x8 up to 8x10 myself.:) No room for anything bigger.
I doubt I would buy one of those since they are a bit pricey for me but I do love the style. Do not see anything cheaper with similar shape. Oh well. I may end up settling for a HF 6 x 8 for around $350..I have also looked at the Julianas . Some of those have 6mm double wall. But cheaper is better for the pocketbook and also since I have never actually had a GH it might be good to start small and work up.
From reading around it seem that some of the HF ones have problems with the panels getting holes in them...seems to be mostly in the southern hotter states though .

I've got time to decide. I have to get the old dead tree out before I can put it up anyway. I would love to have one before the end of tomato season so I could put a couple of plants in there to extend the season.
Thanks for your help ..I so appreciate it.:)

Usually you get what you pay for, but in the case of the Harbor Freight I don't think it's really any worse quality than GH's the same size that cost twice or 3 times as much. They are kind of a pain to put together (but I think most of that sort of GH are a pain), and if you have wind I think there are some things you have to do to reinforce it. I think there's a thread somewhere in here that either has the info on what to do, or else a link to the site that does. If you really like the more rounded shape, there's a brand I looked at called Solexx, they have rounder shapes and I think the prices were fairly reasonable. Here's the mfg's website but I don't think they sell them directly from the website http://www.solexx.com/index.html

I put my Harbor Freight 10x12 up seven months ago, and I love it! I've been a big fan of these because of the good value for the price (although ecrane3 is right, I think it should be modified slightly for strength in winds.)

Unfortunately, a new controversy has just surfaced. Two people in southern states recently posted on another forum that their Harbor Freight polycarbonate panels have failed in 1-2 years (yellowing/small holes.) The Harbor Freight website says that the panels are "UV coated" and "nearly indestructible," so I emailed Harbor Freight, asking if they had received complaints of any panel failures. I received a reply including this quote:

Folks across the country have had Harbor Freight greenhouses for years without panel problems, so no one knows what this means...(a sporadic manufacturing flaw? Inadequate UV protection on all Harbor Freight poly panels? Only a problem in hot southern states?) I think it's too soon to tell yet, and my panels still look fine. However, one 10x12 owner in Texas is now buying better quality panels to replace his Harbor Freight roof panels, after only one year. I know Seattle doesn't have intense sun, but I thought I'd better mention this unsettling question. I'll post a new thread about this soon, to alert others who are considering Harbor Freight greenhouses.

I've updated my Harbor Freight greenhouse blog here
http://hfgh10x12.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-is-greenhouse-we-bought-link-it.html
with a bit more info.

Hope this doesn't muddle things up for you, Robin...consider it a yellow flag of caution, from someone who's keeping a close eye on her greenhouse panels! I truly love my Harbor Freight greenhouse, but if my panels fail from our intense sun, it won't be quite the terrific value I thought it was!
Sheri

I wonder if those people installed the panels correctly? I don't have a Harbor Freight, but I have a similar GH with UV-treated twinwall polycarbonate panels, and I remember they came with cling film on one side to mark the side that was supposed to face the sun, I guess they only UV treat one side of them. So if the HF panels are the same way and someone lost track of which side was which, or accidentally installed them all upside down, then they definitely could degrade quickly especially in a hot climate.

Ecrane3, exactly...that question came up in the other forum (where this first came to light.) The HF panels come with protective clear plastic on both sides, and no indication of which side is UV coated. The manual doesn't specify panel orientation. Over the years, folks have apparently been told by HF that both sides were treated (unlikely) or that it didn't matter which way they were installed (hmmm.) I also asked HF a carefully phrased question for clarification on that point specifically, and I've posted their vague reply in my new thread, here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/849862/

I didn't want to disrupt Robin's thread too badly, except to alert her to this new confusion!

I will say, Robin, I love my greenhouse to pieces! I know it's rather a daunting task to jump in to greenhouse ownership, but I have never regretted taking the plunge. I use mine for my cacti collection too, and it works beautifully. hope you enjoy yours as much as I am enjoying mine. :-)

Disrupt away! I need all the info I can get and I am not too easily muddled.Heh.
Interesting about the holes in the poly.I wonder if a batch got out without the coating on at all? I did not think that poly lasted for more than a few years anyway. I wonder how practical it would be to buy a few panels each year to replace it with that were 6 or 8 mm thick??Eventually the whole greenhouse would be better insulated. Can the HF GH take that sort of thicker poly I wonder??
I have been reading here and looking at every singe GH available online and I think since I cannot really afford the ones I like the look of that I will go with the HF one, the 6x8.
Now to find out what needs to be done to it so that it can withstand the winds we get here in the winter and spring..sometimes we get gusts to over 70mph.Don't want to have to go fetch the poly from the neighbors during a wind storm..
Can the HF GH withstand a few inches of snow? We do not get much but some years 8-10 inches or more.This last winter the snow avoided my house completely.:)
I am so excited I can hardly wait! I've read that the HF ones go on sale frequently ...I guess I'll wait for a sale.

Thanks so much to you both. You are helping me a lot!

Hmm.....I wonder if you could cut off the bottom of the HF 10x12 to make it shorter?? One section shorter and I would like that but it is too tall the way it is.






This message was edited May 18, 2008 12:34 AM

On sale you can get a HFGH for a little under $300. Google HFGH reinforcements for links. There is a GW thread by Conifers with a photo tutorial on the 6x8 construction. There is a GW FAQ on reinforcements and improvements to the 10x12.

Stressbaby

I don't recall the HF 10x12 one being any taller than the average greenhouse of that type--by the time you put some shelves and benches in there I don't think you'll really find the height is a problem. The trouble is that the roof is sloped, so if you try to make it shorter then you'll find you probably can't access the space on the sides of the GH very well, you'll be stuck with putting everything down the middle where it's taller.

Robin, some polycarbonate panel manufacturers supply a 10 year limited warranty on UV coated poly panels; they should last longer than a year or two. The problem is, polycarbonate panels are very expensive to replace, and you will easily spend several times more than the cost of the entire HF kit to buy new panels elsewhere. Danger, Will Robinson! I'd recommend that you check the price of polycarbonate panels at greenhouse suppliers first, before buying your Harbor Freight, just so you know what you may be facing if you have to replace panels. They usually add a hefty crating and shipping fee also (watch for that!) You may well be many dollars ahead by choosing a greenhouse with panels that are truly UV coated (if it turns out these are not, and that's my current guess.)

Your question about whether or not the HF can accept thicker poly is currently being explored by those with disintegrating roof panels. Early info is, wall panels can probably be replaced with 6 or even 8mm, but the roof panels, door panels, and roof vent panels present problems because of channels that accept the 4mm width. I have links in my other thread to ongoing discussions that might be helpful.

The side walls of the HF 6x8 are a bit over 4’ tall, and the height of the peak is just under 6 ½’ feet. Because of the short height, some people build this one on a wooden foundation made from 2x12’s set on edge, which adds another foot of height. (Then you have to step over the higher threshold, or build steps.)

The side walls of the HF 10x12 are almost 7’, and the height of the peak is 10’4”. If you add a 4x4” wooden foundation, it adds a few more inches. I love the height of my 10x12, but I think it also makes it a bit more unstable in high winds (in my yard, anyway.)

You can probably fit benches with two shelves on the side walls of the 6x8, versus benches with three shelves on the side walls of the 10x12. The general concensus is it will not work to shorten the 10x12 height, because the sliding doors are the height of the walls, and would be very difficult to modify (far more hassle than it's worth.)

Here's a link to conifer's excellent post on assembling the 6x8 (you'll need his help.) http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/strucs/msg1018342913355.html
My blog deals with the 10x12, but I do go over an important modification that applies to both sizes...screwing down the panels so they stay in place in winds.
http://hfgh10x12.blogspot.com/2007/08/this-is-greenhouse-we-bought-link-it.html

I realize I'm giving you mixed signals about the Harbor Freight...sorry! Until the panel controversy erupted a few weeks ago, I honestly believed they were a terrific value. Now, I'm not so sure. Panels are horribly expensive. I wish I could predict how long the HF panels might last in your environment, but this is uncharted territory for all of us. I'm just trying to let folks know about the potential problem, so they can make their own informed decision. :-(
Sheri

This is our greenhouse 8X6 that we purchased from Costco this April. They had it on clearance for $599.00 and that was the most for the money that I could find. Probably searched for a year. The tacky cover comes from a canopy that we already had and fits pretty good. Discovered by browsing the web that it is actually a Rion. We had some trouble getting the panels to fit so I sent Rion an e-mail. Lo, and behold, their national serviceman lives in another suburb of Dallas.
(DeSoto is a suburb of Dallas). He made a housecall and showed us the tricks. We discussed the directions and since he is the one that writes them, he was going to do some revision. In 2/3 of the floor we put down new carpet (free from a friend's leftover) and 12 sq ft of concrete blocks which works as a heat collector.

I love it and have only used it now for less than 2 months. This picture was taken 4/12/08. Got plumeria "sticks" from the coop and they have all sprouted and two have infloe. Have other colocasia and musa from another coop and they are growing by leaps and bounds from the extra protection. This is not even the time of year to need a GH in my climate but it has still made a difference. Even DH now agrees it was not just another pretty tool.

Of course, the deal at Costco is gone but here is the information on the directions:

Distributor is Systems Trading Corp.
450 Seventh Ave. Ste. 2806
New York, NY 10123
customer service
877-407-9100 EXt1
Fax 512-407-9242
customerservice@stcaustin.com

Silver Line/Green Line 6X8 100"x76"x80"

The gentleman that came from Rion is named Roy 888-404-7626 or Rosemary 877-407-9100 Super nice people