Portable Greenhouse
 

http://www.google.com/products?q=por...num=1&ct=title

Anyone have any experience with these products?

Re: Portable Greenhouse
 

I have a small one for seed starting, in the sunroom,
at night we add some hot water bottles and a cover.
If you plan on using it outside, wind is a problem,
and the sun would probably deteriorate the plastic.
For the cost of the bigger ones, you could fashion one made of polycarbonate panels,
and make it collapsible (if that is your concern).
Also, check the garden supply stores, now is a great time to buy things like these at a discount. (at least in my neck of the woods).

Re: Portable Greenhouse
 

I am also considering buying a portable greenhouse.

Does anybody have any experience with these? I would like to know if they are worth a few hundred dollars.

Re: Portable Greenhouse
 

I have experience with both the four-tier type encased in thin plastic (~$60) and a heavy-duty 8 mm-thick cold frame currently $450 on sale.

http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/su...106363a.jpg%7c

http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/su...tNumber=106363

I'd much rather have one of the heavy cold frames than twenty of those little "greenhouse" jobbers. First of all the heavy-duty cold frame maintains far more stable temperatures. I placed a remote temperature sensor inside each one winter and while the flimsy four-tier unit rapidly reached the same temperature as the rest of the outdoors, the cold frame moderated the temps significantly, resulting in higher lows and less time at those lows. Further, the four-tier unit could get extremely hot on a sunny day, while the cold frame was more moderate, again. The four-tier was also extremely unstable in the wind. Mine came with four tethers and stakes to stake the unit down. Yet the first good windstorm we got, the plastic just ripped from the stress of those ties and away the whole thing went. The cold frame, being lower to the ground and quite heavy has never budged.

The cold frame is also far more versatile. You can use it to harden off your seedlings for spring. Or you can use it to plant a winter garden in the ground. Or you can bury soil heating cables under it and have a hot box for some serious winter gardening. I line the back wall (north side) with reflective mylar to increase the light in the box. Sometimes I also pile straw bales or bales of the peat moss I bought on sale against the outside north wall for insulation/wind resistance.

If you don't want to spend that much, I would consider building your own hoop house instead of buying those fake hobby "greenhouses." They're worse than worthless, except just as shelves.

Re: Portable Greenhouse
 

I agree with just build your own cold frame. I built one for my raised beds. I used scrap wood and plastic. The overall size was about 3'x4'. The side walls were wood - 6" in the front and 12" in the back. The lid frame was made out of 1" pine scrap with plastic stapled to the top. You can get most of the stuff from the construction site dumpsters. I have recently built new raised beds out of 4"x6"x10' timbers. They are stacked 2 high. We bought enough fittings and pvc pipe to make a "mini" green house cover/cold frame to go over the top of the beds. Instead of arching the pvc, it will like kind of like a gable roof about 2 ft high.Attachment 59834 We will have 4 mil plastic to go over the frame.

Re: Portable Greenhouse
 

I thought about wrapping an old dog kennel in clear plastic for a greenhouse. Inside I would put 4 big black plastic 50 gallon drums full of water which would grab heat from the sun and keep it above freezing at night. their weight would also keep the plastic from acting as a sail in high winds.

Re: Portable Greenhouse
 

Hey! That is a great ider! I better go to HomeDepot and get some more plastic!