There is a use for these mini greenhouses

8 Comments

1. Debra's frugal life 1 year ago

   Mine didn't even last a week the wind shredded it 😞. I will definitely wait and build one them cheap ones just don't hold up .

2. Cynthia Martinez 1 year ago

   I have a bigger one (20×10) I bought on Amazon in early winter. I guess it's more of a hoop house. We did have to reinforce quite a bit to withstand strong winds (stronger ropes and stakes plus sand bags to hold the sides down.) The biggest advantage for me was being able to garden through the winter. I had some of the same plants outside unprotected and most of those either died or were stunted and struggled to grow. It also made hardening off my warm season plants so easy. When we had warmer days in March, I would put them in there. Now it's time to plant I didn't have to do much to harden them off. I plan to use it as a season extender in the fall when we usually get a frost/light freeze followed by warm weather for another 2-4 more weeks.

3. AJ B. 1 year ago

   I have had 2 of the mini one, the one that's about 1 seedling tray wide and nearly as deep, 4 shelves high. I would see them on sale in the spring at Menards ( the building and house & garden store in WI here /the mid-west) for $20. At that same time ( b4 extreme inflation) I'd see them advertised for MUCH more in gardening catalogs. They're definitely NOT worth more than $20 or $30 imo ! My main issues with it are that the lower levels each get blocked from much sun ( by early May anyways) by the trays above them, and my main issues was the zipper failing on them. My 1st one wasn't too bad, it lasted a few years – and I didn't keep it outside all summer , definitely when it was consistently warm enough to do so, I'd take the cover off and put it back indoors. So, that 1st one wasn't too bad per what ya expect for the price point and etc. , and sun damage on the plastic around the zipper, it getting brittle and breaking down badly. The 2nd one I got tho… the zipper itself failed that 1st season. I tried to fix it and make do and etc. but it just broke down totally on the one side of the doorway. Id gotten the 2nd one only because the price of a replacement cover was as much as the price of a whole new unit, and I can always use the shelving. Which brings us to that – . They aren't terribly sturdy obviously, but one can store winter squash on em in the cellar ( smaller types, with air space between them) & other light stuff. I wasn't sure about making both un-fully-collapsible so I limited my husband to doing his idea to just one unit, but when seeing me struggle the one year with them not staying together very well as I was trying to set it up and position it etc., he offered to use up some glue-ey caulking or something he had to use up anyways, on making the frame more permanently attached. I decided to have him just do this in 2 halves, a top tier and bottom. One one of em, we also replaced the wire ridgepole thing with w length of 2×2 we cut from some we owned, his idea also, to give me something sturdy to go up and over with strapping, not blocking the doorway, to secure the unit to screw-down ground anchors ( we'd picked up some various sizes at an auction & they worked great for this, the bigger sizes in looser, sandy soil). I'd been brainstorming about ways which wouldn't interfere with the cover fitting well, because, back to issues w that…they make it fit too snugly ! Makes it nearly a 2-person job to zip the cover at times, etc. ! And I'm sure that struggling with that , contributes to the zipper fatigue ! So, as far as paying more than under $50 bucks for it, I wouldn't, if you have any help at all and enough little more $ to instead build some fairly simple greenhouse such as a cattle panel hoop-house ( see Lumnah acres or Edible Acres or others) , or a flip-top hoop or wood frame structure which can fit on , even be hinged to, a raised-bed frame like James Prigioni did.

4. Patrick Miller 1 year ago

   I wonder if you put another layer and a blower. put a real door if it while your at it

5. Shannon Riley 1 year ago

   I think I just need a good, large, cold frame. The practical part of me says that in zone 7 I could accomplish what I want, hardening off seedlings and growing greens in the winter in a cold frame. But then I dream of a greenhouse 😂

6. Danielle Terry 1 year ago

   Mine was flimsy and even with steel stakes it blew into my above ground beds and ripped. That was my 10×10 I haven’t put up my 10 x 20 till I get straps to tie down…going to use those cork screw things you can attach dog run line hope that can hold it down from high winds, will have more time to try in October . Won’t need it till then

7. Ray Mirshahi 1 year ago

   I use it to grow oyster mushrooms inside in winter. You need to add humidity inside and also vent out the carbon dioxide though.
   Thanks for the video. Good luck to both you and your son.

8. lynette stauffer 1 year ago

   I've had success with putting a smaller "greenhouse" inside my high tunnel and it helps hold the heat.