I had a greenhouse many years ago. It had a redwood frame and corrugated fiberglass panels. The panels were not transparent, but the plants got enough light to do well. The problem was the heating costs. The thin, single panels didn't hold the heat at all. And it was blown apart in one of our famous 'noreaster' storms one winter. I had a temperature warning alarm in the house if it fell below 40 degrees F, but I was away that night. When I got home, one whole panel was ripped off and others were barely attached. I lost everything! My biggest loss were more than 30 species orchids that had been collected from felled rain forest trees in Mexico and India!

I would recommend a temperature alarm that you can hear in the house, and placing the greenhouse close to the house so you don't have to shovel a long path. (Mine was too far away.......had to shovel over 100 feet!). Try to site it where it might have some protection from strong winds, and also not near or in the "wind path" of any trees that drop sap, debris or such. Also, think about having a water source close by, or even installing an underground supply from the house. I carried too many buckets of water, and in winter, a real hassle! You will also probably need electricity brought out.

I'm sure he's happy to be getting a greenhouse. I went to the Farm Tek site and read the specs, and it seems like a good product. It has twin polycarbonate walls, which will help reduce heating costs. The frame is powder coated aluminum so it should look good for a long time. Overall it seems nice.

I hope he enjoys it and wish you all the best!

{{gwi:5901}}

You can now get temperature alarms that will notify you via cell phone if that helps.

nhbabs I"ll have to look for that thank you!
Bill you give great advice per usual
Bill you must have been heartbroken over your orchids.I am so sorry!

We don't plan on having anything as valuable in his GH ..Mainly to be used to start tomato and basil pepper seeds for the plant sale we run for childrens hospital
Its going to have heat (propane, electric, and water all on site!

NHBabs, that's good to know! Of course, mine was long before cell phones came along. Years before even the cinder-block-sized ones! LOL!

Ontheteam, I was heating mine all season, because I was growing tropical and sub-tropical stuff. I did feel really bad about the orchids because they were mature plants that had actually been collected from the felled trees by volunteers. I doubt that they'd even be allowed into the country now.

Anyway, your heating costs shouldn't be so bad if you're only heating starting in late winter for seed starting. You might also help things along with heating cables/mats under the seed flats. Just a thought. Best of luck with it!

{{gwi:5901}}

Elliott Coleman raises seasonal veggies in his cold greenhouses in Maine, and some of his strategies might help keep the heating costs down, like covering plants inside the greenhouse with row cover at night to add a few extra degrees. He's written several books that you might find at the library.

I know about the dialing alarms from a friend who used to farm cut flowers commercially. They couldn't afford to let their greenhouses get too cold for fear of losing their crop.

I wondered where that post had gone. It went to the wrong thread, sorry.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Sun, Sep 29, 13 at 16:58

lol I was a little confused Claire thanks for clearing
that up