I saw a couple of suggestions that you put up a greenhouse. It all
depends on what you want the result to do and to look like. A shed is
probably better looking than a greenhouse, but for starting plants a
greenhouse will do a better job than a shed with a few extra windows.

A small greenhouse can be built for fairly short money if you just build
a frame and cover it with plastic. There are a number of kits out there
that you can choose among if you don't want to do your own design. Note
that construction plastic is inadequate for a greenhouse, since it's not
treated against UV in sunlight, and will disintegrate, probably within a
year.

Note also that a greenhouse (or for that matter a shed with extra large
windows) *****NEEDS***** ventilation for proper temperature control. I
have a 14x20 greenhouse. One time I closed it up on a sunny february day
(temp 30 F). The temperature inside got high enough to pin my
thermometer, which tops out at 130 F. I have baked plants when I didn't
open the greenhouse in time.

Ventilation is most easily provided by an exhaust fan. You need an air
intake to open when the fan is in operation. My first greenhouse just
had a door that opened inward, on a spring. When the fan came on it
sucked the door open. Easy. For the next greenhouse I got fancy and
installed a motor-driven louver that turns on with the fan. You probably
need more of a fan than you might think. For the 14x20 I used a 30" fan.
For the 10x12 size you mentioned you might make do with 20" or 24". A
thermostat is required to turn it on when it gets hot.

If you can roll up the sides of the greenhouse (or open the shed
windows) you can turn off the fan. However, I would use the fan for cold
days and only open the windows or roll up the sides when the morning
temperature is reasonable when I leave for work.



James wrote:
I have been thinking of building (or buying) a garden shed with windows on
one side. The ones that I have seen pics of have a steep front roof with
long windows extending from near the top to near the bottom. It looks ideal
for starting seedlings early, extending plants past the season and various
other things. Does anyone have any experience with such structures?

They seem to run more than a regular storeage shed. Those go for anywhere
from $800 to $1800 in my neck of the woods and that's for pre-assembled. A
solar shed doesn't differ all that much except for the windows and a
different pitched roof and the cheapest I've found is one for about $2200
bucks

I'd rather not build one myself. I don't have the energy I did several years
ago when I would have tackled it quickly. I did get an estimate from a local
lumber company who builds houses too and got a whopping $4200 bucks for a
10'X12'. Any advice out ther would be appreciated.

Maybe a Jake leg carpenter?