On Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:36:25 -0700, Suzanne D. wrote:

"General Schvantzkoph" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about getting a greenhouse this year to extend my season
(I live in Massachusetts). Last fall someone on this group suggested I
try a popup greenhouse because they are very cheap (under $150, some as
low as $50), rather then make any kind of major investment. Does any
one have any experience with them?


I bought a $110 plastic greenhouse from Walmart. It was easy to
assemble. The workmanship was a little shoddy, but nothing drastic--just
a zipper off-kilter, some crooked seams, that sort of thing.

There were two problems I saw, and these might not be problems for you:

1. It didn't stay warm at night. I'd see seedlings popping up during
the day (when it was VERY hot inside the greenhouse), then they'd die
overnight. If you are going to put some nighttime heating in it, then
this probably wouldn't be an issue for you.

2. The wind completely took it away. We staked it down all around AND
put concrete cinderblocks around the perimeter of the greenhouse, but on
one windy night the entire thing was pulled up from its stakes and blown
into a tree, where it twisted and broke. The plastic was ripped, and
the metal bars were bent and sheared clean off at some places. (A few
of the stakes were still in the ground; the wind had separated the poles
at the joints and lifted them away!) If you do not have a lot of wind
where you live, this shouldn't be a problem.

I really like the idea of these inexpensive greenhouses, but for me it
was a waste of money.
--S.

Thanks for your feedback. Both of those things are issues, I wondered how
something that was basically a tent could stand up to any kind of wind,
apparently they can't.