General Schvantzkoph wrote:
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? There also seems to be a
class of greenhouses that are a step up, around $600-$700. The cheap
ones are basically plastic tents, the mid priced ones are aluminum
and polycarbonate. I'd like your opinions on both types. In my heart
of hearts I've always wanted a proper glass Victorian greenhouse, but
that's real money so I want to see if a greenhouse is helpful to me
before I make that kind of investment.

My experience is limited to a small cheap portable one that would probably
be called a cold frame more than a greenhouse but it has all the problems
that you will face with a bigger version.

- Too hot when the sun shines on it and high humidity encourages fungi, I
have to open up flaps to allow it to cool on warm days.

- Blows away in strong wind, I move it to shelter and/or tie it down.

- Loses heat quickly at night, I move it under shelter.

- Limited lifetime, even "UV stabilised" plastic will only last a few
years.

David