Thanks for the tip piece #12 wasn"t in my instuctions either, also they said that part 19 attached to the vertical stud #1 When in reality it attaches to part #3. What a confusing little project I think I got everything but the door on now thanks so much for all your help.

It started raining today and my husband put my frame together in the garare. We are going to take the frame to its resting space tomorrow.. I am hoping it will be ok to move it.. We found that the screws break very easy. We have had 4 break so far. So note to anyone. Screws may be a little weak. It took him 8 hours to put the frame together so hopefully by sunday I will be laying out my
greenhouse.
Thanks everyone
Cmh 35

I was a bit nervous about getting a 6X8 greenhouse with a door height of only 5'4" (being 6' tall), but I checked a local garden shop that had the Hall's 6X8 greenhouse up, and it has the same door clearance. When elevated, it was fine to enter, so Harbor Freight here I come.
I checked the website and found a local store. I called them this evening and they have the greenhouse in stock for $299, so I will be getting one tommorrow. Thanks for all the photos, tips about construction, and parts information. I'm looking forward to playing in the greenhouse! Jim

Jim,

Congratulations on your new arrival. You are going to have so much fun!!!!

Just keep in mind when you are putting it together that it is just part of the adventure, no matter how aggravating it may be. LOL

Cindy

haha...an adventure...I like that analogy...:)

Dave
Milwaukee

Help, help, oh HFGH afficionados. I've completed the frame construction of the greenhouse, and I have lots of little black plastic parts left over. Where do they go? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Jim

Mine are in a bag in the garage somewhere. They are to put at the ends of various aluminum channels but I think they are mainly for decoration. Someone please chime in if they are needed somewhere.

Its done...My wonderful hubby finish my greenhouse this week. Now I am working on the benches.
Has anyone put fans or humidty controlling units in theres.
6x8 is barely enough room for me and my plants.

Hooray, another greenhouse done. It truly was an adventure to try following the instructions, but with perseverance, and looking at the pictures posted by a number of folks here, we were able to get the greenhouse up and running.
We used 2X8's for the base, grounded by six 2 ft. lengths of pt 2x4's which were dug into the ground, cemented into place and screwed into the base.
It is clear to me that the panels need more support than the clips can provide to prevent wind damage, so I plan to silicone caulk the panels in place this week. Anyone have any tips on the caulking? I'm a tired, happy camper. Jim

100! YEAH!

check this out! we can go over 100 messages now !

CRAP!

Now someone needs to figure out how to move Harbor Freight Club 2 over to the end of this one.

Cindy

WWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone:

Just for those interested in adding things to their greenhouse without going the DIY route. I've been finding that addins for the Juliana Line of greenhouses is compatible with the Harbor Freight. I've add the hanging hooks and the T-bolts and, while a bit more expensive than DIY, They fit and work perfectly.

Dave
Milwaukee

Just want to bump this up; there's so much good information here. Looks like I may become a member of the club ... was planning on something different, but just receiving estimates for new main sewer line and driveway and feeling a little faint, and with pending hand surgery, I'm not sure how much I can do this season but ... I'm not giving up my dream, dang it!

The price looks right, and this gh certainly has a loyal following. I'll be sending my husband and adult son to read the messages and check out the pics, as they'll be doing the assembly for me.

You're all a wealth of information with your insightful questions, thorough and helpful posts, and the wonderful pictures ... especially the step-by-step construction pics! We're in coastal NJ, zone 7, and I'd like to see just how much I can extend the growing season without relying too heavily on supplemental heat, as well as perhaps overwinter some tender plants ... there'll have to be a little sitting spot for me, too.
Diane

This is my first post however I have read many post. I have a HFGH bought last Febuary. With pic from this forum I was able to put it together . That said I have a question. I accuired a pool insulation cover. I would like your opion on putting it on . Will it be to heavy when we get our usual ice storms here (Texas)? Robby

ROLL CALL.....
Where are ya? Whatcha doin? Been a while.....

I'm still trying to decide if I want the expense of heating a larger greenhouse. My heart says yes, my checkbook says maybe. LOL

Right now my two smaller HFGH are packed to the gills, I have over 1500 seedlings growing strong in there plus all the plants that I over wintered.

All in all, I'm a happy HFGH owner.

How about everyone else??

Cindy

Oh my, it's too late for me to get started on this topic! Briefly, then: Delighted with the greenhouse; fantastic getaway in the winter! It's crowded in there - overwintered things are very happy, seedlings (vegetables, perennials, annuals) are coming along, have been harvesting herbs, lettuce and cherry tomatoes through the winter, should soon be harvesting peas. Started lots more cuttings this year with the better environment ... several things, but most exciting are the rose cuttings taken during the autumn pruning - they've rooted and are potted up, getting to know their new buddies that just arrived this week.

The entire family has come to appreciate the spot, even though they don't garden, and I'm not the only one who has been found out there all settled in with a good book. (Yep, that chair stays, no matter how crowded it gets.) A larger structure would be wonderful, but I'm going to bide my time with this one for a bit. With some bench/shelf modifications, I'm sure I can make better use of space next year.

Next?

Di

Bumping this up

If you have growing things in your HF, what are you doing during this national heat wave to keep temps down?

After I built the base for my new HFGH I discovered that the base dimensions given in the direction book where wrong.
The given dimensions are 75" x 97 1/2". After measuring the actual HFGH aluminium base I found the dimensions should have been 74 1/4" x 98 3/8". Did anyone else have this problem. It sure caused me a lot of rework. Set me back 2 weeks on the project.

Hi tdev and all,

here in Milwaukee the temps went up to around 101 to 103 degrees in the greenhouse. My orchids and cacti did'nt turn a hair. I just kept the shading slats on and in the absolute heat of the afternoon I set the garden hose nozzle on 'mist' and set it in front of the fan. All in all, the temperature tolerance of my plants has shocked me. Happy HFGH owner here.

Dave
Milwaukee

Craig1, thanks to my son, who anticipates things like this, our procedure was to assemble the base and measure before finalizing and securing the foundation. I lost count of how many times he checked to make sure it was "level and square" too.

It sure seemed like things were going to proceed awfully slowly, but I expect that time and effort put into a good start (as you've done with your rework) make the rest of the project go quicker and produce a better final product.

Sorry to hear your had that setback ... good thing you're not running into frigid weather ... I hope it'll be smooth sailing from here on.

Di

The HF greenhouse is looking better as I read more and more about them. Does anyone have the 10 x 12 foot one? This is the size I would most be interested in.

We do get LOTS of wind here esp in the winter. I see that some of you have problems with the panels coming out. Does the chalk really work in keeping the panels attached? Or would screwing or bolting them to the frame be a better idea?

Also, has anyone tried attaching one to some other structure? I would really prefer having an attached gh (I had an attached one before I moved).

Thanks

John

John - I'm also in a windy area, and have used stainless steel screws to secure the panels. Caulk will eventually break down, and in the mean time if you want to remove a panel you will have to screw around trying to remove it.

I used 3/4" #6 hex-head screws, and the aluminum washers one would use with pop rivets. Running a small drill bit to tap a hole through the poly panel and the #30/31 cross braces, as well as the upper and lower frames, I then used a screw gun to gently install the screws. A few ended up snapping the heads off, but most went in first time. The results is a very secure structure.

I also used a 2x12 footing at the bottom and 1/2" metal conduit as braces which connect the sides across the top of the walls.

Hello everyone,

I was just curious to follow up with you people about how it went last year with your heating bills for those of you who attempted to over-winter plants in your little greenhouse.

I'm considering the little HFGH to over-winter my cattleya orchids which need daytime temps of 60-70 and nite time temps of 50-60 degrees.

I'm in Indiana (zone 6) so anyone in this zone or colder should have a similar result to myself. I do plan to insulate it as best I can taking advice from Consultant's ideas.

Am I making a huge mistake and could someone give me a dollar figure or rough estimate on what their heating bill for the greenhouse was in say Jan or Feb, the two coldest months.

Thank you all for your help.
Erica

Hi Erica,

I, also, grow orchids in my HFGH and I'll have to say that my GH did go down to the 40's if not the high 30's during the dead of winter. My Cats didn't turn a hair. they just stopped growing for a while. The 50 to 60 degrees often quoted, I think, should be considered ideals. Surprisingly the blooms on my plants were amazing this year after their cool winter temps.

My GH was not as well insulated as it should be and i was using electric heat. It did raise my bills about 50.00 a month. But I feel i would have paid the same for my HID lighting so I wasn't concerned. Also, remember that I have 2 of the 6x8 kits that were joined at the ends, not the single kit that you have. The more space you have it seems the easier it is to keep the heat up. I intend to purchase 2 of the 10x12 kits and modify them as a leanto structure. I just haven't decided yet how to do it...:)

I'm a happy HFGH owner.

Dave
Milwaukee

I just bought a 10x12, which I plan to use primarily for orchids. I have been pouring over the threads on installation, but have a question for other orchid growers: what is the best orientation (sun exposure-wise) for the long sides of the greenhouse, to maximize the potential for internal temp. variations, so I can grow a few of my cool lovers along with the intermediates. Thanks,
Ann

I would say that the long sides should run North to South. Ends should face East to West. position the door on the end that is the least windy. Here in Milwaukee I positioned the door on the East end because our strongest winds seem to come from the West in Winter.

Dave

I'll disagree. If the sun is providing the most energy during the middle of the day in winter, then you want the longer, less obstructed side facing the sun. So if you're heating in winter, you'll pay less with an E-W orientation. If you only want to grow in late spring to early autumn then a N-S orientation will give more even light.

I Vote for orienting the GH North South, since GardnerGal is in Zone 10 Southern California, which means her Low temps are going to be in the 30-35 range, and not for very long.

Also her latitude is about 32 degrees, so she is only about 9 degrees off from the tropic of cancer, so the sun does not get too low on the horizon for her.

Even on the Winter solstice, she will still have about 10 hours between Sunrise and Sunset

By the way... It just hit me... as we all talk about our cold weather, and shorter days, Nathan's greenhouse is getting more and more sun. (yeah I try hard to not be ethnocentric, but sometimes it slips out)

With a 10x12 GH just how much difference would it make the thing is nearly square.

gardenerwb: I very nearly pointed that out, but then I thought that would ruin the chance of an interesting discussion.

jimmy: Ok, that makes sense. (never got my head around these growing zones). I'm 38S and the summer/winter angle change is significant. The maximum would be around 45 I guess, with hot summers and freezing winters.

Yeah, it was 36C outside today, but the greenhouse was only 26 max. All the water is probably doing something. I've got a discussion up on the australian gardeners forum about my current experimental greenhouse. (yep, pictures and diagrams) I'm very pleased with its high temperature performance, needs more work/caulk at the low end.

So, to keep it interesting, I will toss in this to chew on... The GH is nearly square, but there is the difference of having a completely vertical side or a sloped roof and a shorter vertical side.

So with a North/South Orientation, then you would have about 80 vertical square feet facing south.

With an East/West orientation she would have about 76 vertical square feet, and about 69 square feet at about a 30 Degree angle facing south (the 30 degree angle almost matches her latitude, so the roof would be very efficient)

I am estimating the height of the sidewalls at 6.5 feet

So she would have about 80% more area facing the sun, with 69 feet being almost at the same angle as her latitude.

Now that is about as far as my math can take me. So, Nathan needs to take the math from here.

With all that said and calculated, I think she should toss out all the math, and just orient the Greenhouse so that the door is on the lee from the prevailing winds...

Jim

I think she should toss out all the math, and just orient the Greenhouse so that the door is on the lee from the prevailing winds...
Yup
That makes sense to me.

Besides temperature considerations, greenhouses in temperate regions are usually oriented on a north-south axis. This reduces row shading, especially during winter months, for tall crops like tomatoes and cucumbers.

Ok, I plan to have the door face east, since my prevailing winds are from the west.
Thanks for all the input.
Ann

I am pretty sure that Santa is giving me a HFGH for Christmas and I have just a few questions...

Will I need to insulate and or heat this in the winter in order to keep potted hardy perennials alive through the winter? (Since it is single pane) If I need to insulate what do you suggest?

What is the best thing to use as the base for the structure, treated lumber or that new material people make decks out of that never needs treated?

What do you suggest for the floor, gravel over weed barrier, gravel over plastic or even wood over all of that?

I am so new to having a green house that I am almost afraid that I will mess it up!

Thanks for any help!

If you are talking about the recycled plastic and wood stuff, that would be an excellent base material (and would avoid all the problems with corrosion and toxicity from the treated wood).

For the floor, I would suggest a hard surface, options to consider are: crushed/modified stone (often called road base too); concrete; brick; flat stone. I once used pea gravel in my greenhouse, but I found it got stuck in the treads of my shoes and left scratches on the wood floor. Woven black plastic weedmat is ok, but can get mucky.

For mine I put down crushed rock with the intent to use as a base for flat stone or brick, but the crushed rock worked so well that it has remained. I will probably use pavers or stone eventually. Concrete is too permanent for my tastes.

Don't be too worried about messing things up, that's part of the fun of a new toy - if it all worked perfectly first go you'd probably lose interest.

Good advice from nathanhurst. I have pea gravel in most areas around my greenhouse area, and indeed, most shoes do collect the stones. Something larger for the greenhouse, such as crushed stone, about 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch , is a much better greenhouse floor, as I now have in mine. Be sure to provide a slight slope within the greenhose to drain away the excess water. As for the the base wood, most research shows the pressure treated wood is not a problem with leaching chemicals especially if you are not growing plants directly in the soil.

Thanks for the information, I am pretty sure that I know what I am doing with the base. I am also going to buy some heaters for this (gotta have all the stuff to go with my GH) and was wondering if this green house has single or double pane panels? I thought that it was single but someone mentioned on another board that they were double panes.

Thanks!
Vicki

The panels are 4 millimeter double walled polycarbonate.

I'm about to bite on getting my 1st HFGH, but not certain if should get, the 10x12 or 6x8 or any.

Both of the HF are on sale right now.

The 8x6 is $300 (25% off reg. price, which seems to be the usual discount). The 10x12 is $600 (17% off reg. price).

I have a coupon for an extra 15% off any one, in stock item, only one to a customer. I suppose that's a one time only, for life use? I sort of hate to use the 15% off coupon, since the small GH was on sale for $279 last spring--but I thought, wait till fall when they drop in price. Except they never did. Anyway:

With the coupon, if in stock, the prices are:
8x6 $255
10x12 $510

I have a vinyl coverd, 6x4 cold frame, that I built out of cedar. It has a vent that raises the lid, shade cloth and has done fairly well. Although after 15 yrs, it's time to rebuild.

I start my plants indoors, under lights then move them to the cold frame for hardening off or growing on. Usually though, they've out grown it, prior to the time they can safely be set out in the Utah spring, when we can get snow up to memorial day.

I did try a "hoop house," once. It lasted about 1/2 day, then the wind ripped it to shreds. I didn't know how then nor now, to secure the 6 mill poly to the pvc. The poor thing got hit and blew apart.

To buy the large HFGH, will push hard on the budget. I'm disabled and can't work, but I might be able to swing the money. I do sell a few plants--I suppose that makes me a "grower" of sorts.

It will be very good therapy if I can sit in the sunshine, in a warm, moist climate, with lots of oxygen and plants around me. --I'm originally from Louisiana. Can grow just about anything there, and it's moist, sub-tropical, rainforest climate. (I need a solarium, but my house won't accomodate it.)

So, I want something I can sit in and relax.

The little one will give me experience and probably, fun of building; but subtracting 2' for a walk way, will there be enough room to sit there and enjoy?
Will it even produce much more than my cold frame?

I hate dilemas. Isn't there a wholesaler around that will sell us greenhouse kits? Then someone who will pay the electric bills? --I might be able to go solar. We have more days of sunshine than most of the USA.

So what would you do, go for the big one, which I suppose will be lots more work but give twice the space at twice the cost; or the small one which may be fun and easier to build, but less than 1/2 the space at half the cost?

Or do I save my money, figure out how to secure poly to PVC and try another hoop GH?

btw, whatever I do, this will have to be a free standing unit, able to withstand the high UV of Utah, strong canyon winds and heavy snow loads in winter.
--which begs the question, once the UV has destroyed the panels in 3-4 yrs, are they easily replaced?

Thanks,
Bob

Sunslight,
Your questions are all things that should be considered, congratulations on thinking before buying. Based on my experience and reading many others here, I offer the following:
If you buy a 12 ft. boat, afterward, you wished you had a 16 ft. one. Same goes for greenhouses. While I do not have a HFGH but ones from other companies, the polycarbonate panels themselves are expensive and as I understand, the cost of the HFGH is worth it if only for the panels. The structure needs some reinforcement, as you can read from others. With a litle extra work as described in threads here, the HFGH panels can be made to stay in place. If you are able to sell a few plants, as you mentioned and as I do, then the extra cost of a larger unit, with the extra heating costs, almost makes up for the price. I make up the difference by volume.....

Any way you look at it Bob you will be spending money. To the best of my knowledge the HFGH requires an additional $100.-$300. to re-inforce it to make it strong enough to stand up to high winds. If you pick a different type of GH you'll still end up spending money to make it stronger, insulate, etc.

I made a cattlepanel hoop house which has withstood 60+ mph winds but it took a lot of work and so far it has cost about $1,000. to put together. For this money I have a 8' W x 17' L house.

This isn't a cheap hobby but with patience you can certainly achieve your goal. I wouldn't worry about that Harbor Freight coupon. They put them out a few times a year and you can use them each time. They only meant that for that particular sale it was one to a customer (not for your whole life). Read that coupon carefully since it may have already expired. Some of their coupons allow you to buy more than one thing at the same time but most seem to be for one item at a time only.

Hope this helps.

Molly D

Thank you all for the answers. Good thoughts there and answers to my questions.

IÂm panicking on what to get though. I want to make certain I can build it, but I want to be certain I can be out in it and enjoy it. --peace, tranquility, keep it running, have great plants to grow as well as sell a few.

IÂve moved my question to a new thread, thinking more people may see it.

I appreciate the responses so far. If there are others, please look at the new thread: "Which HFGH to buy"?

Thanks,
Bob in Utah

Well I did it. Bought the HF 10 x 12 last weekend and and today with the help of my wife and two of cancer survivor friends, put everything together but the roof. What a project. With all four os working on it, it still took most of the day. Trying to figure out the instructions with all of us reading them took most of the time. It's pretty much erected, but I think that there are some things that are not right.

We read and re-read where it said that the four corner studs (7) are attached to the floor plates (1-6) with the end with the two holes at the bottom. Did that, though it did not make sense.

Now comes the time to put the corner bracket (49) to the top of the corner studs. It says to attach it through the top hole. Why are there two holes on each side of the bracket and only one(because they said to to the the end of the corner post with two holes on the bottom?

I'm lucky that I found this forum and saw a photo with what looks like the corner bracket is indeed mounted using two screws through the the bracket into two holes in the top of the corner stud.

I tryed to figure what the reason it for two holes on the bottom and can't find any. Looks like I have to tear out the corners and flip them.

Is this an error? Help. My wife and here friends want to get some plants in the greenhouse by next weekend. To top it off, snow is predicted for this week.

I would appreciate any advice.

Thank,

Joe Urda
In the Finger Lakes Region of NY

My HFGH is up and ready for 2008 Spring plantings.

Take a look at the link below for construction progress and completion.

Thanks,

Joe

Here is a link that might be useful: HFGH ready for spring