Steve - I am growing things from seed that never would grow for me before like foxglove and lupins. I also am growing 3 peonies in pots in the greenhouse. I have tried for years to grow them outside with no luck what so ever. One sat in the ground for a year with lots of fertilizer and water and did nothing. In the greenhouse they are about 6-8 inches tall with lots of leaves and I just planted the bare roots a month ago. I am loving it! Clare

To have a high rate of success with seed propagation, it's a good idea to use heating mats so you can maintain a constant temperature. I use heating mats with a thermostat for all of my seeds, and generally maintain a temperature of about 80F. The seeds go in a propagation tray with a dome to keep in heat and moisture. With this setup, you can propagate seeds at any time of the year without the expense of keeping the whole greenhouse heated.

(thumbs up sign) Sounds like you did your homework and have planned well. The parts list for the HFGH shows 144 clips. I recall someone reporting trouble with panels blowing out; and another reporting a similar problem was resolved upon finding a way to clamp the door securely closed. Sounds like you've been reading the threads, but in case you missed it, at least one person secured the panels with rivets. We've had winds here gusting to 50 mph and, so far, haven't had a problem. We taped both ends of the panels. Running a quick 'n' dirty calculation, 24 2' wide panels x 2 edges = 48 2' edges = 96', plus a little extra b/c the end pieces are cut on an angle and then a little more in case you mess up once or twice ... one 150-foot roll should do it. Apparently the copper in the new treated lumber will cause the aluminum to corrode. In an April 23 message on the "Harbor Freight Club" thread, Cactusfreak posted a link to an article on this; I've attached a link to the article below. If you haven't already done so, you might want to take a look at that thread; I'm not sure what page it's on, but the last post was on Nov. 20 '05. Have you seen the thread "HFGH Assembly" posted by confiers? Great reference; he took pictures throughout the construction process and added some comments as well. Are you planning to use any kind of insulation in or on your greenhouse? I used 1" thick foil-faced foam board on the north wall and the north 1/3 of the east and west walls, then wrapped the whole thing in a solar pool cover. Have a lot of water containers in there too, which really come in handy since we haven't run a water line out there yet. Since you're in a colder climate, have you any thoughts on excavating down below the soil line and installing insulation below-ground as some folks have done? (I didn't do it, kinda wondering if maybe I should have.) I've seen some Japanese style gardens and do find them to be very tranquil. We have a koi pond/water garden in one corner of the yard and I'm aiming for an ambience similar to that in a Japanese garden, but with mostly native plant material - there's a nicely gnarled mountain laurel nearby as a good start. Good luck with both the g'house and the garden! Diane Here is a link that might be useful: Treated Wood and Aluminum

I think the worst part of the construction is the lack of Instructions. The manual really SUCKS. When I got mine their was no one to ask because no one here had one. Be prepared for a test of your patience. Last week we went from the upper 50's down to 5 degrees over night and they recorded 81-mph wind here and 106 mph just south of me. This was straight line wind it up rooted tress over turned 18 wheelers and ripped the roof off of several homes but my GH suffered NO damage. I was glad that I did my pool cover like I did it stayed on and had no damage either. I have lived in this home for 38 years and I don't think we ever had winds that strong. Today we plan on starting up the GH and start growing our flowers for next summer.