I have a HFGH 10-12, and put all four vents on one side, as I was concerned about wind tearing the vents out on one side. I have two Bayliss MK7's and the other two are the original manual ones. I have had the GH running for almost a year now, and never use the two manual ones. The MK7's open and close like clockwork daily. Other additions I have made are adding an exhaust fan (over door) and motorized shutter (on opposite wall), Aluminet shade cloth (50%), various fans running nonstop and a humidifier which I have coming on when the humidity gets too low for my plants' preferences. I am in southern cal., where it can be quite dry. Without the shadecloth everything inside would fry, even with all the other mods. You might consider alternatives to a second vent, but if you still think it's necessary, one option would be to install a round marine vent, which is passive. You would just install it in one of the poly panels. They are rain proof and you could install it somewhere other than in the roof, which might improve the interior draft. Not sure what you would do about it when you are winterizing, however, but I think some of them come with an option to close manually. Another idea is to modify a large panel by cutting it horizontally, line the cut edges with aluminum channel (or even aluminum tape)installing a piano hinge to re-join the cut edges, cut a bit off the bottom to compensate for the hinge, shave a hair off either side to clear the channels in the framework, and fashion a handle like the one which came with your gh. Doing this on a side panel would be better than another roof vent, since adding another roof vent just offers a partial airflow pattern. Unfortunately this would involve removing the caulking you applied. Lastly, assuming you want to make something out of the non-caulked panel (in the roof, presumably), you could still try to use a piano or other hinge, perhaps attaching it to the crown frame. If you would be using it daily, you would need to add some framework for stability. Ann

Hi, Taylor, I'm in Monmouth County, NJ, near the shore, so our winters are just a tad warmer, but we have very similar conditions. Congratulations on the greenhouse! I'm sure your head is swimming, but going over those threads was the best thing you could do. I learned a lot from the other folks here. I've had my 6x8 HFGH since November of 2005 and am still thrilled with it. I use it pretty much as you hope to do: greens, cherry tomatoes and herbs through the winter, Meyer lemon (the tree form is lovely, but I opted for the bush as space is so dear in such a small GH), propagation by seed and cuttings and overwintering tender perennials; many houseplants get rotated through there, too, for "R&R". It is a delightful place to spend time in the winter, even for people who are not gardeners ... by all means, try to leave room for a reasonably comfortable chair. As far as essentials go, you will need a fan to keep the air circulating. I highly recommend an automatic roof vent opener. You may also want a shade cloth; it can heat up a lot in there on a sunny day. I've been making do without, but have many tall oaks about and I've noticed that even the shade of the bare branches in early spring causes a slight temperature drop inside. Speaking of which, you'll need a thermometer; I'd recommend a wireless thermo/hygrometer (measures both temperature and humidity), so you can put the sensor in the greenhouse and have the readout inside your house. I found one for around $30, but if you want to spend more, you can find models that have alarms, will feed the data right into your computer, etc. For the uses you've outlined, you will want a heater. My first choice would have been a radiant oil-filled, but I settled for an available convection heater and have been very happy with it. I do like this better than the forced-air types, as I believe it provides a more even, gentle heat. A back-up heater is a good idea. Check out the little propane heaters. I've got a little Coleman catalytic model that will run on one 1-pound cylinder for up to 8 hours. You'll also want to have a back-up plan for what you'll do if a power outage should last a long time (do you have space to move your plants inside your home, basement, garage?) Heat sinks are a good idea; they really help moderate temperature swings. You've probably seen lots of ideas already. I like 1-gallon milk jugs, 2-liter soda bottles and 1-gallon Arizona iced tea jugs because I can tuck them in where I want them. You will want to insulate. While building, we put foam weather stripping tape around the edges of each panel; some people prefer to caulk them in place. I did caulk any gaps I found in the frame. We added foil-faced 1" foam board on the north wall and north 1/3 of the east and west walls, and a foil-faced heavy bubble-type insulation on the lower half of the north ceiling. Outside, we wrap the whole thing in a clear solar pool cover for the winter. Insulation/pest barrier for the floor. I recommend a pest barrier of hardware cloth around the perimeter of the foundation. We stapled this to the inside of the wood foundation and ran it about a foot or more inside, then covered with the flooring gravel. Feeling drafts that first winter, I later retrofitted more of that foil-faced bubble-type insulation in the same manner. Some people have dug out several inches inside, a bit like a tiny, shallow "cellar", insulated that, then refilled with the soil. In an area with very cold winters, or if you really want to save on heating costs, that's probably a good idea. I have no experience with misters (maybe in the future), so can't advise on that. Also haven't bothered with auxiliary lighting for winter. Herbs, greens and snow peas did fine; cherry tomato production fell sharply for a bit, but then began to pick up again sometime in February. Think about the temperatures you're going to try to maintain in there. You'll want appropriate germination temps, so will either need to have heat mats or germinate your seeds indoors. I keep my greenhouse at a minimum of about 50 degrees at night, which is too cool for most seeds. It's also a bit cool for the lemon, so I wrap a string of exterior grade Christmas lights around the pot; it seems to provide enough heat to keep the lemon happy, healthy and productive. While we're speaking of electricity ... of course you'll have all your electric on a circuit with a ground fault interrupter. I do not have a water line running out to my greenhouse ... really wish I did. You may want to consider that if you don't already have water handy. (Lugging gallons of water 75' to the greenhouse in February is a bear ... but worth it, definitely worth it!) And, voice of experience here, if you go out to your greenhouse on an icy cold, wet day ... maybe take your cell phone along, or at least don't close the door all the way ... it can kinda freeze up and be really, really difficult to open from the inside ... and if your family's like mine, they won't come out to get you 'cause they'll be thinking you're just having such a great time out there playing in the dirt and don't want to be disturbed. Oh, doors ... I noticed a draft around the door, too, so cut some extra solar pool cover material into three wide strips the length of the door plus several inches and hung those, overlapping, just inside the door. It really does help cut down that draft (it's awkward, though, so comes down as soon as possible as the weather warms). This is much longer than I'd intended it to be. Hope it is helpful to you; by no means expert advice, but it's working for me. Just take your time building your greenhouse. Assemble that base first and measure it, then assemble your foundation accordingly. Good luck; I'm sure you're going to enjoy your new greenhouse. Diane (wondering what I've forgotten to tell you)

Buyorsell - The shelf is just attached to the two vertical beams. Actually, being a leftover from an actual closet project (imagine that!) it's just a tad shorter than 6', so wouldn't reach the corners anyway. I'm not sure if we're referring to the same photo, but I did see one of an overhead wire shelf quite well-loaded. The secret is that the shelf is actually resting on two heavy metal pipes that run the full length of the shelf, front and back. So it's the pipes, and the rafters they're attached to, that are providing the strength. Funnylady - That's quite a project to tackle alone; more power to you! And best wishes, too, to you and your husband through this ordeal. My husband has just finished his cancer treatment (well, most of it ... he's still on certain meds and supplements and the very important and often-overlooked dietary changes; no chemo or surgery, though, just hormonal and radiation therapies). I think it's great that you have the gardening hobby ... can't think of a better therapy!

Hello Mudhouse, Good to hear from you again. I wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your 10x12 shown on another posting. If I had more space... Your Director of Construction is clearly skilled. Good choice! I think the 2x2 redwood would be really nice. If I were a better carpenter, I'd go with the aesthetic of redwood. My wife and I have found the view of the terra cotta pots seen from the outside is a nice feature in the garden. I think that the aged redwood would have an equally nice appeal. Of course, the rubber coated shelving is easy, durable, and immediate. Heck why not two of those, and one long redwood bench. Could be really nice. The "storybook setting" is a recent change. I re-did my yard this year. We had two goals in mind. 1. Buffer our house from the street. This meant removing the front lawn entirely, and planting an apron of california native plants that will eventually form a thicket - a sort of natural living fence. 2. Have the home in the center of the habitat. This is accomplished by making the front yard as interesting a garden as the back. I figure from a birdseye point of view, the yard looks like a great place to hang out. The results of this effort have been noteworthy. We have everything from nesting Barn Owls and Blue Jays, to a well balanced eco system. The yard is 100% natural/organic. All weeding is by hand, and the critters seem to take care of each other (good for some, bad for others). At any given time, you might see 6 species of birds. I said to my wife the other day that our yard has become an "experience". Best, DG ps...looking into the cost of high-quality faux fur.