I just purchased and setup an 8x8 Rion greenhouse last weekend, and have been tooling around in it this weekend. Check Costco online for 10% off right now. Unfortunately, I just missed that deal. Costco's package comes with all the extras, so if it looks more expensive than other sites, it really isn't. It comes with 2 auto-temperature openers for two roof vents, a louvre window, the black plastic base which is $$$ at other sites, 2 staging tables, shade cloth. A very good deal.

Assembly is not too difficult but definitely time consuming. All the pieces were there and fit perfectly (A BIG PLUS). It is a well-engineered and produced piece of equipment. I live in z9 CA also, and find it astonishing how well the Rion keeps the humidity up on a 100+ degree day even before I placed the rubber gaskets to seal it. I have mine in 3/4 shade (open sun would fry my plants).

Lastly, it's great looking (green structure).

Also recommend a hygrometer that lets you monitor humidity levels. Look in the thermometer section of Lowes/Home Depot Electronic - about $20. Mine has min/max readings so you can assess the range of humidity readings and temps.

Overall I'm thrilled and think this is one of the best buys I've made. My plants started looking happier within hours.

- Mapler

Price at Costco also includes shipping.

I have an 8.5 by 8.5 foot for tropical bonsai overwintering in Zone 8...this will be my third winter with it...very satisfied with it and agree that it is well engineered.
John

There is a web site that I visted that has Rion Greenhouse the prices are good but if you send them a email they will beat any other prices they are at www.ourcrazydeals.com you should check them out I have pruchased from them in the past and they will treat you right.

I just purchased one! So excited...

swilly

I'm looking into a greenhouse and considering the pros/cons of the aluminum, wood, resin. You all seem happy with your Rion models. Can you make any suggestions regarding clear vs. frosted panels? (I'm thinking about appearance and privacy as well as light diffusion.) I was going to start with the 8x8 (actually, had been looking at 6x8 models to start). To be truthful, I started looking at seed starting trays ... heat mats ... then grow lights ... cold frames ... well, you probably know how it goes.

John, I'm impressed that you have tropicals overwintering; I'm assuming you use supplemental heat? What kind? My area is just a little colder than yours: Zone 7. We're close enough to, and surrounded by, a bay that the water has a mitigating effect on both summer heat and winter cold. Are there any guidelines on what kind of temperature differential I can expect with and without supplemental heat? I'm looking for something that will help extend the growing season, fall and spring, as well as provide a peaceful, green & sunny spot during those months when spring seems to be dragging its heels. If it carries some borderline plants through the winter, that will be a bonus. During the summer months, the GH would be in high, dappled shade cast by tall, deciduous oak trees. I'm thinking this will be a benefit - do you forsee any problems?

Sorry to be asking so many questions, but I'm new to this greenhouse subject and there's so much to sort out! About the only thing holding me back from placing an order is making up my mind and checking local building codes. I appreciate any comments, suggestions, etc. you wish to share. Thanks!

Mapler, your summary is great! Banana and swiller(especially swiller - you're so excited), I hope you've got yours all set and wish you years of success and pleasure with your GH gardening.

I got the 8X16 rion greenhouse and just put it up. A little bit of a challange and time consuming. It took my hubby and me 2 weekends including building the frame 4X6 pressure treated. We put crushed granite in it. Its awesome! Mine came with a aluminet cover and automatic window openings. I am very excited. I have alot of tropicals, fun things, mangos from seed ect. I had a small Harbor freight 6X8 but it was just to small and not easy to expand. I would definately recommend the rion, easy to expand for one thing and looks great. I live on a hill so it was a little more work than flat ground. So far greenhouse temp has been about 80-90 day and 50 at night. I would also be interested in ways to keep it warmer without electric heat. Maybe a clear pool cover I have read about. Oh yes, mine gets dappled shade in the summer from a giant deciduous black walnut tree.
Good luck!

Even tho it's after the fact, I'm so happy to read all the good things about the various Rion greenhouses that y'all have purchased. Mine was delivered last Friday but I hadn't had time to research what base I really wanted to go with, (didn't purchase the base frame that Rion makes). Am seriously considering the 4x6 treated lumber frame, but still thinking I may just go for broke and pour a concrete floor with drain or at least a concrete footing with gravel for a floor. I got the 8x12 for starters, will probably add on in a year or two (I had a 12x24 in Texas, so this one is only 1/3 what I'm used to)
Thanks for being here, I may need questions answered.
Linda, now in TN

I made a base with 4x6 treated lumber...floor of landscape fabric covered with river rock.

I use a single forced air 1300/1500 watt electric heater...the kind you can get at Walmart for 20 bucks, or a greenhouse supply place for $55! I leave it in the 'on' (high temp)position all the time, and use a thermostatically controlled power strip to actually turn it on and off. I found the power strip to be much more accurate and reliable. I set the low temp at around 55 degrees, and on the 1300 watt setting it works fine. I use a small fan to help circulate air.
Without the heater, the temps would be essentially the same as outside temps at night. We get into the teens a couple of times per year, but average daily high in January is around 50-53F.

dont know where you all are located but the rion GH i purchased cannot stand the heat, even after the wind tore off a closed roof vent!

i am at 1400' above sealevel in the foothills of butte county and the roof is melting on mine after one season. i put a thermometer in the GH and started to read the daily temps. it would regularly get to 130 degrees, with the highest sustained temp of 147.9 degrees. i am in a part of the state that does not get the hottest temperatures during the summer months

as far as the roofvents are concerned, they need to be "chained" with some jackchain to prevent them from being ripped off at the hinges. (yes, even in the closed and locked position)

i am extremely dissappointed with the performance of the structure, as long as there was sufficient moisture the vegitation fared fine, but the structure is wilting!!

Patriot, thanks for your comments; I'm sorry to hear you've had such disappointment with your gh.

I see they're now recommending that anyone who lives in an area with sustained temps of 90 or above purchase the white-framed gh. I'm curious about your daily temps outside the gh, and whether the structure is shaded at all.

I'm in coastal NJ, zone 7. Our hottest months are usually Jul & Aug, with average temps of 83 and 81, respectively. THIS summer, however, was far from average! My gh, should I get one, will be in high, dappled shade May through November ... maybe a little direct morning sun.

I have a Rion 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 and assembled it last June. As it usually goes I wish I had a larger one but at least I can add on to the length over time.

I started out using 4x6 treated beams for the base and decided to bolt on and additional 4x4 thus giving me a 4x10 base, the extra head room helps.

So far I am very happy with my Rion. Still need to get an auto vent opener but will not need it until next spring.

I keep it warmed with one of those oil filled radiators set so that my temp does not drop below 60 degrees.

Right now I have a bunch of pepper plants, 4 banana trees, basil, bogenvalia, Hybiscus. Over 50 plants in there and its getting a bit crowded.

I have added a link to some picks of my GH........

I also have a wireless webcam in my GH.... I like to look at it from work every now and them. It actually rotates between 2 cameras.....one over looking my front yard and the other in the GH......30 second interval between cameras...

My greenhouse cam.........http://my.activewebcam.com/cgi-bin/ip.cgi?donbsier

Here is a link that might be useful: Greenhouse Pics

Thanks Sierra Don, just bought one myself and now I have some clues on how to start the base. It looks like hard work. But the outcome looks wonderful. Is your radiator temp. sensitive? meaning turns off automatically when it gets too hot and on when it gets too cold?

Hello tabassam,

The hardest part was getting the ground level, my property is on a slope.

The heater is "Delonghi Dragon Ultimate Oil Filled Radiator" that I picked up from amazon.com for $59 (factory re-furbished) and works great. I does have a good sensitive thermostat that goes on/off when it is supposed to.

I have it set at the middle setting and at that it uses 900 watts (600,900 and 1500 watts). So far it seens to be working great, been down to the mid 40's at night and never drops below 60. I'll see what happens when winter gets here. I will probably add bubble wrap insulation in the next few weeks to help retain the heat thats in there a little better.

When building the GH it seems like it might be a little flimsy but once it is all together and the glasing is in it is solid as a rock. And by using the 4x6 and 4x4 beams bolted together the GH has enough weight that I do not need to anchor it down. Also I did not place the beams directly on the ground but are resting on concrete deck "pier blocks" and then filled the inside and surrounding outside with about 1 foot depth of crushed rock.

FYI: Once your GH is all put together there is a strip foam with stickum on one side that is used to seal the gaps between the roof and other areas. Well to me this stuff just did not fill in good enough and it was a bit of a pain to get try to get it in the gaps without it sticking before it was in place.

What I ended up doing was using some low density foam (foam rubber type stuff) and cutting pieces about 2 inches square and just shoved them into the gaps. it worked out real nice and they can be removed in the summer if I want the GH to breath a little even when the door and vent are closed.

I have included a link to the spec's for the heater.

Hope this info is helpful to you.

Regards,
sierra don

Here is a link that might be useful: Heater spec's

I'm at the point on page 15 of trying to get the glazing elements(RC5) into the RB4 and RB6 elements on the top arches. I can't slide them in from the top. I tried to slide them up from the bottom and that forced the panels out of the top. One actually got stuck and with the force I used trying not to break anything, it popped the RC5 out of the arch. Next thing I tried was soapy water, but that didn't do a thing. How did you get yours together without breaking something? Does the temp. have anything to do with it? We are at about 70 degrees when I get home from work. Hubby says try a hair dryer on the arch element to maybe make it more plyable to pop the RC5s into the groove.
Do I dare?
What did you do?
Thanks in advance. Linda

Hi Linda,

The RC's are a little tough to get locked into place. On my Rion (8x6) I only have RC1 thru RC3's but Im sure its the same on a larger one.

The RC pieces actually snaps in rather than slid in. What you do is align the RC directly over the top of the RB piece and start at the top of the arch using the heal of your palm to press the RC piece into place (should feel it when it snaps into the slot in the RB), do this while working your way down the RC piece.

What you might notice is that when the RC piece is pressed in all the way it will be almost flat rather than arched. To me this indicated that it was all the way in and clamped down tightly on the roof panel.

I actually had some sections of my RC's pop back up after while because I did not have the areas snapped in all the way. Got up on the ladder end pressed them all the way in and its been secure since then.

It is kind of awkward being up on a ladder trying to press them into place and you kind of feel like the whole thing might collapse while pressing the RC's in but it won't, at least mine did not.

Hope this is helpful to you.

sierra don

thank you, sierra don. I was afraid you would say something like that. Do I dare "tap" it into the slot with a rubber mallet? I just don't have enough strength to press them in, that's why I tried sliding them.
Linda

I'm having trouble putting in the side windows, it kinda seems like they are too big! We can't put the top on after putting in the siding. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,
swilly

Hello Linda,

Not really sure if using the rubber mallet will work or not, its worth a shot.

swilly,

Your problem with the side window could be an indicator that the base is not level. I had the same problem with the right rear of my GH but its not so bad that I could not get the roof on. Just could not get the hole to align up to get the little pastic pin in to lock the roof to the corner piller.

If you are using 4x4 or 4x6 beams for the frame these are sometimes warped, if you lay the beam on a flat surface you should be able to see which side is the flatest ad use that side as the top to place the GH on. do this for each beam.

If there is warpage (beam or whatever) and its high in the middle and low on the ends this will cause the polycarb sides in the middle of the GH to sit higher when they are slide into place thus when the roof is put on there is not enough room in the slot (in the roof) for the panel to fit into. I guess you could cut the excess off of the panel/panels to make them fit or double check for complete levelness.

I did have to trim 2 roof panels to get them to fit and I believe my problems came from not being completely level.

My ground area I had made level but I noticed that one of my beams that I used for the base had a slight arch to it (seen after the GH was completed). I just left it as it was and made it work and am sure this is what caused my little problems.

Hope this information was helpful.

sierra don

I can't wait to start filling my GH. Has anyone made their own plant stands, or do you order the pre fab ones. I have seperated lots of plants this year, and hope I can keep them all healthy. What should I do befoer taking my plants inside the GH? I would also like to find a book on growing flowers & vegs the correct way. Appreciate the help.]
Karen

Hi Karen,
I got these plastic work benches at Yardbirds for about $30 and just put them together differently than they were intended to be put together. Instead of stacking them I just used them along side each other.They have a plastic grate on top. Works really good for me. wish I would have saved the picture of them

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:302245}}

Another picture of the shelving I got

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:302246}}

Hi all,

I'd like to get a Rion greenhouse too but wonder how does it fare in Arizona weather .Does it come with a misting system ?
If not what you guys do for the moisture inside ? Thank you for your helps.

Maybe you should read what some previous customers have to say about this particular greenhouse. http://www.riongreenhouses.com/

Hi all
My rion greenhouse has been set up for a while now and I couldn't be happier with it. Its great. I bit of challange to put up but well worth it. No problems with the wind or heat. I set it up in Sept the hotest part of the year here. It is really well sealed and sturdy. It holds the heat well so far. I have lots of tropicals in there and they are doing good. My orchids are blooming now. I put a misting system in that I got at OSH and a delonghi oil heater I also got at OSH for about $60.00. I don't know how humid its suppost to be in the winter, I try not to overwater (but I really want to water every time I go out there)lol. I have lots of seeds started and am so excited.
This greenhouse is everything I expected and more. I had a HF greenhouse before and there is no comparison.

I just got a Rion 8 by 12. I put the base and sill together in the garage and toted it outback. That's all I've put together so far as the weather's been to cold. I like the ability to add extentions onto it. Oreintation will be east to west with door on east end.

I'll thinking about putting a piece of treated 4 by 8 plywood down at the front as a work area, a 3 by 8 foot walkway down the middle [lined with 1 by 6 boards] with mulch over garden weedblock in the walkway. That will give me a 2 1/2 foot row down each side to grow in soil plants, and I'll build lift-up growing tables with wire tops.

Does anyone see anything wrong with what I plan so far?

Hey Earl,
Sounds pretty good so far...
You might want to consider making the walkway even narrower. My walkway is just a wee bit bigger than my shoe size so that I can have even more growing space. I do have a slightly larger area when you open the door so I can put a small chair and soak up the smells of my greenhouse
Which leads me to my next point about a work area. Since space is at such a premium in this size of a greenhouse I would move it to the garage. However, it depends on how you view the function of a greenhouse. I rememeber on a open garden tour last year where this guy used almost half of his small greenhouse to have two lounger style lawn chairs in it.
You might want to consider gravel for your pathway as you can wet it down and as it evaporates it will cool down the greenhouse.
Jeff (who is down to his last four Giraffe tomatoes)

The only thing that I would be concerned out is what others are saying about the green house and high temperatures. I have heard about this before and that would be my concern.

Jeff, only 4, eh! You're doing better than I am. :-) Will you do more Giraffe plants in 06? I may do 3 this year. My thoughts on function is sitting and looking, sitting and thinking, and sitting and eating in the greenhouse. Of course I'll have salt and pepper shakers handy. :-)

A shoe wide? Heck, I'd need it 3 shoes wide, at least, my butts more than three shoes wide. LOL.

Tominnh,
I think the worry about the Green color types is in very hot climates and the green being to dark which heats up real fast. MY summer temps don't stay in the mid-high 90's for very long.

Hi Earl,
I got the 12/16 last summer. I used 4X8 for the base to gain headroom. I put gravel on the floor and started out with about 2 1/2 feet for the walkway, but quickly filled most of that area in with big pots. There isn't room in mine for a chair, hardly room for me and I'm small(lol)if I had a chair in there I would never leave.
Just waiting for warmer weather to move plants into the yard and on the patio. I love it.
Linda