I'm in Z5 and I grow throughout the winter in a well-insulated cold frame and under hoops in raised beds.

In general I like this concept and am glad to see it, and as long as you increase the insulation substantially in Dec-Jan-Feb, you should be able to grow spinach and cold-tolerant greens. Johnny's Seed IMHO is the best resource at helping you select cold-tolerant greens, as they have icons on many of their varieties that indicate their tolerance. You may have an issue with snow load with that setup and will want additional bracing on top for heavy wet snow. Don't be afraid to go for it - that should be a decent amount of sf for your family throughout the winter.

Dan

Thanks for the encouragement, Dan, and I agree with you about the possible snow load. Currently, I'm thinking that rather than building a weight-bearing structure over my mini, I could hang a light bulb inside during storms only and keep the roof warm enough to melt snow/sleet enough to prevent a build-up. Another experiment, lol. But you are correct.

Jane

Thanks for the link from New England Gardening, Jane. DH and I are planning a fenced kitchen garden near the RI coast and although I'd love to have a temporary greenhouse like yours, I fear the strong winds and gales we get. Are you somewhat inland and more protected?

Carol

Hi Carol,
I may be more protected here, however, this GrowCamp basic unit survives in Denmark with the sea to its back, so it must be somewhat 'wind worthy'. It has wire guidelines inside that are attached to the base which has hundreds of pounds of soil inside, so I'm hopeful that it isn't going anywhere without my permission. It's so new to me, I have no history to truly answer your question. Greenhouses, small or large, need nearly daily attention, so this is not a good idea for your weekend place. I did, however, notice that you want a 608 sq. ft. potager. That's a lot of weeding to me. Have you investigated square foot gardening for your herbs and veggies and perhaps using the balance of the 32' space for other perennial artistic endeavors? Can you tell I'm not fond of weeding, lol?

Jane, all you need to do is go to the nearest home improvement BigBox and get a length of remesh for reinforcing concrete - ~US$9.00 - cut in half and attach to the top rafters. Weighs about 10lbs and should be strong enough to bear almost any snow load. And one bulb likely doesn't put out enough heat to warm that volume to prevent freezing below, say, 20ºF. You'll have to use your creativity wrt old sheets, heavy row cover, sleeping bag, whatever, but something will have to be added in that zone for the number of nights that get below 20º and certainly the ones that are at 10ºF or less. A fun challenge to have, surely. And once the family gets the taste for greens out of the garden all winter, all hands will be on deck to solve the problem. And guests will certainly have a memorable meal when they find out the salad was from the garden just today.

Dan

where is this type of greenhouse sold? Looked on grow camps site and had a link to a supplier in new york. but doesnt sell this particular model.

I ordered mine from SimplyPlanters.com, but there are other websites now offering the Basic 4x4 unit. If you search Google for 'GrowCamp Basic' you'll come with up with a number of vendors. GrowCamp (words together)is the full name.

I am sooooo jealous! That looks so awesome! Plus, you can take the sides down and make it a normal garden during the normal growing months! That is just too cool.

I have a question that may lead to an idea.....is the base of that completely filled with soil? If so...please don't laugh, how about filling the bottom portion with some type of manure, then layering on the soil that you will plant in at the start of fall/winter? Perhaps, maybe, the manure will generate enough heat to protect your plants?

No, I didn't laugh, Shea, I groaned, actually, lol. The thought of removing all that soil, ay yi yi. It has 6" of loam on the bottom and 3 bales of Pro-Mix with dehydrated cow manure mixed on top. I've read about using manure as a heat source, so your idea certainly has merit. But my aging back would rather hook up a small heater temporarily should it become necessary.

jengc: there is roll-up netting on each side under the 25mm plastic foil, so there is no need to remove the sides/top, just roll up the plastic to expose the screening/netting for the summer. (I do like this little greenhouse)

ooohhh!! You wanna buy me one of these don't you. I know you do! Admit it. ADMIT IT!! lol

OK like I needed any more encouraging to buy this... been eyeing it

Here is a link that might be useful: GrowCamp

I just discovered these online while looking for a smallish portable greenhouse. I was attracted to the way they looked
and like its multipurpose use as well as the modular add-on options and seed starter trays (click through to the GrowCamp page and then click on the picture to see options). I'm in the south and don't have snow issues, but do wonder about that plastic cooking the plants even with the top screens. I primarily want to protect some trees and other things from grasshoppers, bugs and extreme heat until I can get them into the ground which will be later this Fall at the earliest. They are getting attacked pretty badly. If anyone can think of a good kit for that problem I'd be grateful. Otherwise I think I'll just buy a roll of window screen & some shade cloth and enclose one of my 4'x8' raised beds that are already assembled.

It's actually a pretty good time to buy stuff like this - much of it is on sale. But not GrowCamp unfortunately. The price seems high to me for something that could be constructed fairly easily and inexpensively, but for those who aren't handy with the tools maybe it would be worth it. I've seen larger hoop and greenhouse kits that are cheaper. Also check out the dome greenhouse for sale on the same page.

Anyway, I'd be interested in hearing more from those who have purchased GrowCamp units about their experiences.

Here is a link that might be useful: GrowCamp and other small greenhouses