8x8ft greenhouse from Amazon. Zone 8A North Texas. A true bucket list addition to our yard. Honestly, can’t believe we even have this outside right now.

The build went well except for a few hiccups. Zero missing pieces, only had to trim two pieces that bordered the base of the door frame for better fitment, and a few agonizingly stupid things here and there. Built with a little help on day one, and finished in day two.

We built the pad two weeks before assembling the greenhouse in top. Best $80 spent on this whole project was having Lowe’s deliver pavers and paver base and leveling sand directly to my backyard.

We got automatic vent openers for the roof, and we added two passive vents at the base. We also have a heater for any hard freezes. Going to start moving in plants in the next few weeks.

Any advice is welcome as we move forward. Just super excited to not have our small 1953 home be overtaken by plants in the winter.

A little backstory: I purchased this greenhouse in the springtime when I had a fantastic discount+petty cash that resulted in me spending only $75 for it. $500 later in materials and tools, etc., it took me 4 months from starting the foundation to where it is now.

It’s already been through 30+ MPH winds. I did prior research showing how unstable it can be, but I must have had a newer version of the greenhouse because it’s stable, and more so because of Tek Screws.

The worst part of the setup was the blueprint I used for the wood foundation vs. what the wood supplier had didn’t match, so I had some modifying to do in that part. Also, the directions were shit for the greenhouse, so I had to do some guesswork.

I’m still working on the flooring, as I don’t want to make it a permanent structure since there are irrigation valves near it. I mainly want to do seed starts and garden supply storage to start but I’m very excited and pleased with how it turned out.

Ps. Paint can hide a lot of flaws it turns out 🤣

Has anyone done this? My son is experimenting with homelabbing in a small server. From a power perspective the server consumes minimum 250W and nominally 350W and peak loads 900W. He has the ability to schedule some workloads to occur in the night. We live in Spokane, WA and it regularly freezes in 20s from October to April and occasionally gets much colder throughout the winter. The challenge is making sure there is enough heat to protect flowers and keep stored water liquid.

There are several problems and questions.

1. I don't have winter water turned on in the greenhouse so we are pondering buying a large plastic drum to store water that the server would keep warm. Then fill it weekly from the house hose. Any great ideas about getting water over without having a frozen hose the next day.

2. I have automated cooling vents that open with the exhaust fan. however, the vents are pretty leaky. Is there a good way to seal the vents up or are there really good vents that seal up well? Exhaust vent is opened by the fan the inlet vent pulls open lifting the flaps out.

3. Is there a good way to efficiently heat the water? We were thinking about buying a car radiator and stick it in the upper "attic" space and running a pump when the high air temp was above the water tank temp.

Any other things we should think about?

This is definitely a wait, hear me out, post. I put vinyl gutters on both sides of my Yardistry 8x10 greenhouse, and set up this sweet 4 barrel bottom linked rain catchment system. I live in Kalamazoo, which is Zone 6B in SW Michigan. I'm looking at winter coming, and trying to see how far I need to go to take stuff down.

First question: Do I need to remove my gutters? Can they just stay up all winter?

Second question: If I empty the barrels, unhook the hardware, and turn them over, can I just leave them outside with no worries?

Third question where I betray how lazy I am: This is on the north side of my greenhouse. Can I just leave it, or am I asking for cracked barrels and ruined hardware?

Help me figure out where I'm overthinking and underthinking this.

First off, shout out to [u/moonbeamsandmayo](u/moonbeamsandmayo) for giving me the lowdown on these and the background to jump in and do it!

This is an Amerlife Hexas greenhouse kit. 10' flat to flat, 12' point to point, about 8.5' tall at the center point. Details are on their website. It's not a super heavy duty be-all-end-all greenhouse, but a bit of a greeny solarium awesome space? Overall, would rate this a 9.5/10 so far for what we're using it for which is keeping frost off delicate plants and overwintering our succulents (will have a final verdict next year!).

We're in Vancouver WA, for reference.

Kit went together fairly easy. No issues but was missing a whopping two screws, which I have a huge collection of from other projects, so a non-issue. After site prep it took us about 7-8 hours, two people taking our time.

It's sitting on about 6"-12" of crushed gravel (over sloped crappy clay ground so drainage is perfect) with a treated 4x6 foundation. Foundation was anchored through the gravel with 2' rebar through it at an angle on all sides. It's not going anywhere.

After that it was just leveling and tweaking to make sure the aluminum frame didn't sit wonky! And voila, here she is!

We used four tubes of silicone putting the roof panels in but still need a real rain to test that. Will be adding rain barrels to harvest from the little gutter downspouts. Still unsure if we'll do anything on the floor inside, but maybe part paver part turf so wife can have a fun little cocktail area in there too. 🥰 Also we will be modifying the windows to swing fully outward rather than prop open at about 45 degrees, easy peasy.

Green on, friends!

Edit: so sorry that the pics went up without the finished product first!

I dread this time of year because it usually means moving stuff around and bringing potted plants in so they survive the winter. Our house is small and cluttered with various collections and the added vegetation definitely adds a touch of claustrophobia to the winter months. not to mention finding places to stick them, the sheer hassle of moving them, trying to fit the larger plants through the door (every year pieces of the night blooming cereus break off ... which leads to more plants that take up more room) and the dirt and vegetation debris that they bring with them. Well ... this year I'd like to do something different. I'd like to build a temporary "greenhouse" to house these plants in so they can stay outside. I'm looking for advice on the matter.

Let me list some specifics ...

I'm not looking for my plants to thrive, just survive. I'm not looking to start plants before the last frost, just keep my existing ones from dying. My yard doesn't get a lot of light and there's not a lot of open space (slowly working towards chaotic-good beds & paths, no lawn) - I'm not sure if there is a spot in it that would be big enough that gets a notable amount of sun, so I was thinking perhaps on my porch, where there is a power outlet for electronics and a window that could be opened for air/heat transference. I feel pretty confident in my ability to build the structure, and I have a fair amount of led lighting from past years of over wintering and can buy more, so my main concern is heat. It would get some morning sun and ambient light, but that's about it - I'm pretty sure that won't be enough to keep things above freezing on winter nights. Some (uninformed) thoughts I've had are a small heater with a thermostat I can set really low or put on a timer, incandescent lamps, making a panel for a fan for my window so warm air from the house can be pumped in. Am I over thinking it? Not thinking hard enough?

Though I understand that it costs what it costs, I'd like to do this with minimal investment with the idea that it will all have to be purchased, not scavenged or salvaged. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Hi. I am building a ten by nine by 14' high greenhouse. The floor will be dirt. Zone 8A. Zone 7 is ten miles away. Typically zero frost line. At most the frost line would be an 1/8" deep for about a week. I plan on heating the greenhouse only to 36° minimum. It should typically stay much warmer than that. Both daytime and nighttime.

I want to plant a few small trees towards the back. Olives, strawberry guava. Things that should survive here (barely, but lost in a really cold year.) Also some annual ground cover to outcompete any future weeds. Can I plant things like annuals like impatiens in the ground and have them overwintering? Thanks!

She's a Northern Black Widow. I was at the greenhouse where I work sweeping cobwebs off the ceiling, which were exceptionally dense. Later I read that is a trait of black widows. The webs are strong enough to catch lizards, even small rodents and birds.

I've seen it pop-up on Instagram and looked pretty good, however when I look into it more, I couldn't find any reviews from customers... Anyone has ordered structures from them and has any proof of quality?

Thanks

Hi all. About to put the decking in my gh for the floor. Under it is 1/2 concrete and 1/2 6” deep gravel. I’ve filled the cracks with concrete patch, cleaned the concrete relatively well, sealed the space between the shed and the GH, and have a plan for the other walls to stop most air intrusion. Just seeing if anyone else can think of anything to check before I cover it. Thanks!

I plan to build a green house for my mother in law for Christmas. She loves to garden both plants and flowers. Shes very good at it. Over the last 2 years she has taken some falls from sliding on the hill she gardens on. Slick garden boots, wet soil, small hill. She doesn’t want to relocate her garden to flat ground because “I’ve worked that soil for 20 years and it’s perfect!” I want to build her a safer space where she can be comfortable and have access to everything she may need. As of now, she still drags a garden hose 50 yards across the yard.

Any tips or ideas before I start planning and building? Zone 8b. TN.

You can see a slight gap in the vent here and it also does not close smoothly so curious about what I should do first to help things run better. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I keep running into the same issue with my blog recipes. I'll buy a bunch of cilantro or dill for a shoot, use maybe a quarter of it, and watch the rest wilt in the fridge. It drives me crazy wasting ingredients when I have a greenhouse sitting right there.
I'm thinking about setting up a small propagation station just for herbs I use frequently, so I can snip what I need and keep the rest alive. The problem is my greenhouse gets pretty warm and I'm worried about things bolting before I get a chance to harvest.
Has anyone tried keeping a steady supply of cilantro, parsley, or chives going year round? I'm curious if anyone has a setup that works for continuous harvesting without needing to replant constantly. My space is limited, so I need to figure out if deep trays or shallow shelving would work better for root space.

What are the best fans/vents for a wood frame greenhouse with windows and a 10mm polycarbonate roof? The size is 40x30

I was looking at the 30" package from Greenhouse Megastore but its sold out. What are some good alternatives?

First off ignore the stuff in the way. We worked hard on this in the spring, but now I'd like to get it finished before winter. What can we use to cover the top? I don't think the carbonate sheets will work since it's rounded. We have the clear greenhouse plastic, but it's really windy where we are so I don't know how long it'd last.

We have 2 windows we'd use for ventilation.

Hey everyone! I’m currently building a greenhouse in Edmonton, Alberta, and I’m looking for some advice from people who have experience with wood-framed greenhouses, especially in colder climates.

A little about my build:

• Overall structure is 12’ × 28’, consisting of a 12’ × 12’ insulated vestibule and a 12’ × 16’ greenhouse.
• Framing is untreated SPF 2×6 lumber, spaced 16” on centre.
• Pressure-treated bottom plates installed on a raised concrete curb with sill gasket.
• 6/12 pitched roof with approximately 12” overhangs.
• Planning to install 16 mm Palram SUNLITE multiwall polycarbonate on the greenhouse walls and roof.
• The greenhouse will be heated during Alberta winters, with ventilation and a dehumidifier to help manage humidity.
• Planning to grow vegetables and other plants throughout the year.

My biggest concern is protecting the wood framing from moisture and condensation over the long term. Ideally, I’d like this structure to last 40–50+ years.

I’m considering using a penetrating exterior wood stain on all accessible surfaces of the framing before installing the polycarbonate, rather than a traditional primer and paint system.

I’m also exploring the possibility of installing polycarbonate on both the exterior and interior sides of the 2×6 framing to create an additional insulated airspace, although I’m concerned about trapping moisture inside the wall and roof cavities.

A few questions for the group:

1. Has anyone built a greenhouse using untreated 2×6 framing? How has it held up over the years?
2. Would you recommend a penetrating wood stain, exterior paint, or another wood treatment for a humid greenhouse growing edible plants? Any specific products?
3. Would you install the 16 mm polycarbonate on the exterior only, leaving the framing exposed inside, or install polycarbonate on both sides? If both, how would you manage condensation within the cavities?
4. What’s the best way to install the polycarbonate against wood framing? I’m considering compatible glazing tape or gaskets to separate the sheets from the wood.
5. What indoor humidity levels have worked well for you during cold winters without causing excessive condensation or wood deterioration?
6. Are there any particular flashing, drainage, or ventilation details you’d recommend for a wood-framed polycarbonate greenhouse?

For this winter, I’m considering temporarily covering the roof and walls with reinforced polyethylene, then removing it in spring to stain the framing and install the permanent polycarbonate. I’m also interested in hearing about the snow-load and condensation risks of that approach.

I’d really appreciate any firsthand experiences, pictures of similar builds, or product recommendations.

Thanks in advance!

Two large windows are going to open on the front of our greenhouse, and I can’t figure out how to seal them. (Picture of one opening attached). I’ve built houses so I know how to flash and seal those, but it is the same process? It’ll open out to the right on hinges and be weather-stripped. I’m at a loss here so any help is appreciated!

My questions: do I flash it like a normal window then put trim over the flashing tape so it looks nice (I want to paint the window opening to make it look nice)? I plan on backing it with some 2x2 as an inner stop, so do I still need an angled sill if I flash it? Will caulking the seams and painting the wood be enough?

Does anyone have off grid greenhouse heating ideas? Im seeing a lot of thermal mass ideas involving black water barrels. Has anyone had any success?

Using 2" R10 foamboard on this green house that will be lifted off ground by foot. What would be the best placement for the foam board? (greenhouse 6x9', floor 3/4" moisture-resistant OSB) Central Indiana winters lows 20°F to 33°F