Yeah, both of those are concerns I have also Vladimir. I'm going to call the manufacturer tomorrow. Do you have your trees in yours yet?? My family loved your greenhouse!

Laura, for less money, why not invest in one that you can have outside all year long every year for years? I would get this one! IT's wind proof where the other is not..It will handle hail and snow where the other will not...

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/mythos-silverline-greenhouse-6-wide-x-8-long/hobby-greenhouse-kits

Now that you have them inside, it will give you plenty of time to put one together...Just a thought) Have a good night.

It's not a greenhouse in any sense of the word... insulation, temperature control, ventilation, stability, .....

A blanket thrown over a tree on the coldest of nights would be better.

Regarding Mike's suggestion, I believe Laura needs a greenhouse ASAP, in which case I believe she does not have the time to construct the one Mike suggested. It will require clearing and leveling the site and building a foundation in addition to building the greenhouse. Also, I suspect it would be too small for her numerous trees.

Laura, can you start building a real greenhouse now instead of waiting until spring?

Thanks for the comments guys. I am not sure what to do. Mike, the greenhouse you linked is nice, but not big enough. The big advantage to the structure I linked was that 1. It is much bigger - I can probably fit most of my trees in it, 2) it can be taken down easily, and 3) it is not expensive. Although, if it is not much better than a blanket (thanks John ;-), then that would not work. I spoke to a local landscaper and he has a structure built out of pipes and 6mm sheets and he said if works just fine although it is not the most attractive thing. Ideally, what I would like is a structure that is not totally permanent....here's why...my yard is not huge and I don't want to hog up a chunk with a structure that I will only use for 4 months and will sit empty the rest of the year. I don't have any other plants to put in there besides the orchids, but they live perfectly well in my house and I like them there. If I can build a structure out of pipes - the basic skeleton, and then use 6mm sheets to insulate it, then in the spring, I can just remove the cover and my trees will just stay there. I guess I would still have the pipe structure, but I would not have to move my trees around much. In an ideal world, I would get a beautiful greenhouse like Vladimir's, Cory's or Brian's, but I just cannot spend 3k+ on a structure that I will use for 1/3 (at most) of the year and will sit empty the rest of it. I am not sure what to do. There is a greenhouse company not too far from me. I may need to arrange a field trip over there and see what they have or recommend.

My hubby built a small hobby greenhouse out of wood and thicker ml type greenhouse plastic sheeting. We use it mainly for the shoulder seasons like late spring and early fall to provide the trees some heat protection but mainly frost protection. We also run a small space heater in there when it is really cold that keeps the temps above freezing even when it is about minus 5 outside.

Laura just letting you know not to expect too much from the plastic sheeting as far has heat protection. I would say it only affords a few degrees at best, it is the moisture protection that is the main advantage.

That being said, I purchased a huge insulated white tarp that we also drape over and tie around the greenhouse when it will be colder for longer periods. It even let's the light shine through so it can stay on all day. Now with that and the plastic, I would say you would get like 5-7 degree added protection. So that may be worth it for you. We have it on right now, will take a pic in a bit when I go outside.

I built this for about $300 and was done in a weekend. 8x10 with 8' peak. If your just going for temporary I would use PVC and greenhouse plastic.

Mike, that's great! Do you have a pic from the outside? You don't happen to have a plan?

Hobby, that is good to know. I spoke to a greenhouse company from around here and they are going to send me a quote, but I suspect it will be astronomical.

Laura. I just threw it together. No plans other than what is in my head. I can get you the detailed lengths if interested

Thanks Mike! Can you post a pic of the outside? I may ask for the lengths if not too much trouble. I can't build it myself (not handy enough) but I know someone who can...I need to provide him detailed instructions though. This is the greenhouse you use, right?

I did edit my post and added an outside pic. Did it not show up? I'll describe the bows. Each vertical piece is 4'6" then a 45 elbow. The roof part are 5'. The peak is an X and 45 put together. Each bow is 2' apart.

It's really nice Mike! Do you use it all winter?

Hi Laura,

I have a smaller version of this from the same company. Here are some of the highlights (pros/cons):

1. On a sunny day the temperature inside will be much hotter than outside. This is the primary reason I bought this greenhouse, to allow the citrus to grow in the winter. When it is a sunny day around 50 degrees outside, it will be 80+ degrees inside.

2. It is very light and easy to assemble. Another big advantage is the ease with which you can disassemble it in the summer so that it isn't an eyesore.

3. It gives you a few degrees of protection at night, but that's it. It does not retain heat at night very much at all. I keep a small heater inside, set to keep the temperature a few degrees above freezing. That being said, it rarely gets below 25 degrees here.

4. It will probably last you around 3 growing seasons. The connections for the supporting struts will eventually break down. Of course, it is much cheaper than a full greenhouse, but plan on replacing it every 3 years or so.

5. It is very light, but can also blow away in the wind. At the bottom there is a small skirt at the bottom both inside and outside. I put cinder blocks on this both inside and outside. With these in place I have never had it blow away, even in the very strong winds.

-Brett

Thank you Brett!!! That helps tons! Based on your experience, it will not work for me bc we can have temps in the teens. Bummer. I think we'll ride out this winter inside and slowly plan for next year...

Laura. I do use it all winter. Our winter while technically 6b they are a very mild 6b. Only about 2-3 weeks are worthy of being 6b. Typically more like 7b. Most nights only one 1500w heater is needed to maintain 55 degrees