Thanks everyone for leaving so many lovely and helpful comments on the old video (and all videos tbh). There's so much collective wisdom, thanks for sharing with everyone. If you're looking to fill up your greenhouse then check out these seeds to sow for this month: ua-cam.com/play/PLMNjC6h_XSTYOIMM6wlmu7_BVmYsDaoPw.html
Good improvements to the greenhouse, I think they are really required if you're going to use one of these. The main issues for me were airflow and keeping the thing from blowing away. You also have to be aware of temperature fluctuations, it can actually get colder inside a greenhouse at night than outside and this can happen even in a more expensive glass greenhouse or polytunnel.
As a maker, my head spins at all the possibilities for reinforcing them. But in the end, none of them are more practical than what you've already come up with.
Thanks WW! You know I fumbled the line so didn't include it but one guy built a wooden frame to go around the outside of the greenhouse. So you had metal, plastic and then wood. That thing isn't going anywhere! It's amazing the range of solutions that the community came up with
Hi Ken! I've only really had it in the winter when I leave it shut for long periods of time and when there isn't much wind. My solution there is to open the door during the day (and making use of any heat) to ventilate. I presume that's the universal solution - get the air moving so humidity isn't trapped. If airflow is too low, it could be worth keeping the door slightly ajar or, if it's the summer, raising the flaps around the base. Right now I'm looking into a solar-powered fan to solve the high temperature issue, but I expect the extra airflow would help lower humidity too and therefore reduce condensation. In winter the only other trick I could come up with would be to pack in as much thermal mass as possible so it can heat and retain and build heat. Avoid using moist things but bricks, concrete, things like that. Might get you an extra few degrees which should reduce the overall condensation - although unlikely to eliminate. Whatever you can do to get more air and, if possible, heat
When a really bad storm destroyed mine I repurposed the frame as a brassica cage. I covered it with wire netting and made a hinged door from wood and netting. Most years I have a real problem with wood pigeons, but now they cannot get to my cabbages and Brussels sprouts etc 😊. For the first year ever my brassicas are both surviving and thriving. I am so pleased with it I am going to add a second one this year so I can plant more.
Great question. These ones, with one hole for the door are trickier. In the summer you can keep the door open and lift the flaps in good weather - you can kind of pull the sides up inwards and tuck it between the frame or tape it down. Generally I leave the door open all summer and that mostly keeps the heat bearable at shelf level. Right now I'm looking into a solar fan, where you install the panel on the outside and you hang the fan from the inside to help with airflow. But some people have cut holes in the back and made their own DIY window. Doing something like that in the ceiling, carefully cutting one on side of the mesh/thread and taping around the cut area, would probably work. Might be easier to buy a model that comes with windows. Outsunny do some with mesh windows. Prices have changed but you can basically get a much larger polytunnel with windows for a similar price. Probably still has the very high temperatures at the top but there's no faffing around with the sides.
I've got a steel frame metal joint bolts concrete filled buried cinder blocks anchoring it all down with ropes/cables over top of it all. Frame survived last hurricane a lil bent up, extra strength plastic covering rated 60mph+... didn't hold up to the 90mph+ gusts. Am in process of repairs.
Try Gorilla Tape rather than duct tape, And I put two ropes over the top of the green house tying them to heavy breeze blocks on the ground. Excellent video
But if it's more than twice as cheap..... 😉 Honestly, I get the sentiment - it's definitely true of things like camera lenses & lighting equipment. The zips, guy ropes and terrible instructions don't help my case here but my feeling is it's basically it's own product category because of how portable and accessible it is so we have to forget regular greenhouses for a minute. A bit like a bicycle to a motorcycle, it achieves something similar but comes with its own limitations, maintenance needs and up-front cost but you don't need as much to quality to use one (hard-standing, unlikely to move house, etc). I'm definitely a half glass full kind of person when it comes to buying stuff though.... But if anyone knows of a £200 premium or designer plastic greenhouse 😎, I'd be up for buying it and comparing.
You must not get a ton of wind. I use large steel stakes and burried timbers as an anchor. If the wind makes the plastic flap, which tends to cause damage, I run ropes over the structure and to my anchors. It provides more protection from wind.
Honestly, it's all in my ground pegs (and the thick soil that stays relatively firm near the greenhouse), the ropes, and keeping all that wind out. Definitely didn't appreciate the impact of it in my first year and was less good about sealing the flaps and the doors (hence the damage) but think I've got a handle on it now. If I recall correctly I don't think it's quite as windy here as where you are --- 20mph with 40 gusts is a 'normal' day on the forecast around here but because of the landscape it's actually really hard to shut my back door most days and it usually hits 40 mph with 60 gusts for a couple of days every fortnight. East Anglia is too flat for it's own good. The wind (and the flatness - I'm on the last proper slope for about a hundred miles) is probably the main reason I'll end up moving Ropes over the top are a great idea though. I was going to run a bungee over the plastic for this video but I didn't have one long enough or anything to hook it to 😆. I think if the trees didn't make the ground so dry and there wasn't so much concrete and buried brickwork nearby I'd probably try something similar and bury something myself. Will definitely give it a go if I move somewhere else and if the soil is easier to work. But tbh the guy ropes are pretty good if you get the tightness right, they don't really budge all that much.
Great stuff! Glad they are still working for you. Mine survived the first year, then I was frustrated with the broken zipper that failed fairly quickly (so any wind would open it up and it's would flap). One of the zipper handles also broke like yours. As you mentioned it got super hot in there so everything died. To preserve the greenhouse I took it apart and stored it. At the time, I couldn't decide on a remedy (but would add an exhaust fan or window to the back wall opposite the door for airflow). I will replace the door (but use the fabric) by making a 2x4" frame and making an actual door out of 1x2". Cover with the door fabric (I also dislike rolling it up each time). I'm glad I saved it. As you said, it's a great price and just needs some work to make it great.
Thanks Chris. Yeah it's such a shame that it's almost the perfect product let down by a few shoddy parts. The zipper is a pain, I think replacing the zip as well as adding new rows of teeth should be options but it's very DIY and a bit beyond me - I managed to thread the teeth back together and then sealed it and left it. Taking the cover off is great but even exposed to the elements I've not seen any real rust or anything on the frame - not sure how it'll deal with your temperatures over winter but it's fine down to -5C to -10C. A fan is a really good idea. I know there are some that work when they are heated but it's normally for use on a log burner - I saw one that was 50C or 122F but I reckon it'll activate a little lower. Something passive like that or a solar powered fan would be brilliant, I've just not tested it. I want to try and do some work in there (it's so much warmer than my house), maybe I should look into it for the summer. I also think a single hole at the top towards the back might help in general (if I don't open it up it gets super hot even this early in the year which isn't ideal for young plants) but I'm not that bold to cut into the fabric just yet
Great review. I think it would be handy if you and others can highlight these things to the manufacters and retailers for them to resolve the issues in future product. I already sent several emails to some of them
Sadly the retailers ignore my emails too and the manufacturer website doesn't even load anymore (the domain is still registered at least). There are some established brands like Von Haus selling _very_ similar items with _very_ similar reviews who, in principle, _might_ be more receptive (I've never done business with them or tried their products but they are a 'real'/traditional brand at least). But it might be easier to get a new greenhouse commissioned tbh - even if it was just to replace the ropes, zips and ties and provide a few pegs for the base and to also sell replacement covers. I have no clue how or how many the minimum order would be (a lot I guess) but I presume it's possible?
Hi Wendy. Lots of good reasons, some artistic, some UA-cam-specific. Can I check that it was the music being present that was the issue for you and that it wasn't too loud and competing with my voice? TV tends to struggle with the latter and while I try very hard to avoid that I can only check how it sounds on devices that I have access to.
Thanks everyone for leaving so many lovely and helpful comments on the old video (and all videos tbh). There's so much collective wisdom, thanks for sharing with everyone.
If you're looking to fill up your greenhouse then check out these seeds to sow for this month: ua-cam.com/play/PLMNjC6h_XSTYOIMM6wlmu7_BVmYsDaoPw.html
Good improvements to the greenhouse, I think they are really required if you're going to use one of these. The main issues for me were airflow and keeping the thing from blowing away. You also have to be aware of temperature fluctuations, it can actually get colder inside a greenhouse at night than outside and this can happen even in a more expensive glass greenhouse or polytunnel.
As a maker, my head spins at all the possibilities for reinforcing them. But in the end, none of them are more practical than what you've already come up with.
Thanks WW! You know I fumbled the line so didn't include it but one guy built a wooden frame to go around the outside of the greenhouse. So you had metal, plastic and then wood. That thing isn't going anywhere! It's amazing the range of solutions that the community came up with
Hi Folks, anyone having any issues with condensation? If so how to get rid of or reduce.
Cheers
Hi Ken! I've only really had it in the winter when I leave it shut for long periods of time and when there isn't much wind. My solution there is to open the door during the day (and making use of any heat) to ventilate. I presume that's the universal solution - get the air moving so humidity isn't trapped. If airflow is too low, it could be worth keeping the door slightly ajar or, if it's the summer, raising the flaps around the base.
Right now I'm looking into a solar-powered fan to solve the high temperature issue, but I expect the extra airflow would help lower humidity too and therefore reduce condensation.
In winter the only other trick I could come up with would be to pack in as much thermal mass as possible so it can heat and retain and build heat. Avoid using moist things but bricks, concrete, things like that. Might get you an extra few degrees which should reduce the overall condensation - although unlikely to eliminate.
Whatever you can do to get more air and, if possible, heat
When a really bad storm destroyed mine I repurposed the frame as a brassica cage. I covered it with wire netting and made a hinged door from wood and netting. Most years I have a real problem with wood pigeons, but now they cannot get to my cabbages and Brussels sprouts etc 😊. For the first year ever my brassicas are both surviving and thriving. I am so pleased with it I am going to add a second one this year so I can plant more.
These are great tips! I'm new to greenhouse gardening, so this is helpful. :)
How would you vent it
Great question. These ones, with one hole for the door are trickier. In the summer you can keep the door open and lift the flaps in good weather - you can kind of pull the sides up inwards and tuck it between the frame or tape it down. Generally I leave the door open all summer and that mostly keeps the heat bearable at shelf level. Right now I'm looking into a solar fan, where you install the panel on the outside and you hang the fan from the inside to help with airflow.
But some people have cut holes in the back and made their own DIY window. Doing something like that in the ceiling, carefully cutting one on side of the mesh/thread and taping around the cut area, would probably work.
Might be easier to buy a model that comes with windows. Outsunny do some with mesh windows. Prices have changed but you can basically get a much larger polytunnel with windows for a similar price. Probably still has the very high temperatures at the top but there's no faffing around with the sides.
What's your recommendations in a hurricane prone area?
I've got a steel frame metal joint bolts concrete filled buried cinder blocks anchoring it all down with ropes/cables over top of it all. Frame survived last hurricane a lil bent up, extra strength plastic covering rated 60mph+... didn't hold up to the 90mph+ gusts. Am in process of repairs.
Try Gorilla Tape rather than duct tape, And I put two ropes over the top of the green house tying them to heavy breeze blocks on the ground. Excellent video
Ah, thank you!!! And I've not heard of Gorilla but that tape looks much better
Buy cheap, Buy twice x
But if it's more than twice as cheap..... 😉
Honestly, I get the sentiment - it's definitely true of things like camera lenses & lighting equipment. The zips, guy ropes and terrible instructions don't help my case here but my feeling is it's basically it's own product category because of how portable and accessible it is so we have to forget regular greenhouses for a minute. A bit like a bicycle to a motorcycle, it achieves something similar but comes with its own limitations, maintenance needs and up-front cost but you don't need as much to quality to use one (hard-standing, unlikely to move house, etc).
I'm definitely a half glass full kind of person when it comes to buying stuff though....
But if anyone knows of a £200 premium or designer plastic greenhouse 😎, I'd be up for buying it and comparing.
@@alexgrowsfood the outsunny outdoor aluminium frames are going for about £230 which is really good value
They were good tips. Thank you.
You must not get a ton of wind. I use large steel stakes and burried timbers as an anchor. If the wind makes the plastic flap, which tends to cause damage, I run ropes over the structure and to my anchors. It provides more protection from wind.
Honestly, it's all in my ground pegs (and the thick soil that stays relatively firm near the greenhouse), the ropes, and keeping all that wind out. Definitely didn't appreciate the impact of it in my first year and was less good about sealing the flaps and the doors (hence the damage) but think I've got a handle on it now. If I recall correctly I don't think it's quite as windy here as where you are --- 20mph with 40 gusts is a 'normal' day on the forecast around here but because of the landscape it's actually really hard to shut my back door most days and it usually hits 40 mph with 60 gusts for a couple of days every fortnight. East Anglia is too flat for it's own good. The wind (and the flatness - I'm on the last proper slope for about a hundred miles) is probably the main reason I'll end up moving
Ropes over the top are a great idea though. I was going to run a bungee over the plastic for this video but I didn't have one long enough or anything to hook it to 😆. I think if the trees didn't make the ground so dry and there wasn't so much concrete and buried brickwork nearby I'd probably try something similar and bury something myself. Will definitely give it a go if I move somewhere else and if the soil is easier to work. But tbh the guy ropes are pretty good if you get the tightness right, they don't really budge all that much.
Great stuff! Glad they are still working for you. Mine survived the first year, then I was frustrated with the broken zipper that failed fairly quickly (so any wind would open it up and it's would flap). One of the zipper handles also broke like yours. As you mentioned it got super hot in there so everything died. To preserve the greenhouse I took it apart and stored it. At the time, I couldn't decide on a remedy (but would add an exhaust fan or window to the back wall opposite the door for airflow). I will replace the door (but use the fabric) by making a 2x4" frame and making an actual door out of 1x2". Cover with the door fabric (I also dislike rolling it up each time). I'm glad I saved it. As you said, it's a great price and just needs some work to make it great.
Thanks Chris. Yeah it's such a shame that it's almost the perfect product let down by a few shoddy parts. The zipper is a pain, I think replacing the zip as well as adding new rows of teeth should be options but it's very DIY and a bit beyond me - I managed to thread the teeth back together and then sealed it and left it. Taking the cover off is great but even exposed to the elements I've not seen any real rust or anything on the frame - not sure how it'll deal with your temperatures over winter but it's fine down to -5C to -10C.
A fan is a really good idea. I know there are some that work when they are heated but it's normally for use on a log burner - I saw one that was 50C or 122F but I reckon it'll activate a little lower. Something passive like that or a solar powered fan would be brilliant, I've just not tested it. I want to try and do some work in there (it's so much warmer than my house), maybe I should look into it for the summer. I also think a single hole at the top towards the back might help in general (if I don't open it up it gets super hot even this early in the year which isn't ideal for young plants) but I'm not that bold to cut into the fabric just yet
Great review. I think it would be handy if you and others can highlight these things to the manufacters and retailers for them to resolve the issues in future product. I already sent several emails to some of them
Sadly the retailers ignore my emails too and the manufacturer website doesn't even load anymore (the domain is still registered at least). There are some established brands like Von Haus selling _very_ similar items with _very_ similar reviews who, in principle, _might_ be more receptive (I've never done business with them or tried their products but they are a 'real'/traditional brand at least). But it might be easier to get a new greenhouse commissioned tbh - even if it was just to replace the ropes, zips and ties and provide a few pegs for the base and to also sell replacement covers. I have no clue how or how many the minimum order would be (a lot I guess) but I presume it's possible?
Most Excellent Alex! I love that you used all the feedback too! Thank you.
Thanks Rebekah! I'm sure every creator says this, but I definitely have the best audience. Love each and every comment
Very interesting video thanks Alex
No worries, glad you enjoyed it!
❤❤❤ Great advice Alex!
Thanks Rebekah!
❤
Thanks Roshan!
Helpful, hank you,but why have background music all through? This is a terrible nuisance, prevalent on most TV programmes.
Hi Wendy. Lots of good reasons, some artistic, some UA-cam-specific. Can I check that it was the music being present that was the issue for you and that it wasn't too loud and competing with my voice? TV tends to struggle with the latter and while I try very hard to avoid that I can only check how it sounds on devices that I have access to.