Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

They have those at our local Harbor Freight which we call the Toy Store. I
don't question your comparison numbers, but if it's meant to be practical
far as return on investment, there are questions. Let's keep in mind that a
12 x 10 is just about adequate for starting plants from seed for a large
home garden. But if it's for growing food directly then it isn't big enough
and it would take years at least to repay the investment. 

I built an 8 x 14 for under $150, though with film and wood instead of the
poly panels and metal. It's strictly for germinating in flats and pots, and
with a small electric heater it did the job for a couple months before last
frost. It protects small potted trees like figs etc. before setting out. 

The $599 12 x 10 could certainly be a good hobby greenhouse, or from a
practical standpoint it could repay the investment by growing starters for
a large garden. There are also alternatives though. Cold frames can help
get a jump on the growing season, or hot frames or even floating row
covers. There's a lot of good information on season extension in books and
websites. It means more than just having the earliest tomato. It means you
can grow two or three crops a year in the same space, depending on your
learning curve. I'm in the middle of this learning curve right now. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 5/15/2007 at 2:49 PM Bobby G wrote:

>hey folks, local Harbor Freight store has greenhouse
>kits selling for $299 for the 6 x 10 size, and $599
>for the 12 X 10.  these use semi-rigid polycarbonate
>panels, the corrugated type panels that are approx. 5
>mm thick, and the frame is angle-aluminum.
>
>given that polycarbonate sheets are pricey at $1.70
>per square foot (e.g., 200 sq. ft. at $340) plus the
>packing and shipping charge that every greenhouse
>supply house adds on (usually $100 or $120), this
>complete greenhouse kit seems much less expensive than
>buying just the bulk polycarbonate sheets (then having
>to build a frame for the greenhouse). 
>
>bobby g
>