Searching for a greenhouse? Me too! In fact, I’ve spent an unfathomable amount of time researching brands, reading reviews and exploring options. After all that time invested, you would think I would be able to locate the perfect greenhouse. But lo and behold, nope.
A Quick History
I first realized I “need” a greenhouse when we had a “cold snap” of 28 degrees in November. Wait, it freezes in Texas? Yup, indeed it does! While I already knew this fact, it still surprised me when all of a sudden the temperature dropped and I had to scramble to find our small box of “winter” gear. I’m sure glad we didn’t give away all our hats and mittens!
Unfortunately, I also lost some plants to the sudden cold. Since then I’ve been careful to pay attention to the forecast so I can protect sensitive plants like aloe and ginger. I also realized that in order to really get a head-start on spring growing, I needed a greenhouse.
A Desperate Search
Since we’ve arrived at Humblebee Farms last June, I’ve been itching to get our garden going. While I had all the best intentions for a fall planting, I was too busy getting raised beds set up, unpacking and generally settling in to get in the garden in in-time. Now that we are more settled, I naturally want to start growing now. A greenhouse seemed like the perfect solution to cure the itch!
But after countless hours (and I mean countless!) I’ve come to a very sad conclusion: In the world of greenhouses there is either really cheap and crappy or really expensive and nice. Nothing sits in-between this spectrum. Either you throw away $500 on a garbage green house or you spend $5,000+++ on the perfect greenhouse. Ironically (or not so ironically) I’m finding this to be the case with almost all goods. But that’s a story for another post.
Quality vs. Cost
I’m a fan of investing in quality products that will last many, many years. I strongly advocate that some of America’s deepest-rooted problems are the result of a throw-away mindset. Instead of investing in durable goods, we spend our money on cheap versions that require replacement after just a short bit of time – filling up landfills and costing us more money in the long run.
But sometimes low-cost is the only option. My challenge this year is that I don’t have a flat, cleared space to put in the perfect greenhouse (large!) like I want to. Eventually we will get there, but for now I just want a small 8′ x 8′ seed starter greenhouse. Because I know this small greenhouse will be temporary, I was OK with medium quality. With $1,000 budget in mind, I went to work on the internet.
But after hours and hours of reading reviews, watching product videos and comparing available models I’ve concluded there is no perfect greenhouse for the middle-of-the road consumer like myself. Instead I became frustrated by horror-story reviews of thin plastic, flimsy aluminum and whole structures that blew away upon encounter with the smallest gust of wind. I mean, I was OK with less-than-perfect – but “plastic as thin as what you find with a spinach container”? That’s just not going to cut it.
On the opposite end of the spectum I read great things about the Riga series of greenhouses. But at almost $5,000 for less than a 10×10 greenhouse, that pill was just too big to swallow for a greenhouse I see as a short-term solution until we find room for a bigger one. Sigh.
Greenhouse Comparison
To help paint the picture of what greenhouses I looked at, here’s the top 5 contenders. Things I considered beyond just cost and size were r-value, reviews from multiple sources and the ability to return the greenhouse should it show up damaged or was disappointing. No one ever said finding the perfect greenhouse would be easy!
No. 1| Riga III 9×10
Price – $3,850 (rigagreenhousekit.com)
Average Rating – 4.7+ (Costco)
The most expensive option I looked at. The price tag is for just the basic greenhouse. For a base you’d have to chock up another $725. And for $5,185 you got the “premium” package which included the foundation frame + shelving.
The Riga greenhouse consistently received excellent reviews. It’s 8mm and 10mm twin-wall panels are also the most insulating option found in the greenhouses listed here. But besides the steep price for such a little greenhouse, I was disappointed with the size of the door. At 30″ wide I wouldn’t be able to drive in with a mini skid steer or other machine to move in larger plants for overwintering. Also, the base – while ideal for securing the greenhouse – creates a large threshold that could make it difficult to roll in a wheel-burrow or other tool to help move plants. Overall, the height was lower than I wanted too.
But for people with smaller space or who live in challenging climates, this might be the perfect greenhouse for you!
Pros:
- Positive reviews
- Excellent warranty
- Thickest panels
Cons:
- Pricey
- Small door size
- limited availability
No. 2 |Monticello 8×8 in Black
Price – $2,399 (homedepot.com)
Average Rating – 4.0 (Home Depot – but ratings vary widely across the web)
With 8mm thick panels, and integrated gutter system and a variety of packages, the Monticello was my 2nd favorite, and 2nd most expensive. A premium package tacks on another $220 and provides a work bench system, interior shade system, programmable watering system and greenhouse sink system – a good value for just $220 more. You can also expand your Monticello with 8′ segments that cost $799. Handy if your not sure what size greenhouse you need and want to leave your options open.
I almost pulled the trigger on this option. But a couple of things caused me to pause. First, many of the negative reviews noted how poor the instructions were, which led to a frustrating installation process. 2nd, I couldn’t find anything about the actual gauge of the aluminum used. The manufactures description says “heavy duty”. But I’m a numbers gal – I want to see the data! Looking at the installation videos I was concerned how sturdy the greenhouse would be against our strong Texas storms.
Ultimately, I decided against this greenhouse mostly because of cost. When I started thinking about how much food this greenhouse would produce annually, I couldn’t justify the cost. I’d rather save the $2,500 and invest it in a larger, permanent structure in a year or two.
Pros:
- Double doors
- Excellent warranty
- 8mm panels
Cons:
- Installation difficulties
- Some reviews report weak components
- Cost
No. 3: Pelram Balance 8×8
Price: $850 (costco.com)
Average Rating: 3.7 (costco.com)
Pelram offers a wide selection of greenhouses targeted at the consumer market. If you are shopping at your hardware store for a greenhouse, no doubt you will come across Pelram. Pelram also offers greenhouse components – such as 2×8 8mm polycarbonate panels at Home Depot and other hardware stores for about $30 a panel (should you choose to build your own).
Pelram offers both clear and standard (cloudy) polycarbonate. What attracted me to this greenhouse was the clear paneling on the sidewalls. We live in the woods along with tons of birds and animals. I enjoy watching them whenever I can, and clear panels seem like a way to enjoy the benefits of glass in a less-breakable medium.
This particular model of Pelram has those double doors I want, along with a low threshold – meaning I could roll in a wheel-burrow or cart as needed. However, it also has the thinnest polycarbonate of the greenhouses we’ve reviewed so far with 4mm thick roof panels and 0.7mm clear wall panels. In one review the wall panels are described as about as thick as the plastic used to package spinach in at grocery stores. Given the temperature swings here, I was concerned the greenhouse might not perform during cold snaps AND during scorching hot days.
Pros:
- Wide selection of sizes
- Large double doors
- Clear walls
Cons:
- Thin polycarbonate panels
- Basic warranty
- Poor reviews
No. 4: Pelram Snap and Grow 6×8
Price: $649 (homedepot.com)
Average Rating: 3.6 (homedepot.com)
Another Pelram greenhouse, this one is a bit smaller than those I’ve talked about so far. At 6×8 I figure it would at least offer some room to sprout starts. Like the Monticello, the Pelram Snap and Grow can be expanded later – a concept I like in theory.
At $649 this is also one of the cheapest greenhouse available. The Snap and Grow is made of the same 0.7mm clear polycarbonate panels found in the Balance greenhouse, but instead of traditional polycarbonate roof panels, it uses the same thin clear plastic over the entire structure.
This is another greenhouse I almost just said “whatever, just get it”. But as I read reviews and looked at some of the pictures provided by customers, I realized quickly this would last two years, at best. And while my goal is indeed a temporary small greenhouse, the environmentalist in me just can’t buy something this large knowing it most likely will be in the landfill in a couple of years. Sigh.
Pros:
- Expandable
- Cost
- Clear
Cons:
- Longevity
- Quality
- Thin polycarbonate panels
No.5: Harbor Freight One Stop Gardens 6×8
Price: $429.99 (harborfreight.com)
Average Review: 3.7 (harborfreight.com)
Harbor Freight’s One Stop Garden is by far the lowest cost option on this list. I couldn’t find the thickness of the polycarbonate used, but I would guess 4mm. This is the only greenhouse featuring a slide open door vs. a traditional hinged one. During the holidays this greenhouse was on sale for $299. I would have purchased it but no one had it in stock within 100 miles – and shopping was a whopping $100.
As the low cost option, this greenhouse misses some of the features available on the other models, including a built-in gutter system, a swing-open door and a warranty (the warranty is only 90 days compared to 5 years and 10 years for all the other options discussed so far).
Like the Pelram Snap and Grow, this greenhouse could be a good, low cost option for those in need of a basic greenhouse – especially if you can snap it up when it’s on sale. But also like the Snap and Grow, I was concerned by the reviews on Harbor Freights website. I read numerous reviews that described the quality as poor. And with some of the rather strong windstorms we get in Texas, I was concerned it would hold up.
Pros:
- Lowest cost option
- Corrugated polycarbonate panels
Cons:
- Quality
- No warranty (90 days doesn’t equal a warranty to me)
- Longevity
The Perfect Greenhouse, Rethought
After all this research, I was disappointed I didn’t find a “middle of the road” option that was also reasonably priced. Ultimately, I wanted to spend around $1,000. So with that budget in mind I started to rethink how I approached seed starting. I already have some grow lights I brought with us from Seattle. And I have a climate-controlled shed thanks to the previous owner installing a mini-split in a small storage building (don’t ask me why). Now all I needed was a way to protect sensitive starts during cold snaps once outside.
That’s when I re-thank how I approached things. I was ok spending money on something I would use long-term. So while staring at the Costco options for greenhouse the Juwel Biostar 1500 Premium Cold Frame caught my attention. With 8mm thick polycarbonate panels, it put the insulation up there with the more pricier greenhouses. And at about 5 x 3 feet in size, it would fit inside of my existing raised metal garden beds from metalgardenbeds.com (which are about 6’8″ x 3’4″). The cold frames even have an automatic vent. The average reviews are 4.4 – again up there with the pricier greenhouse models.
At $299, these cold frames aren’t exactly cheap. But since I knew I could use them for years to come as season extenders, my husband and I agreed they were the best option. I went ahead and ordered 4 (I know, I know, that’s more like $1,200!). Once I get them set up I’ll be sure to come back with a follow up post. But for now, happy gardening!