i'm living with my family short term (10months?) and i needed somewhere to put my plants so i set this up, how can i prepare this for winter? it's in our back yard so i just thought i could get an heavy duty outdoor extension cord, a waterproof box to cover the connector part, and setting up a small heater inside, if the winter gets very bad i was thinking i could support the structure with wood poles, pvc pipes, or even 2x4s. if need be i could get a large insulation blanket to lay over the entire thing. i could really use some advice cuz this is something i've been stressing over, i have 50ish plants and i don't want to lose them, any advice is appreciated, thank you!
by andie-boio
18 Comments
What growing zone? Sounds like you are in around zone 4?
If so, 50 plants have less than a 50 percent chance of seeing next spring.
You pack it down into a shed or a garage for next year
You could try adding bubble wrap. There’s a lot of variables with any greenhouse but the key questions really are:
What temperature do you need the plants to stay at to keep them alive?
What’s the typical lowest outdoor night time temperature you’re likely to encounter?
I had one of these set up in the winter, mostly for succulents and two large jade plants. It worked very well (with some string lights to ward off frost) for several years. Temps dip down into the 30’s, hard frost occasionally, no snow.
It could not withstand heavy wind though, even though we had it anchored down very well. Once the ties attaching the plastic to the frame ripped off, it turned into a giant parachute and became completely useless.
So it depends entirely what your winter temps are, and I have a feeling yours are colder than mine. You might want to look for something sturdier if you have to keep your plants outside.
Add a heater. I’d go petroleum. The cheap ones get you going for like 60 hours.
Insulation is a futile attempt. I’d hang a rescue blanket inside from the north wall.
If you’re worried about specific plants, double wrap them in bubble wrap. You can also keep stalks warm with cloth or Coco husk. Just make sure it doesn’t accumulate moisture. The heater releases moisture into the air. Be wary of that.
Keep all plants at least 10 cm away from the wall. Cold air will fall there, stressing the plants.
I live in New England and had one of these. They are not able to withstand real winters. If temps get below freezing the plastic becomes brittle and it rips apart. I wasn’t trying to keep plants in it for the winter, just didn’t want to take down all my shelving. If you get snow it will collapse. This is a Spring through Fall greenhouse. Sorry
I can’t speak about the snow, but if you have windy winters, you’ll need additional support to keep that thing from turning into a kite. The tie downs on these things aren’t worth much.
You are going to need to at least add your grow zone or lowest winner temperature if you want useful information. You can find your zone on here [https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/](https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/)
Its portable because its migratory. Like coconuts.
Brother, I have a $2,000 greenhouse made of wood, double-walled polycarbonate window panels, with insulation, and it still barely holds up to a real winter. These things are just too thin and cheap to hold out the cold. You’d also be spending so much in electricity to heat it that you could have just bought a better setup with the money.
You’d be better off finding a place in the basement and putting them under LED growlights for the winter if there’s no window space.
You don’t. It’s garbage.
You don’t. If you’re anywhere that gets hard freezes which I’m guessing you do since you’re posting this now, then it’s futile. These are great for extending the growing season but not for actual overwintering. Find out which growing zone you’re in by typing in your zip code here. https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/home
Do you grow only shade loving plants?
If not, that thing is an all season growth reduction device.
Take it down. End of.
You mentioned you need to put your plants in here while you temporarily live with your parents. The comments that this greenhouse sucks are correct, but lets assume you have no other options and a very small budget….
First you need to build a greenhouse within a greenhouse. Gather your plants into the smallest footprint you can manage. Take some clear plastic sheeting from a big box store and make a tent for them. Closer to the ground the better, the ground has heat in it.
Install your heater. You don’t want one that blows hot air, you want a ceramic light that people use for reptiles. Don’t buy a “reptile heater” they’ll overcharge you. Just buy a cheap chicken heat lamp thing and then buy the black ceramic bulb separately. Should be like $15 total. Set that up within your little tent.
Get a temperature controlled outlet. Set it up so it only goes on when it’s 45* or less. Hook your extension cord up and get your heater plugged in.
Now let’s deal with the outside. Get some more cheap clear plastic sheeting. Throw that over the top. Jury rig a door system so you can still water but still close it up decently enough. The plastic should be bigger than the greenhouse so the sides lay flat on the ground and prevent air from coming in the bottom edges. I put straw bales around my greenhouse to seal it up, but you don’t have to. What you **do** need to do is make sure the wind can never ever ever blow the plastic up or around. Movement will shred it instantly. Seal it taut.
I have one similar to this in a spot protected from the wind. I fill it with things I want to stay dry over winter. It’s great for that but not for keeping plants alive. Those plants are going to need to come inside, sorry. Maybe you could ask some friends to foster them during winter.
Take it down and pack it up XD
I have that green house and I’ve done pretty much what you’re talking about. I added a Dr Heater green house heater and a wireless outdoor thermometer. I live in Texas and the coldest temperatures have been in the teens but the heater was able to keep the internal temperature around 40F without problem. After two years, the roof of the shell was full of holes and was replaced. Without doing any DIY repairs on the shell, I would expect to replace it every two years.
I like that it’s portable and I’ve moved it to several locations in the yard (no flooring). I’ve even used it as a temporary storage shed in the summer. I’m not sure about 50 plants, but I guess depending on the size of the plans and with shelving, that might be possible. This will be the 4th winter for ours so yes, it will suffice for 10 months. The only concern would be to have an adequate heating solution for your weather.
Good luck.