another greenhouse thread - shelterlogic review

tired of dragging trees in and out at inconvenient times during winter/early spring, i decided to try something different this season.

i toyed with the idea of adding a permanent extension to the north end of the house, or creating a temporary shelter over my bench areas, but these were a combination of too expensive or too much work to build, run 220v out to the area and over heating would be a big concern as well.

so i began to research the idea of temporary greenhouse that could be setup/removed for the 2-3 months needed.

i came across shelterlogic greenhouses using the new acellaframe. being busy and (mostly) alone to do any work, it was extremely important that whatever solution was quick and manageable with as few people as possible

the acellaframe greenhouse was more money (quite a bit more) but the frame literally went up in under 5 minutes (it took longer to unbox and break the box down than to assemble. i dont have photos but here is a link to a video showing the assembly.

i went with the 10x12 as this would just fit between the end of my house and the porch and was still just big enough to cram everything i need to store.

because of the location and the local climate - i wasnt too worried about anchoring, but it definitely needed some. i originally started with 30 inch helical anchors. these proved to a huge pain to install. i was actually only able to get 4 into the ground (technically 3.5) the half anchor absolutely refused to go any further down or come back out. so i dug around it and added quick crete.

i ended up going with a combination of the helical anchors and the easyhook anchors. the easy hooks went in a little easier (nc red clay is horrible and any rocks encountered ruin your chance at anchoring) i attached cargo ratchet straps to the horizontal supports (to allow sidewall rollup options etc)

unfortunately there were a few issues encountered.

1st the anchor installation as described above - i had considered building a deck option that would allow a useable sitting area when the greenhouse is not in use most of the year. then when time to construct i would attach the acellaframe directly to the support. i opted not to do so, primary concern being any elevation off the ground might expose the pot bottom to more cold temps. im seriously reconsidering this for next year - im not sure that a (basically) ground level deck would create a measurable effect on the pots versus direct placement on the gravel bed.

2nd -my plan called for treated wood around the base with 3/4 pvc piping cut halfway to firmly attach the cover to, and secure using 1/2 pvc inserts (common for diy greenhouses etc instead of wiggle wire etc). installation of the cover made this problematic. the cover is BARELY large enough to fit. it does cover the entired structure (and the area is level enough etc) but it was a real pain to install and unfortunately the frame had to be shifted to get the top portion on. this called a) the layout to fall out of square and b) the 2 inch gap between the posts and the anchor installs to shift - so the wood edging will be a little more trouble to install (thats why there are no photos of them - it didnt get done today)

3rd - the supports are not quite as strong as i would like - the photo below shows them bent just from the ratcheting straps attached to the anchors

overall im pretty pleased - i think it will work well enough for my needs. and with some thought and maybe a few modifications it can be improved a little more.

my main areas of concern are:
this is a very new product - a replacement cover is not available. i have no experience with them and can only guess as to durability of them. i was told eventually replacement covers will be available, and honestly it may not even be up long enough to require replacement. im the type of person that plans ahead and generally buys two of everything that i feel might need to be replaced in a pinch -so i probably feel more vulnerable not having a replacement on hand than most would.

gaps around the edges. alittle hard to explain - but im not fan of the way the edges are done at the 4 corners. i think my wood working around the base will take care of any air gaps - but anyone considering purchasing one may need to pay close attn to their install if they are worried about heat retention/air tightness of the canopy.




the "sides" are suppose to allow a rollup of around a foot -and have small bungies to hold up etc. i probably will not use this feature and am looking at bypassing that altogether.

this model has zip up doors and window "vents" on the 12foot front and back sections. they look sturdy and are pretty easy to use - again - as a new user time will tell of their durability. the base of both will have the pvc portions to hold the cover from flapping in the wind wtc.



and for some reason - bugs LOVE this thing. it was barely up 10 mins before there were a dozen or more flies, moths and stinkbugs in it. not sure what that was about.

next steps are

wood/pvc solution around the base to hold the bottom of the cover firmly against the ground etc, preventing loss of warm while being heated

testing/recording of temps in and outside of the greenhouse to determine whether cooling or shading is needed

a better rollup solution for the sides -the majority of the winter this thing will be vented as much as possible, with only sporadic supplemental heating applied. (it just doesnt get that cold for that long here, late freezes are the bigger threat)

the heaters are purchased (one primary one backup) along with thermostatic outlets (unless i can find a reasonably priced controller that doesnt require electrical wiring.) these will be installed much later in the winter. one of the reasons i chose this option instead of others is proximity to a previously wired source from the hottub that was used for many years. this location gives easy access to add heat, without digging and burying electrical for approximately 80-90 feet for the other options that were being considered.

hopefully this will work out well and save some spur of the moment trips in and out of the garage, facilitate watering during storage and some of the other issues that have been a pain to deal with over the years.

Good work getting everything ready before the cold moves in! Which types of trees will need the protection? Just asking, because you are a lot further south then me.

Wilson said:

Good work getting everything ready before the cold moves in! Which types of trees will need the protection? Just asking, because you are a lot further south then me.

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mostly maples, elms, a few hornbeams (all pines and junis stay out all winter) - but primarily its for late freezes. last year everything leafed out a lot earlier than usual and of course there were late freezes that put that growth at risk. i dont generally have to worry about winter as much as spring. we do get some single digit temps but its not that common (on average id say less than ten per winter)

with work being the way it is, it can be very tough doing the in and out with them each year. im hoping this will allow moving everything once and leaving there until all threat has passed. also my garage stays around 65 all winter - so its not good to leave anything in there for extended periods, a garage full of trees makes working on anything in the garage impossible and all the watering causes a nice little mess to cleanup. hopefully ill be able to avoid all that this season.

today there was a 2 degree difference between inside and outside the structure . ill have some time to monitor temps over next couple of months to see the impact sunny days have on the interior. once the leaves drop off the nearby dogwood the sun may impact the temps more than id like. if ventilation doesnt prove sufficient ill add some fans for shifting the hotter air out.

my usual overwintering area is just behind the greenhouse at the end of the house- because of the movement of the sun during the year it gets morning sun during the spring/summer but stays very shaded during the winter. the temps stay very consistent there (not too cold but always cool) but otherwise its just a waste of space. if this structure works out - then ive just given myself around 250+/- square foot of space to grow out items in the ground (which i really need)

watchndsky said:

along with thermostatic outlets (unless i can find a reasonably priced controller that doesnt require electrical wiring.) these will be installed much later in the winter.

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I use this one, allows for one side of cooling (I have a fan and electric louvers on the cooling side) and one side for my heater. Very reliable and just a plug in unit.
Looks nice, should work well for you.
https://greenair.com/product/ct-ht-2.html