The best shoe for working in a greenhouse is waterproof, durable, convenient, and comfortable to walk in. In the buyers’ guide, it is explained how to choose a greenhouse and what to consider. Wooden greenhouses used to be the primary choice in the middle of the last century. The top 10 greenhouses for 2023 are reviewed based on customer reviews, popularity, and functionality.
To choose the best greenhouse for your needs, consider the strengths and weaknesses of each option. Check with your town’s building department to ensure you are allowed to build a greenhouse on your property. Greenhouses are typically considered outbuildings, so it is important to check with your town’s building department.
Do it Best, a local hardware store, provides the best home improvement products to do-it-yourselfers since 1945. The Best Garden 4 Ft. 8 In. W. x 6 Ft. 5 In. H. x 4 Ft. 8 In. D. Replacement Cover for Walk-In Greenhouse is available for $94.99. BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine’s expert buyers’ guide offers a selection of the best greenhouses, typical prices, sizes, and how to pick the best heater.
📹 What I Wish I Knew BEFORE I Got A Greenhouse
While my greenhouse is custom, it’s only one of the many options @BCGreenhouseBuilders offers across to suit any budget!
📹 Costco Greenhouse vs Amazon Hoop House: Which is Better?🌻🌸🌺
If you have been to Costco lately, then I know you are thinking about buying the Costco Greenhouse from Yardistry. Are you …
I’ve had a similar “Hoop House” up in North Carolina for three years and it took me about a day and I did it myself. It is considered a “non-permanent” structure so it isn’t hiking my property taxes. It is also great for almost all growing purposes. The one you are showing has more added features (like the zippered doors, and the double d0ooor ties.). Today it costs $175. A real bargain.
Some stuff she didn’t add: The material will rip easier. The Velcro for the windows stops working when too much moisture is in the greenhouse, it will not stand up to winds 40 mph or higher, no matter how you have it tied down. I made a parachute. Stakes and cinder blocks couldn’t hold it down. Also, you can’t keep the bugs out. The fabric on the floor won’t stop the roots from breaking through. The seems will also give way after a few months under the sun. You need a wind flow in there often, so don’t think it’s okay to leave the window openings closed. Too much sun will kill everything.
Oh my goodness, this is an INCREDIBLY helpful article!! My husband and I have been debating about this– I’m so grateful that you spoke so well about the hoop house. We live in Oklahoma and get STRONG winds, but it sounds like the hoop house is the better option for a) not being a gigantic disappointment if the storms destroy it b) the cost c) the flexibility placement & d) VENTILATION because God knows it gets HOT down here!! Thank you again! I totally shared your article with half a dozen people 😅
Someone already may have tipped you off, but if you still have installation booklet, it has instructions on how to increase and decrease the temperature. For the vent I built the greenhouse and it was pretty easy to miss. I happened upon it when I was putting together the assembly. I think for every quarter turn clockwise or counterclockwise equals 1°. I’m talking about the entire black part of that rod. It screws and unscrews.
I’ve been running my King Bird since March of 2022 in upstate NY and I love it. I put it up in the winter and take it down in late spring. This season I put it up in October and plan to take it down in mid May, and it has held through 2 foot snow storms, high winds, and single digit temps like a champ. It won’t last forever and it’s showing some wear and tear, but I think next year I’ll just buy another one so I can benefit from Frankensteining parts together. All together, it’s far exceeded my expectations.
You can disable the roof vent by unscrewing it. Just know when you reattach it you need to do it when it is cool not warm. Then either velcro strap or twist tie it shut to keep the wind from opening it. You can put velcro all the way around the window in the inside then get some screen material and put it up over the window unit to allow it to be open and yet no bugs. You just have to pleat it to make it go around the window opener. Good luck and nice article.
I live in coastal Georgia. I got my hoophouse for $110 off of Ebay and it works better than my polycarbonate greenhouse and as good or better than my corrugated fiberglass greenhouse. I highly recommend a hoophouse sitting on the ground. The moisture retention and heat retention and distribution is amazing through the winter. Best hundred bucks I have spent on my orchids!
About three weeks ago I commented that we were going to buy the hoophouse mentioned in fhis article. We got the 15 foot version in white. Fast-forward its a great deal, lots more usable space than I anticipated. Start to finish I probably spent 3-4 hours assembling it. In my part of Northeast PA spring isn’t reliable until the end of April to mid May so were not using it for plants yet, but soon. Thanks again for making this article which made me aware.
I’ve had the Harbor Freight greenhouse for about 8 years now built it on 6 by 6 timbers which makes it sturdier and taller. On one side I have a 18″x7’ planting bed I boxed in with 2by6s, I plant Beets,lettuce,radishes my season is March through December sometime. Put 2’ shelfs on other side with 1’ on the back of the 2’ raised about 18″. Greenhouse is a 6×8’. I live in a Chicago suburb. Just another way to setup your greenhouse.😊
I was standing next to a general contractor in Costco who said “you couldn’t buy all the same materials and make it yourself (with all the features) for what they were asking” – He felt it was a great price. It was a no-brainer for me. Thank you for doing this article…now I’m considering the hoop house as well
Re the automatically opening roof vent I would control mosquitoes and humidity with clear plastic on a removable light frame and screening on a separate but similar frame, attached to the greenhouse from the inside. From the article this seems doable. Love the green house. In this climate zone the frequent high winds make the greenhouse a better option.
Take it from a long time greenhouse grower. You can grow in both of these pretty darn well. The “secret” to greenhouse growing is constant monitoring. Have some automation or other cooling situation. This small they will heat up and cook your stuff in minutes. The opening for cooling in these small houses are not really adequate so a fan or other air mover is necessary. We just put up a 10×20 industrial made house and only paid 1,800 for it which included everything down to screws and the bit they needed! Love, love, love it! 🤙 ❤
I have seen that Greenhouse at my Costco this Spring and would love to add one to my yard. Guess time will tell. I have a 12×12 building already. Maybe I could add lots of windows and turn it into a greenhouse. This article is making me think about it. I love playing with my plants and would love a way to grow some bonsai trees as well. They do better outdoors I think.
I’m glad this popped up in my feed! Excellent comparison of the two options, thank you! Had to share a thought… you mentioned the possibility of mosquitoes coming in through the roof vent of the greenhouse… I think your “handsome carpenter hubby” could put a screen under that panel to prevent that.
I bought the Costco greenhouse and I love it. We placed it at the edge of our garden on concrete. We built a metal stud frame to place it on so it is portable. We can move it around if needed. I know it will be too hot in the summer time as mine is in the sun but, I mostly plan to use it for seed starting in the late winter/spring and in the fall and winter for protection. Thanks for the tip about locking yourself in. It has not happened yet so I am so happy to be aware 😂
I’ve seen this greenhouse at Costco, very nice but in Colorado if a structure isn’t over 120 square feet then it doesn’t require a permit, floor or not. Costco’s greenhouse is small about 6 by 6. I bought another brand and I used 6 x 6 pressure treated timbers to set my greenhouse on and drilled a hole clean through in 3 spots to hammer in rebar.
i live in the Netherlands and I’m quite sure my hoop house is the same, got it from Belgium. and no vinyl covering, I made it into a catio and fruitcage or fruitio if you will, chicken witer wa smore expensiv ethan the hoophouse but my cats love it, they;re safe and so is my fruit (safe from birds) except one of my cats likes to destroy my blueberries but hey
If you’re still planning on moving, consider a cheap desert plot of land and planting whole fruit into the ground. It’s cheap and definitely the most worthwhile investment i can think of that just about anyone can make, the exponential growth will also beat just about any pick in the exchange within a few years. I think the website “Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t” just recently put out a article of arugula in the Arizona desert; i know the guy has his own opinion on things but it was still pretty inspiring.
Personally, I’d rather buy a few amazon hoop houses, or build my own. We plan to move from Southern California to Nebraska for three years max to pay it off, then rent it out when we find our dream acreage. So of course, I’m taking the greenhouses with me! Lol As far as aesthetics, what’s inside is always more beautiful than the outside could ever be…For me.
im looking for a way to keep my plants alive during the winters in Texas. Last yr I put my aloe vera in boxes closed up on my porch & they dies but came back fast in spring. w/o trying to save them, they dont come back, same for my geraniums. Ive lost so many plants bc of winter, I just need a place to put them in for winter then bring them out for spring. Another issue Im concerned about is spiders, centepedes & others in there, we have an unusual amount of bugs where I live (sorta close to a lake & lots of pine trees) causes a lot more really variety of bugs. Ive seen stick bugs so big it was weird, I say this bc if I house them I will do the (scream like a girl) dance & not want to go in there! I guess thats what the cedar smell is for-repelling them……still looking-boxes really did work but talk about ugly 😑
I got the greenhouse a few days ago and I’m trying to familiarize myself before tackling construction. I wonder if the ceiling vent automatic hinge could be left off in favor of just propping it open with an attached piece of cedar or some other sturdy material? We get a lot of rain over the fall/winter/spring (I’m in the PNW) and if it’s open that will be a ton of water coming in. I’ll check it out when I get to that point. Thanks for the article!
Really liked the article, how ever,, when you gave the size it was a little confusing!!!! When you gave the dimensions you said it was 6 feet by 8 inches and 7 feet by 6 inches,,,, I believe it should be said the size is 6 feet 8 inches by 7 feet 6 inches,,,,,,, there is no ( BY) in between the feet and inches only between the the length and width !! Just saying 🤷🏻♂️
I have a similar pop up greenhouse that I like but the cover is like your hoop house with plastic over mesh and after one year the plastic popped out of the holes on about 30 of the cover. Is that happening to your hoop house? How is the cover holding up? I don’t expect perfect durability from something that is that cheap but more than one season would be preferred. Thanks.
No joke – that ridge beam and rafters on the Yardistry greenhouse are the worst part. I could not get things to line up properly. To be fair though, I was putting this thing together solo. I ended up putting the roof pieces together per instructions, getting it up on top of the greenhouse, and then bit by bit unscrewing everything and screwing it back together to get it to line up better. I have a tiny of leaking, but really not anything to worry about (and it’s in the same place as seen in this article) – also I haven’t installed the caulk yet. A couple tips to anyone who has this greenhouse: four Multy Home Black 17″ x 35″ Manor Boot Trays fit PERFECTLY on the bench shelves.; and 4x4s are little thicker than the base of the greenhouse allowing you a little wiggle room – so you don’t need to spend the money on 4×6 foundation lumber.
I have had stiff panels similar to these on the Costco GH go airborne the first winter in my GH (which cost $350). I see these are bolted more substantially to the frame. Is it enough? We added more framing to hold on to the plastic. It will bend out and fly! Just not sure….will this happen with this Costco design? Maybe these are a thicker stronger gauge.
Where people seem to not get it exactly right with these g type of Amazon greenhouses is; not reinforcing the hell out of them to make them structurally sound, and not getting the plastic cover right like a drum so that it’s far stronger and looks way better, keeps bugs and critters out better and heats and cools better.
I built a “hoop house” last summer. I live in Ohio, and I’ll never do it again. Wind is a major issue, even tied down. I glued the pvc together and used bricks to keep the tarp down and still ended up rebuilding it 3 times, everytime the wind picked up significantly. Gusts of 30 mph+. The tarp required constant adjustment to keep the plastic from pooling water after raining. Daily adjustments. It cost approx 500.00 when I added a misting system. Don’t do it. A complete waste of money. It built up way too much heat and fried my plants by mid July, blew down constantly and required daily repairs. Useless.
Epic fail, in reference to the Costco crap box. How could they build something like that and not have ventilation. The relative humidity that death box is going to create is going to make it where you’re going to grow so much mold and fungus on stuff good luck growing anything in there unless you leave the door open all the time and use lots of fans. Ask for the Amazon greenhouse it’s definitely a flimsy piece of crap that definitely won’t survive in most areas if you read the reviews it’s obvious it’s very cheap however for the same price as it. You can buy for 4 ft by 16 ft galvanized metal cattle panels this will make you a 16 ft long greenhouse . That is extremely durable and will last for decades. You just need to make a door on each end with some screen and a fan you can also trained plants to grow up on these things and without a covering. So if you have a truck or way to move cattle panels I would actually invest in that you can get a covering for it very cheaply that will last for a long time it also be made out of professional quality horticultural plastic made for greenhouses I have a 36 ft hoop I have built with these the easiest way to garden is to lay down weed block. And put your plants in containers train divining types onto the structure when you block ingress and egress, dear cannot eat your food
really interested in the green house but the hoop house price tag. currently been looking at vivosun green houses but heard green webbing in the cover can be an issue for certain types of light, the white (or are they clear) webbing in the amazon house seems to be a great deal and the correct webbing material. I mostly grow small scale tomatos, lettuce, peppers but have reently with some law changed started growing indoors some marajuana and also am looking at microgreens and lettuce for inside. Im planning on moving one day as my current home has a large yard but im not sure enough fixable space for green houses or a large enough garden shed that I really desire. you earned a sub from me, this article was well constructed and based on good working knowledge of the product. I love gardening, got into it during the pandemic after some health issues. I have found gardening helps me relax in ways I never knew
The cheap thin metal that are used for the framing members are easily broken by the wind. These are a gamble. You should buy cattle panels and bend them inside t-posts spaced apart. Then you strap some uv safe greenhouse plastic and you can use it every year and it will not blow away like this cheap chinese crap will