So I Bought a GREENHOUSE ! Shelterlogic Growit 20L x 10W x 8H ft. Greenhouse-In-A-Box Construction Day 1 Review

10-11-2018

So I bought a GREENHOUSE!! 

Why? Do I need it? 

No, I WANT it! I have enjoyed growing food in my garden this summer, so much, when I'm not in he garden, I find myself addicted to Youtube watching Justin Rhodes , Living Traditions Homestead or White House on the Hill while I sit on the back porch reading about all my seeds and vegetable details. If you like to binge watch and learn about homesteading and permaculture, I HIGHLY recommend these 3 for you to subscribe to. 

I started looking and researching greenhouses. I knew I didn't want to spend the money on an industrial one at 1st. I want it to be on a smaller scale and mobile for now. Once I move to my "grow old and never move again" home, I will get a air inflated double layer type hoop house. I watched about Seven hundred sixty three videos of reviews, diy etc... then came across manufactured products that the homesteader can build themselves.  I found the Shelterlogic brand, 10 x 20 for around $500. Not to bad, thats doable.  So as I looked and read reviews. There are many businesses that use this exact greenhouse for their own small production businesses and just then an ad for Hayneedle came up with this same exact item on clearance for $250!  SOLD!!! Delivery will be in about 2 weeks!

So let me tell you a little about my garden, It wasn't that big of a success this year BUT, ever night, when I am making dinner, I would go to the garden to pick fresh tomatoes and peppers for dinner.  I even learned some great recipe's for green tomatoes! My pumpkins, watermelon, cantelope and butternut squash all did terrible. The chickens would get in the backside of the fence and peck at them, so there goes those!! They didn't put off tons of fruit like the tomatoes and pepper so, one pecked out of 2 or 3 on the vine, was enough to make sure we didn't get any of those this year. I think the chooks did it on purpose to make sure they get all the freshness out of the garden before me!! 

I want to start a stronger garden next year, earlier. Last year with all the cold and rain in Oklahoma, I started it about a month late. I'm not doing that again! My cucumber, wax beans and green beans  grew for 1 month then were destroyed by all the rain. The tomatoes were the only ones that survived and they are still thriving. I want to protect these Roma tomatoes and hopefully help them keep producing all winter (they have been the best producers this year).

So, I have a bigger plan for this coming year; start all plants from seeds, 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost. The farmers almanac states that will be April 4, 2019.  I also will be growing greens during the winter, and hope to continue their growth as the spring time hits and I can roll up the sides of the greenhouse.

Lets talk about putting this thing together! The instructions say it will take 2 people 2 hours to put it all together, the verdict is...that is a lie!  Opening up the box and seeing 3,276 different parts is quite overwhelming.  Its not as simple as 'lets put some pipes together and make a tent'. It is very specific, all pieces are labeled by number, and there are 3 different sizes of bolts, which were all together and hard to tell the difference.

I stated to go though and search for each piece to start making the first riser, that was a joke!  My Babylove had to help me. He decided to organize all the parts by number. Who would have thought?? Right? That would take time and patience, we all know I don't have either of those! 

So much easier!! I started to make headway!! It took 2.5 hours to put together the 5 risers. During that time, Babylove also did all the tightening of the bolts with the required ratchet.  We worked straight without stopping. While putting it together, I was thinking, I wonder how long this will last? Surely the So far, I feel like we are probably 1/3 done.  There are tons of pipe left for the cross members at the top and sides.  It is getting darker earlier now so we had to stop about 7:45.  Tomorrow is suppose to rain all day, lets hope for some clear skies to at least get all the framing moved over into the garden and anchored down.