New Here, Need Info Sunglo Greenhouse!

Hello fellow gardeners!

I found your website while doing a search for reviews on SunGlo greenhouses.

I live in Colorado, elevation 8500 feet. Been gardening up here for 24 years, and is quite the challenge between short growing seasons, trying to grow in decomposed granite    hail, drought, deer and elk and the nasty little voles.  

I already have a 8 x 12 4 ml polycarb, but is too small, and no insulating properties what so ever. So looking for a better product.

I am wondering if anyone has experience with the SunGlo greenhouses? I was interested in them as they have one of the highest R values for heating. Our temp swings are crazy up here, 11 in the early am and then up to 60 by 1 pm!
Would appreciate any and all comments, opinions or whatever!

Thank you all and am excited to find another great gardening website!

Think Spring,  Kim aka baileyhermit

2014-01-23       Well, went to look at one and owner said he probably would go a different route, did not think it held up to the rating of R3 for insulating properties.

Anyone out there own a RIGA greenhouse? They have a model that is 16 ml thick, tho really costly yikes!

Search around the forum for hoophouses and greenhouses. You can see what success some forum members have had.

Kay

There is some really good information buried in this thread, I don't have the time to find it at the moment but someone posted a link to some studies that were done in Colorado providing 18-30 degrees of frost protection!  I think it might be around page 6 or so: https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t16833-the-winter-journey-and-greenhouse-plastic?highlight=greenhouse

My zone is much easier than yours, but this system easily survived down to 22 degrees earlier this winter.  I use a greenhouse inside of a greenhouse basically with survival blankets as covers at night and old fashioned Christmas lights for warmth.  The large unit has a small heater that has a very low thermostat setting so it only runs for a minute or two every once in a while.

My tomaotes are thriving as are the eggplant, bell peppers, hot chili peppers.  My lemon cucumbers produced for a couple months then died of old age, the Basil died and the green beans I had growing in there are pretty ragged but that could be lack of light as they're in the back and don't get very uncovered or simply their life span is up.

Here's a copy of my post showing how I adapted this method to a tarp type greenhouse:
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Finally got a chance to take some pictures of how things are set up now.  There is a side panel now on the large box (we had to buy 3 more space blankets).  I have stitched the four blankets together so there are no air leaks.


This table top gets covered at night with another space blanket.  So far the cherry tomato inside that hangs very close to the outer front wall is surviving and I ate 2 fresh toms off of it today.


My now dead hillside.  This was a lush jungle of volunteer tomatoes, flowers and during the summer - melons.  


Here's how it opens up during the day.  The mirror like surface helps radiate the sunlight to the back plants.  All I have to do now is unroll the top cover and clip the sides each night.



Lemon Cucumber, tomatoes, bush beans, japanese eggplant, hot chili peppers, basil, multi varities of lettuce, beets, swiss chard and I'm sure I'm forgetting something, all safe and sound.  I'm a happy girl.  

We're seeing 100 year lows this weekend, so if we can make it through this we're good to go!


Enlarge this image

baileyhermit wrote:...
Would appreciate any and all comments, opinions or whatever!...

Eliot Coleman is considered the winter gardening expert of the Northeast.  He might have more economical greenhouse solutions.  Check out his book The Winter Harvest Handbook

Thanks all for the info!   

I too have jerry rigged the greenhouse I have to make more heat efficient, but I have simply out grown it.  Everything from installing tons of bubble wrap, tarping off sections to lower the ceiling, you name it, we did it.

But  I am getting to start a dream I have had forever, and that is to run a small side business selling organically grown veggies and herbs.

Up here at 8500 feet, is it unheard of to grow a beefsteak tomato, most just try to grow cherry type ones. It is hard to even get a ripe bell pepper at this elevation with the short growing season. After years of experimenting, I finally found out you have to start em in February. By end of July, August you finally get a decent tomato or pepper that is, if an early frost does not kill them!
I have been selling stuff for about three years, and with quality of plants I have grown and word of mouth (using a forum similar to this, local website) every year I dble or triple the amnt of plants I sell. Last year I simply could not grow enough for folks and I had plants everywhere. I had starter plants in 3 bedrooms and my 8 x 12 greenhouse was packed with plants    was getting even ready to put some flats on my side of the bed   (thought I could snuggle with the mutts in their dog house)

So finally gonna take the plunge and invest in a good, solid greenhouse that won't have to be jerry rigged to keep temps in.   My plants get started in the house, then moved outside in Feb. Have to heat from Feb up until the time I sell them in May thru early June. Yikes!

We have had great success growing potatoes, onions, carrots, herbs, cauliflower, peppers, zuccs, cuccs, garlic, and even amazingly huge dinnerplate dahlias. Just took about 24 years to finally figure it out  

How big of a structure are you looking for? I remember reading about a man who built a geodesic dome greenhouse kit for his father to use. His father lived in a condo in Big Bear Lake, Calfornia which is 6700 or so elevation and had similar issues. They got permission from the condo association and he grew amazing veggies he shared with his neighbors.

The dome was great due to snow load issues and it had special things about it that made it particularly effective but I don't remember why, I was just enjoying the read at the time.

Have you considered creating an underground, dug out style greenhouse? You can find a lot of information and stories if you search "underground greenhouse" on google. Again, if you have the type of property where you can use a tractor to dig 5 or 6 feet deep and build the greenhouse top you can grow year around even in your climate.

Have fun!

Excavation prices are incredible high up here due to the soil( more like rock!) and property does not lend itself to that style of greenhouse as relatively flat.  We plan on having a friend just scrap up some of the soil, rock then put a little road base down and tamp it down for beginning stages of foundation.
Looking for roughly 250-300 sq feet of growing space or ~15 x 20  greenhouse.

tried to post pics of our set up now, but won't allow as I am a new member. Gotta wait the 7 days I guess!

How are you planning to heat the greenhouse?

Looking at Southern Comfort Natural Gas heater. ~98 % efficiency for the non vented one, as long as you provide adequate ventilation fresh air supply for it.
I plan on having about 800-1000 starter plants that I start from seed, so need something reliable and efficient.

I have used my sunglo 1200C for overwintering and starts in the spring for a couple years now and i mean its not a cheap flimsy thing.. we get some pretty strong winds and it gets pretty cold here in Erie, PA (that's putting it nicely!) I have been very happy with how warm it stays in the greenhouse. i have a southern burner ventless heater... is that what you meant by southern comfort?.... to keep it at about 55 through the winter and my gas bill has not been unreasonably high so i would say it is worth it. Maybe I will upload some pictures later if I feel like braving the cold (10 degrees outside today!).

One thing I did that i am sooooo happy i decided to do was build an insulated knee wall on top of a concrete slab as my foundation.  it sealed up very nice.... better than I expected actually. My old neighbor had a Riga and i was going to buy one until i found sunglo. I mean i know the Riga looks a little bit nicer but for my money they are every bit as good a greenhouse.

Overall i have truly enjoyed my sunglo and they were great during the build too.. always happy to answer my questions even the stupid ones!

Yup meant southern burner heater, jesh, what was I thinking?  We are looking into the ventless heater now as well vs vented one. Much more efficient!
We can actually get a better price for the Riga than the Sunglo, a little bit more bang for the buck. 16 ml polycarb on sidewalls and roof and 10 on end walls. That is pretty impressive!
Still working on the pricing but hoping to wrap it up this week.
And yes, bundle up, go outside and take some pics for us!!