# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Gardening >  New greenhouse

## Chī

So I went into my local farm store looking for a chicken coop and came out with a green house that I could park my car in. My lady comes home and it takes her a good 30 minutes until she noticed a huge box in the animal room ( what we call our room for animal supplies). The first thing she says is wow thats a big chicken coop, and then she seen the look on my face walks over and says how much was this? Two hundred dollars, I said with fear in my soul, and then cut her off with "it was originally four hundred" I new I saved my *** when she said you better grow me some nice flowers. Anyway as soon as the ground softens up I will set it up and upload pics, I should be able to get a nice head start on the garden. Wish me luck with assembly, last greenhouse had Korean instructions.

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## crashdive123

That's because the last greenhouse was for growing kimchee.

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## Alan R McDaniel Jr

Several years back I bought one of those bigger Harbor Freight greenhouses (12' x 12' or something like that).  It worked pretty good for wintertime plant storage and tomato/pepper set starting.  Then Hurricane Harvey turned it into a big ball of aluminum sticks.  I found out I was NOT in good hands with AllState for the greenhouse and a number of other things.  I haven't put another one up yet....

Alan

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## Chī

That is exactly what happened to my smaller kimchee greenhouse lol, winds came up from the valley and I woke up to plants and soil everywhere and my greenhouse 200 yards into the woods. I really hope a ton of cinder blocks and bricks(maybe a few tent steaks) will prevent that from happening again.

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## LowKey

The screw in ground anchors are better than tent stakes. Not only in the four corners, but also inside at the gabel ends, cabled to the roof peak to hold it down. Hint, aircraft cable with doubled up cable clamps, not rope. That is the only way I keep my boat tent in place in winter.

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## Rick

Now I'm trying to figure out why you have a boat on the ice with a tent over it. Mind you, I'm still working on coffee.

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## Pipercub

You can mount any of the metal frame shelter brands to a foundation. I use the heavy duty pallets from work (free). Place the pallets side X side and end to end, to form a base big enough for the frame to sit on. Cover the top surface of the pallets with screwed down, pressboard, particleboard or plywood. I also screw a 2X4 around the outside edge to seal any openings to keep the squirrels out. You can now lag bolt the frame to the top or sides of your foundation. The weight of the pallet foundation will keep your shelter/ greenhouse anchored to the ground. Heavy duty pallets are made with 4X4”s. I have made these foundations strong enough to park a full side diesel truck on.

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## Chī

I will definitely get ground anchors instead of tent steaks, I know a guy who swirls rebar and puts an eye loop at the end so I can have it go much deeper that regular screw anchor. I also was considering a heavy duty pallet foundation, I can get a few that were used to transport industrial machinery, sadly I won't get them for free but it's still way cheaper. I wasn't thinking of foundation for weight but because part of the ground the greenhouse will be on is cement and can collect about an inch of water and the pallets will keep everything off the ground. And I was gonna use cables and cinder blocks to weigh down the peak and sides of the greenhouse from the inside but will probably do as you recommend (and still probably a few blocks here and there). I can't afford to lose another structure to the wind, mentally and financially.

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## samwoodblack

I saw ***SPAM*** and want to buy it to my garden. I think it looks good and review tells that you can use it even in winter.

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## Rick

One can never have too much spam in the garden. I actually prefer it in the kitchen cabinet but to each his own. It's best to start new spam plants indoors first. 

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## DogMan635

Thanks, Rick, I think you nailed this one and I like SPAM did not know you grew them in cans.....Joking.

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## Kay

Greenhouse is a valuable but useful thing for winter gardening. I have my for about 3 years and it's okay. I plant there some vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and pepper. The taste is more watery than soil vegetables, but I like eating my own gardening product all over the year. You can need some modifications to your greenhouse to make it comfortable to use.

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## DogMan635

Kay, in your greenhouse, are you growing them on the ground a table or in boxes? I find your post brings back some old memories from my mother's first Greenhouse which was a kit about 6-by 8-foot. But so long ago I'm not sure.  Had windows all made of Glass, I don't know if the plastic had even been created as a product back then. Was a gift to my mother from dad and she gave me one box inside for myself. I grow my three favorites one row of carrots, onions, and tomatoes each. I was about 12-years old and my first try at growing anything. YEP, you guessed it the Tomatoes, I called my monster plants, as they took over everything in my box. But mom was cool about me doing it my way. She said that was the only way you learn, and I did. Man, that was so long ago, and today I just use my earth boxes. On the ground with a few in the winter with plastic covering them. Something about growing plants, fruits, vegetables, that is so self-rewarding to the soil.

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## crashdive123

OH.....I'm very interested to see Kay's response.

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## Rick

:munchies: I'm on pins and needles I tell ya. Pins and needles.

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## DogMan635

So Rick & Crashdive123, 

Are you guys trying to give me a hard time?  Well, I could have replied with the story of my Granddaughter sending me a Mr. Flat Stanley, a paper cut out. I was a bit in the dark not knowing what the program was fully all about. Long story short, I took about 5-pictures of me, the Greenhouse Earth Boxes with the cutout of Mr. Flat Stanley completing the project. 
Here is a link if you Guys would like more information and indepth details. 

http://www.flatstanleyproject.com/

So the idea here is Mr. Flat Stanley comes to visit us and I tell a story about his arrival and visit. I write the story with photos of myself and return all with Mr. Flat Stanley and return with a short turn around time, I think a week. My Granddaughter then reads my letter and shows pictures in here classroom.

Maybe, I should have asked you, two guys, to respond with your Garden & Greenhouse photos. I'm sure Kay would enjoyed them.     haha.

Just trying to be nice and helpful to other members. 

Thinking back my Dad sure put a lot of work into building that Greenhouse. I could not believe how well it was all packed together in all the boxes back in the day. Before dad put in the windows he painted all the wood Green and the door white.  Mom enjoyed it for years after, she started alot of roses, and gardina's.  But it was mostly for food stuff, we all enjoyed all the food over the years.

Here incase your intereted:  https://www.sbgreenhouse.com/greenho...8a8d201e0466d5

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## crashdive123

Rick and I do not believe Kay to be what he says he is.  I believe he is a spammer out of Ukraine.  If I were going to give you a hard time I would not leave any doubt in your mind causing you to have to ask.

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