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I've just started gardening this year, and have caught a very bad case of the gardening bug.
I rent a townhouse in a rental complex, so I cannot put up any permanent structures. I casually mentioned my desire for a greenhouse to my landlady, and she suggested I could put a greenhouse up on our deck!
The deck is about 12' x 12' and is located above my garage, along the east wall of the house. It is shaded on the north by the rest of the house, and is exposed on the south and the west.
I have been looking at models like AFC Greenhouse Portable Greenhouse (10' x 6', Solaron cover, steel frame, front & rear screened vents, $279), Dreamhouse FH500DH (8' x 8', Gro-Tec cover, 4 screened vents per side, $249), and Plant-n-Grow (9' x 9', Gro-Tec cover, 12 screened vents, fiberglass frame, $399 with shade cloth).
I would put up the greenhouse in late March / early April and take it down again late June / early July. I want the greenhouse in order to start seeds for annuals (impatiens, coleus, petunias, etc) and some perennials. I do not intend to over-winter plants, or grow tropicals or anything like that. I just want a place to start my outdoor plants, and do not have any room inside my house for this.
I live in south-eastern Wisconsin, about two miles from Lake Michigan. Average temperatures in April are highs of 54 °F and lows of 36 °F. (May is 66/46, June is 76/56).
My questions are:
1. Will I be just wasting my time & money if I try to do this? (DH thinks so!)
2. Do 'greenhouses' at this price range handle the elements okay? I have been reading some earlier posts, and ran across one in which the purchaser was extremely unhappy with his inexpensive model.
3. Will I need to add lighting?
4. Will I need to add heating? I was not planning on adding any heating, hoping that the heat of the sun would be sufficient to keep the greenhouse warm enough for seeds. I do have easy access to 120V if it is really necessary, but I am sure these low-end greenhouses are not very well insulated.
I would love to be able to raise my plants from little seedlings, and experience the joy of watching them grow!
Thanks in advance for your help!
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