Topic: Walk-in Plastic Greenhouses

[Digitalis]

I've used a 'mini' plastic greenhouse ove the spring/summer and they've done me well. But, I've just bought a larger walk-in version, made up of the same type of material.

Do these kind of plastic greenhouses provide sufficient protection from the extreme frosts of winter? Or are they only really usable from March onwards?

[raisedbedted]

Unheated greenhouses wont hold off frost but will alleviate by a few degrees, Glass more than plastic.  A plastic walk in tunnel may protect by 1-2 degrees but I would have thought that would be about it.

[TonyD]

i used a walk in this year. it was very hard to get it up to and maintain 70 degrees. without the the heater there was no differance in the temperature inside or out. we have a lot of high winds about here, and the movement of the plastic over the bars wore through the plastic. ended up having to gaffer tape all over the place to keep the rain out when i was trying to dry my onions

[jennym]

I've found that plastic greenhouses are only rreally usable from about mid end spring, as you say prob about March onwardsm and thats down here in the soft south  ;D
Have found that tubs of water put in towards end of aftyernoon will stave off frost, or for the mini ones, several 2 litre Coke bottles filled with water do the trick too.

[Stopp]

If its the same clear plastic as your mini one then it tends to go brittle in very cold weather.  I left one of my mini ones out all winter as I had some plants wrapped up in bubble wrap inside (they survived btw) but the plastic went all brittle and one of the zips broke, had to throw it away, more holes in it than a sieve!  Think I will be taken the cover off and storing indoors this year. ::)