Hi all, we're a small farm operation at a market garden/homestead scale located on east Long Island and I've decided to buy a greenhouse. During my models research I came across the GrowSpan Estate Pro Medium Greenhouse which is about 11'x25' with double wall 6 mm polycarbonate glazing and is sold at a very low price, compared to other brands in the same size or even smaller: about $6000 versus about $11000 (Cross Country Cottage series). This difference in price makes me think that they are cutting corners somewhere, although its manufacturer, Growspan, seems to be a reputable company. I haven't been able to find any reviews about it,

DOES ANYONE OF YOU HAVE ANY DIRECT EXPERIENCE AND COMMENT ABOUT IT?

here is the model that you can find by googling as I could not attach a link to this message

GrowSpan Estate Pro Medium Greenhouse - 11'8"W x 8'10"H x 16'6"L - Farmtek

Welcome to NGA, @thonyc1968 .

I don't have any experience with the Growspan greenhouses, but a year or so ago one of the members here put up a Growspan Gothic Pro and wrote about it in this thread: The thread "GrowSpan Gothic Pro Greenhouse new build" in Greenhouses forum

I haven't seen any posts by @shadytrake recently, but if she's still around maybe she will have more information and answers to your questions. Best of luck with your project!

I don't have any experience with their greenhouses. Make sure you also check out the growing domes. Their larger ones do get expensive, but I think they'd be worth checking out. Wind doesn't bother them. The ponds inside help with heating and they use solar for fans and pond pumps.
https://geodesic-greenhouse-ki...

Congrats on looking to get a greenhouse. They are great!

GrowSpan has a good reputation, but you are probably making a mistake if you choose a greenhouse based on price.

There are important factors to look at when buying a greenhouse.

Is the size you are looking at adequate to meet your needs? (Get the largest you can afford. You'll use every inch.)
Are you just starting seeds or growing plants to maturity? (This will have a bearing on the type glazing you choose.)
What kind of plants are you planning to grow? (Different plants have different temperature, humidity, venting and circulation requirements.)
What seasons do you plan to grow in your greenhouse? (Insulation factors are crucial if you plan to grow during the colder months?)
What kind of strength and durability do you need in a greenhouse? (Think wind exposure and snow loads in your area.)
Will you need to make modifications to your greenhouse? (If so, make sure the one you buy can be reasonably modified.)

These are a few considerations to take into account when planning to buy a greenhouse.

DO NOT BUY A GROW-SPAN GREENHOUSE!

I purchased a greenhouse through Farmtek and it was a terrible decision.

1. The directions are terrible, the photos have horrible resolution so my husband, who spent decades in industrial construction - that includes reading complex blueprints - often ended up with pieces on backwards and in the wrong places because the photos are useless.

2. If you live in a location that gets more than mild breezes, expect to run all over your neighborhood/land/farm looking for pieces that blow out when it gets windy. We live in southern Vermont, not tornado territory, and we sometimes get wind gusts of 25 mph or so. The damn panels blow out and we have to search our farm and the neighbors farms to find them. This renders the greenhouse useless.

3. You'll get no sympathy from the people at Farmtek.

We purchased the large greenhouse a few months ago to start plants in for our spring garden. My husband and son built it in a couple of weekends. After reading one of the reviews that someone's husband put it up by himself, and then the panels blew away, they paid particular attention to siliconing and attaching all of the fasteners to the panels. We had a thunderstorm last night, wind gusts were around 39 knots. Wind was was 28 knots for several hours. The picture I attached is this morning after the storm. The greenhouse held up really well. No panels damaged, vents working...

Welcome to the site!

Looks great!

Welcome to NGA @bfellc - I think your review of the GrowSpan GH will be very helpful to anyone considering that brand!

Hi @bfellc and

Nice looking greenhouse. Counting the side panels, I guess it at 24 feet long. How wide is it? You are going to love having a greenhouse. It is a real learning experience and a great source of joy and "therapy".

Jim

I researched many different backyard greenhouses including the Growspan, Grandio, Palram, Riga, to name a few before finally deciding on a Grow More greenhouse kit. Some of the deciding factors were: 10mm triple wall covering, extra large vents and doors (biggest I've found on a hobby greenhouse), heavy duty frame, and price (best bang for the buck I found). I have been very happy with it so far. https://www.acfgreenhouses.com...