Solar Gem Greenhouses

[Garrett Van Neste]

Has anybody had any experience with, or know anything about Solar Gem Greenhouses?  I was talking to one of their sales reps at the county fair last night and perked my interest.  That being said, I know very very little about greenhouses, but this is the beginning of my greenhouse research/shopping.  Sounds like they do a great job for year-round growing.

Here's a link to their site:  http://www.solargemgreenhouses.com/

[Michael Silberstein]

for that size. I would just build a custom one. you can get most if not all the parts of CL for cheap or even free. You are also in a great place to get a used greenhouse to start. you will save yourself money just finding one on CL or just driving in the country and playing "I spy" for a greenhouse that looks unused. (there are more then you think) or even a hoophouse. you can even get the film (plastic) for near free. there are several farms that use hoop houses only part of the year and throw the film away after one use.

Here is a local metal frame GH that may work better.CL 8'9"x14'4"x7'11" $1600 9"x12"x7'11" $1450 http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/grd/3985461148.html

Then there is Renting a greenhouse. this is what i do.

CL 6500 sq ft  commercial greenhouse $750 a month. http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/3969274246.html

[Garrett Van Neste]

Oh that's awesome!  Same dimentions as the larger Solar Gem, and a fraction of the price!  I just may have to go play some "I spy" and hunt around on Craigslist a bit.

Also, not too bad to rent for a GH that size.

[Michael Silberstein]

Ops that greenhouse is 2000sqft not 6500. and downfall is that the utilities are shared with another business. so that would be a problem to overcome.

Michael Silberstein said:

for that size. I would just build a custom one. you can get most if not all the parts of CL for cheap or even free. You are also in a great place to get a used greenhouse to start. you will save yourself money just finding one on CL or just driving in the country and playing "I spy" for a greenhouse that looks unused. (there are more then you think) or even a hoophouse. you can even get the film (plastic) for near free. there are several farms that use hoop houses only part of the year and throw the film away after one use.

Here is a local metal frame GH that may work better.CL 8'9"x14'4"x7'11" $1600 9"x12"x7'11" $1450 http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/grd/3985461148.html

Then there is Renting a greenhouse. this is what i do.

CL 6500 sq ft  commercial greenhouse $750 a month. http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/3969274246.html

[Pat Hurley]

I know that this is an old discussion, but I just had someone contact me because of it with questions, so I thought I would chime in for those who may wish to resurrect this chat or who may run across it in the future and be confused.

Full disclosure...I am the National Sales Director for Solar Gem Greenhouses (www.solargemgreenhouses.com) and I happen to know a few things about them and other greenhouse products on the market. So, let me see if I can address some of the comments and observations made here in 2013 while addressing the questions I received from another member here who was in contact with me last week about this.

- A Solar Gem Greenhouses requires NO assembly whatsoever. While some people are handy, have the tools, have the skills, and have a lot of free time on their hands, LOTS of gardeners do not have the wherewithal or desire to take on building a greenhouses which can take up to 60 hours to complete.

- A Solar Gem Greenhouses requires NO ongoing maintenance. Strong winds, sleet, ice, snow, etc, will not break panels or require them to be replaced because a Solar Gem HAS NO panels. There are NO panes of glass to break or sheets of plastic to wear out and become brittle. Ours is a one-piece, molded, one-eighth inch rigid fiberglass greenhouse with UV stabilizers, made in a gothic-arch design for incredible strength.

- A Solar Gem Greenhouse requires NO foundation, no concrete slab, no deck, no footer, and thus NO PERMIT is needed. Looking at the greenhouse pictured elsewhere in this thread, you can see the elaborate footer required. This is extremely common with most of the build-it-yourself type greenhouses. What you see pictured equals a lot of time, materials, and labor. For a Solar Gem you need only dig a easy-to-do three inch deep trench for the perimeter of the greenhouse to be seated in. That's it.

- A Solar Gem Greenhouse diffuses the sunlight throughout the interior so that there are no shadows cast, no useless dark corners, no bad places to grow within. And that also means no plant turning required and no plant burning when the sunlight is intense. Thus, you can grow from floor to ceiling, which maximizes your growing space, and not lose any of your plants to overexposure.

- A Solar Gem Greenhouse is a cold weather champ, unlike the build-it-yourself varieties. You cannot overcome the reality that things you have to assemble will naturally have joints, seams, and gaps where cold outside air can easily enter, and the warmer air you are trying desperately to keep in, seeps out through these gaps. You can never keep those kinds of greenhouses warm enough to grow from the late Fall through the early Spring. This is why a Solar Gem is a YEAR-ROUND greenhouse, where most others are not. Try to warm the interior of a glass or plastic build-it-yourself greenhouse with heaters of some kind, and you will find your electric bill goes through the roof. Not so with a Solar Gem.

- A Solar Gem Greenhouse come with either one or two (depending on size) automatic overhead vents for the warmer months. You have to do nothing when warm weather arrives. The vent(s) will open automatically - no electricity needed - and the hotter air is whisked out. Plus, each has an Anderson-made storm door with sliding window, and a rear window for great cross ventilation

- A Solar Gem Greenhouse comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Ours are built so well, and will last so long, that we stand behind our greenhouses like nobody else can. Our Warranty is not only industry leading, nobody else comes close.

- Solar Gem Greenhouses have been made for almost 25 years, and we still have LOTS of our original greenhouses going strong in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Canada, Arizona, etc. No matter the climate, none will last as long and require so little upkeep or repairs along the way

- Solar Gem Greenhouses has four sizes to pick from and each can be delivered right to your home

In sum, while there are lots of pretty build-it-yourself, do-it-yourself, kit greenhouses out there, none can perform or last like a Solar Gem can. Period. So whatever up-front savings you "might" obtain by procuring a kit greenhouse (like that shown elsewhere in this thread) the savings quickly evaporate when you start adding up the labor, materials, ongoing maintenance, limited growing seasons, and repairs that are inevitable with the build-it-yourself glass or plastic type greenhouses. Also, most of these build-it-yourself kinds are made in China and shipped here by boat. Every Solar Gem Greenhouse is made in Tacoma, Washington, with American parts, American labor, and American know-how.

I hope that this has been helpful for the member who contacted me, and others who wish to do a contrast and compare with other greenhouse products. An educated consumer is truly our best customer.

If you would like a closer look at our company and products, I welcome you to visit our website at www.solargemgreenhouses.com. Of course, feel free to post something here, or e-mail me directly if you have other questions or comments.... [e-mail]

Happy Gardening! 

Pat Hurley

www.solargemgreenhouses.com