We had several thoughtful comments about our new mini-greenhouse. Let's see if I can answer them all in one post!

"I'd love to know the brand name & what you think of the quality. From the pic, I'm impressed by what looks like reinforced corners. Or are they just a different color?" --- Terry

This is a 6 foot by 8 foot Garden Treasures Greenhouse that Lowes used to sell for a couple of hundred bucks. I believe Rose Nell found it on sale for $69, likely because the model has been discontinued. The plastic is pretty thick and the corners are reinforced, which is both a pro and a con --- the material will likely last longer but will also block some light.

Although you can't find the Garden Treasures Greenhouse in the stores any longer, it looks quite similar to this model on Amazon.

"Got any idea as to how long that plastic will last before it breaks down in the sun?" --- Nayan

This is the flaw in any type of discontinued product like this --- replacement parts are unavailable. My plan is to try to rig a new covering out of rolled greenhouse plastic once the original dies. I hope we don't have to figure out whether that works for several years!

"How much of a temperature boost will a greenhouse like this give winter crops?" --- me

So far, on a clear night after a sunny day, the greenhouse seems to be providing a couple of degrees sheltering effect. I suspect the longer-term impact will be due to raising soil temperature during the day and giving winter growers more oomph, but we'll have to wait and see how that pans out.

I took a photo of the lettuce in the greenhouse and another bed of lettuce (slightly bigger) under a simple layer of row-cover fabric and will report back in a couple of weeks once the two data points have time to diverge. Stay tuned!