The Riga Onion Greenhouse

The panels are polycarbonate (the wonder material of most greenhouses). The frame is aluminum, which is totally maintenance free. Combined, it means a very good quality greenhouse for long life and easy to live with.

This greenhouse is designed and manufactured in Germany by a company that makes commercial greenhouses, so they incorporate some of the bigger concepts into a hobby greenhouse that gives you more for your money. The frames are permanently attached to each other, so it won't loosen over time due to wind pressure. Where I live on the plains, we major in wind pressure. The Riga has been tested against winds up to 100 miles per hour and has never been blown away, (as long as it is properly anchored to the ground). Since it has no eaves, snow and leaves and sand do not collect along the ridges, and you have no clean out to do. The polycarbonate panels on the roof and sides is 8mm thick and the end walls are 10mm thick. This is standard with the Riga Onion, which is why it is so perfect for the colder weather. Each greenhouse comes with windows and roof vents, providing excellent ventilation.

The lockable door is Dutch (barn) style, which gives added ventilation by leaving the top open, and you can still keep the cats out of the greenhouse with the bottom closed. At 30" wide it will accomodate a wheelbarrow or wagon. There is an oversized hinged rear wall window (42"h x 30" w), so you get complete cross ventilation. The roof vents are 24" deep x 40" wide.

Consider the air patterns at your place to decide how to position your Riga. If you wish to avoid too much wind, position the Riga sides against the usual air flow. In my area, the cold winter storms come from the NE, but the summer winds blow from the SW. If you are going to use your greenhouse in the winter, avoid your winter storm flows blowing right through your greenhouse by angling the side walls against them.

The Riga is by far the strongest greenhouse in it's price bracket. It comes with a Assembly DVD, and they do offer the ground anchor system and base kit. It has a 15 year warranty on the frame and 10 years on the panels.

There is enough insulation factor to grow year round in a Riga. It comes in 5 different sizes, and is a tall 6'11" at the peak, which makes it more comfortable to work in. There is no unusable space in a Riga.

The Riga offers extension kits in case you want to enlarge it later. They also offer metal hooks to put into the ridge pole for hanging lights, plants, fans, heaters, jackets, etc. To me, they are essential. They also have designed shelf kits to fit inside and trays for them. All these extras will make your greenhouse experience much easier and more fun. Look for the Deluxe package for a money saving deal. And you can bump up the insulation value with 16 mm triple wall polycarbonate panels in the XL models.

The Riga is definately worth taking a look at if you get freezes in your area. Visit 4seasongreenhouse.com for more details and ordering.

All you will need to do now is choose which size you want. My personal opinion is that if you are going to set up one of these, you may as well get a bigger one than you first thought you needed, because you will probably want a bigger on in the future, and this will save you a lot of trouble and work in the long run. Happy Greenhouse growing!