I thought I would try something different this year and post my fig progress throughout the year.

Last year was my first year growing figs and I learned a lot, mostly through mistakes. Hopefully, I can help others avoid making the same ones.

My wife, Theresa, and I wanted to redo the backyard. She wanted a greenhouse for seed starting and I wanted one for figs to prolong the season.

Our plan...



We began leveling the greenhouse area in December, but then the cold hit...



More to come...

Nick

We ordered a Harbor Freight greenhouse January 1st... it arrived a few weeks later looking like it had been dropped off the truck, then picked back up, put on the roof, and dropped again.

Contact both the shipper and shipping company and start a case.
If the shipper sent the package with visible damage to the box the shipping company would have tagged it damaged at the time of pick up.
It looks like the shipping company has some explaining to do.

Either way your product should be insured and a replacement should be in order. Or at least replace the damaged parts.

Good luck the rest of the way and please keep us posted.

I agree with Rafed.

Nice drawing, and I like your plan.  I have heard ok things about the HF greenhouses.  Some say to reinforce the panels if you are in a windy area as they can pop out.  

I called Harbor Freight the next day and let them know. They asked for what pieces were damaged, so I had to open the boxes and go through each of the ~200 pieces. I gave them the list and didn't hear from them for a few days. I called and was told that they couldn't get replacements and I would have to ship the greenhouse back at my cost. A few hours of arguing with customer service and they agreed to ship a new one to me and then have the shipping company pick up the old one. A few weeks later I got a call from the shipping company asking why I wasn't home to sign for delivery... No one had called to say it was being delivered! I asked if they were going to take the old one... They said no and usually HF doesnt ask for items back. Three weeks later, I received a postcard from HF saying they still hadnt received the old greenhouse. I had to spend hours on the phone with "Bill" and "Steve" from India, before I got them to agree to not charge me for the shipping. I also let them know if the greenhouse wasnt picked up within the week I was going to dispose of it as the box had been taking up my living room for months. A week and a half later I got a call from the shipping company asking why I wasnt home for pickup... good grief no one called to give me a date! They finally came and picked it up last week. Harbor Freight's customer service was absolutely horrible!

Johnny - that sounds like a nightmare.  I went through something similar (though not as bad) with Panasonic to replace a bathroom fan under warranty.  I'll keep this in mind if I ever purchase a greenhouse.

Nick,

Sorry to hear about the grief you went through but it looks like it's almost over.

Just be sure to anchor the frame to the ground or else you'll end up like Dorothy from Wizard of Oz.

Edit: never mind the anchor. You did mention it. Duhh

Good luck

I remember a few years ago I was hauling away a can sorter. It was roughly 20' long and 6' high and wide.
It was roughly 2000lbs on wheels!

I used ratchet straps (2000lb test) to strap it into the trailer.

After about the tenth  strap  the customer asked how many am I going to use? I said due to it's weight and the fact it's on wheels you could never have too many straps.

So I say,,, go ahead and anchor away! The more the better.

How deep were those screw in anchors in the ground?  

Looks like a fun project Johnny, wish I had a spot for a greenhouse. Good luck with it, keep those photos coming 

Wind is amazing...and destructive!

Let me know you ever need help, I'm not far away, as you know.

Yesterday we began prepping the polycarbonate panels. The bottom edge will get vent tape, while the top edge will be siliconed to prevent bugs and dirt from entering.

Theresa was not happy with the opacity of the panels...



But then I peeled back the protective film to show her they were clear... got a good laugh out of that one!



This is the venting tape we used. The 2" was half the price as the 1", so we just bought the 2" and cut it in half.



It was pretty easy to put on the panels, but I'll be amazed if it holds up for more than a single season.

This year's cuttings are going strong in the office still. The Ronde de Bordeaus have grown way too fast, even with the spider mite problem I had that caused them to all drop their leaves. The black madeira is growing extremely fast as well.



The black madeira has been putting figs on constantly. I finally left a couple on to try to slow down its growth a bit.





I also rooted some of Encanto cuttings. They weren't rooting very well, so I used some hormone and that helped.



These two I cupped in an orchid mix to see how they will do. Coarse bark, coarse perlite, and carbon.



I picked up some potting mix that the local nursery recommended. I'm going to try some cuttings in this mixed with perlite and lime as well.

What is this Mum Mix 400?
What can you tell us about it?

I know I can search it but I rather hear it form a user than a seller.

Thanks.

Thanks,

I love to use UPM because it stays moist a bit longer and during the hot and humid summer days this is a plus for my figs. Less wilting. Hence, less stress.
I just started to use the ProMix only because my UPM was frozen but I like it too.

I will give Mum a shot. Assuming I can find it here.

Bark to me is in a grey area.
Do you want it for drainage? Or do you not want it so your soil can stay moist?
I think it is a personnel preference.

But I do like to use aged pine bark as mulch to top off some of my pots from time to time. I like the smell of it.

I will look into finding both and weigh my options then.
If it is a local product like you mentioned it could very well be just it. A local product.
Hopefully that wont be the case.

Ever consider using Fafard 52 mix?
That's some good stuff there too.

Don't want to hijack Nick's thread but have a question for Rafed. Which ProMix are you using and are you adding anything to it?

I hope Nick doesn't mind but I'm using ProMix HP.
Not adding anything to it at the moment.

I have another set of cuttings that I was planning on adding another 20% to 30% more perlite.

Rafed, thanks my UPM may have dried up.