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Low cost but often lacking in gardening essentials and quality.
Commonly lacking in the quality and features necessary to make successful gardening easy to get into, and installation options are limited.
We're in the middle, offering the right balance of value and features!
Focused on homeowners, communities and institutions, our greenhouse kits fill the gap of anyone looking for the best gardening experience without going commercial.
Great for growing crops, but not suitable for many gardening enthusiasts.
We wanted to bring features often enjoyed by professional growers to more people, from casual at-home gardeners to schools and small-scale farmers!
FEATURES | Mud Hub Greenhouses | Glass/Polycarbonate Structures | Greenhouse Structure Additions | Commercial Growing Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Moveable | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Raised Beds | Yes | No | No | No |
Mole/Gopher/groundhog exclusion | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Deer/rabbit exclusion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, if sealed |
Bird exclusion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, if sealed |
Seasonal Covers | Yes | No | No | No |
Shade protected | Yes | No | No | Some |
Passive low tech Ventilation/ | Yes | Some | Some | Some |
Wind Resistant | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Additional Heating needed | Yes | Yes | No, depending on orientation | Yes |
Rain directly irrigates | Yes | No | No | No |
Self-supporting, no permits needed | Yes | No | No | No |
Sides roll up to top | Yes | No | No | No |
Ready to grow, self-contained gardening | Yes | No | No | No |
Installation available | Yes | No | No | No |
Do-it-yourself kits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Structural strength | High | Low | High | Low |
Ability to hang and reach plants | Yes | No | No | No |
Gardening comfort | High | Low | Low | Low |
Average Cost range | $4200-$16,000 | $600-$7,000 (no installation) | $360-$2500 (no installation) | $25,000 & up
Per 1000 SF
(no installation) |
Sizes available | 120 sf- 960 sf in 10’, 12’ & 24’ widths | 50sf – 200sf, average | 85sf – 175sf, average | 6,000 sf – up
20’ wide, minimum |
When one explores the web for greenhouse alternatives, as we often do, it becomes apparent that greenhouse kits are treated as products, designed to look sleek, easy to put together and at a seemingly palatable cost. Some are more permanent in nature, others aren’t. This is all fine if the main goal is to put a roof over plants and produce and sell a lot of these structures.
There’s an old axiom, which is true of any type of construction assembly. It goes like this. There are three factors that are associated with every project. They are cost, quality, and speed, as in assembly and installation in this case. You can have two of the three, but not all three. Think about it. How many times have you bought something cheaply that broke in no time at all? Or have you bought a product that took longer than expected to put together that in the end you were very satisfied with, with respect to durability and quality?
A few months ago, we created a chart which graphically showed the difference between Mud Hub and other greenhouse kit manufacturers. The intent was to show potential shoppers of greenhouse kits what we include in our kits that others do not. It occurred to us that without clearly explaining our design goals and guidelines this approach would have little meaning to consumers, thus the real difference between Mud Hub and others.
Every company has goals and guidelines which are deemed important with respect to manufacturing, production, shipping and distribution, and pricing. On top of this are the most important considerations: what do we want to achieve with our design and who do we want to appeal to?
The decision to use raised beds to control the quality of soil was an easy one. Not every site has great soil packed with beneficial minerals. Many soils are sandy or replete with clay, impacting how well plants get water to roots. Our decision not only allows for better soil control though. It serves as a foundation for the structure above, so there is no digging or concrete involved. We added protection underneath and above to keep critters from eating the food that is growing and added comfort in the way of benches on top of the beds. Do raised beds add to the overall cost of the unit? Of course! But we believe this more than offset by the value they provide. Besides, when exposed it offers a crafty look that lends itself nicely to gardening, while requiring minimal maintenance.
Again, the issue really becomes a refined permanent look vs adaptability to weather and seasonal conditions at a cost most consumers would be willing to absorb. When considering the above options to cover our units, it was obvious that poly film with its ability to roll up and down was going to provide the ventilation and acclimation to weather that we be needed to garden all year round. The initial cost and cost of maintenance and replacement is far less than the alternative options.
Comparing cover options, polycarbonate has a much higher impact resistance than acrylic and glass. But like the others, it is susceptible to cracking, is brittle and yellows or turns cloudy after 6 months in the field. The cost of polycarbonate is 45% more than acrylic and prices anywhere from $.90/sf to $1.65/sf. The raw cost of 6 mil uv-rated clear poly film is $.16/sf, which is five times less to purchase and replace in nearly the same life span as polycarbonate.
The inclusion of rachet straps to hold the poly film down during especially windy conditions has lengthened the life span of the material at a relatively modest cost.
We included these features with the gardener in mind. Where there is high intensity sunlight, shade cloth cannot be an afterthought or an accessory to be added to the cost of a greenhouse later on. Shade cloth is a standard item on all our units. It is secured to the coated wire mesh with Velcro ties every 24” to ensure that it stays on the unit. The coated wire fabric we use is not uncommonly used in fences to keep deer and rabbits out of properties. We simply adapted its use to our greenhouses. Again, does it add to the cost of a unit? Sure. But who wants the result of hard work to go into a rabbit’s stomach? The nice thing about it is that when the poly film is rolled up to certain points, rain, air and predators of harmful pests are allowed to enter the greenhouse in beneficial ways.
When we built our first unit back in 2017, it took six days to assemble and install a 10 x 12 unit. As this was not going to be sustainable, we refined the processes and developed an assembly guide to help us and potential Mud Hub Greenhouse owners put together a kit a lot easier and in much less time. We can now say a unit can be put together in less than half a day. But that’s us. For you it may take a little longer. But who cares? You will be happy to have a greenhouse that will last and produce and what else matters?
