Winter is coming, and because of my new living conditions... i.e. I have a yard and need to figure out how to deal with colder temps in the next few weeks, I was wondering what your experiences are with green houses.

I am looking at something like this:

www.amazon.de/Deuba-Gew%C3%A4chshaus-Pfl...w%C3%A4chshaus&psc=1
or see picture.
I have an old sandbox frame that I'm thinking of using to stabalize it against the wind... I may attach a wooden floor, and then set my cinderblock shelves on top of that floor... the bloocks weigh 30 KG each.... and I'll probably have 10 of them in the green house.. I think that will be enough to protect against wind.
I'm going to build two shelves with a type of cinderblock and board construction for the plants that need sun, and less frost, and maybe will put the plants that need frost protection but no light under the shelves... if I use a heater I may put it on top of something, so as to not heat the area under the shelves. I will get a thermostat for temperature regulation, as well as those automatic window openers, when the temps are warm, or lots of sun... as far as the trees that I have that can take more frost, I will probably put them in front of my garden shack, which has a place that is pretty protected from wind, and sun.

Any ideas? or things I may have overlooked?

I would consider whether this is overkill or not. Depends on your species.

Keep in mind that a greenhous exposed to sun will heat up very quickly. I easily reach 20+ celcius in the greenhouse, even when outside it is -10C on sunny days. This breaks dormancy of your plants. So only do this if you have a place that does NOT get sun.

I have hardly any plants that need protection; My olives & pomegranate go in the shed / greenhouse with deep frost. And some of the weaker trees may go in the shed too to keep them a little drier. But generally, all trees stay outside in the full weather.

Does your greenhouse get sun all day? or just part of the day? I have a couple of satsuki azeleas, which don't really like frost that much. Crape Mytles, I've been told are not real keen on frost.

Do you not protect them from wind, when it gets really cold? or protect the soild from freezing?

Nothing to worry about yet, only down to -2C

We haven't had below freezing yet, but, if I do get a greenhouse, I will have to build it.. etc... which takes some time.. I want to be ready, in case it get's really cold fast.

The greenhous gets sun most of the day. But even half an hour of sun is enough to really heat it up.

which trees go into the greenhouse?

I use the greenhouse now for some maples I repotted over te weekend. There it will be some 10 degrees warmer then outside, helping them put on some new roots for winter. But as said before (i think), greenhouses are tricky in winter.

I protect weak trees (Such as a carpinus with funal infection that I treating) and mediterenean species, such as olive and pomegranate. But not typically in the greenhouse.

Interesting thing for winter, there is some research to the extend of which plant withdraw their nutrients in fall. www.growingbonsai.net/fertilizing-bonsai...ent-storage-in-fall/

As you may remember, I don't live that far away from you, and our winters here are not that cold, so I may just put some of the plants in the shed, if it get's well below zero... I may try and keep some of the trees out of the wind...I did make some sort of makeshift greenhouse with bubble wrap, in my apartment over the last winter, and that worked really well...that should probably be enough, if it does get that cold.

As far as the nutrients, it makes some good sense. have you used certain types of fertilizer during the fall or just the regular kind?

hm.. No I do not remember.. Should I have ? Head is not made for remembering personal details I am afraid.

Call me crazy, but I just use what I have. I still have a tub of 5l liquid fertilizer. I ran out of my chickenpellets, my saidung and my organic tomatoe fertilizer. I am now in the process of getting some new chicken pellets for next year; Placed an order of 50kg. That should last me a year or two.