Hey from snowbelt of Pennsylvania

[JustJack]

They sell greenhouse fabric on ebay if you still want to find a way to leave them outside. It's much cheaper than anything I've seen locally and they sell it by the yard in 24 or 25 foot widths, so that might help with cost. My husband's out on disability so we've really had to watch our spending too. I don't have to deal with temps that cold or snow at all so I don't know how that works--do you still need a heater if you have them in a greenhouse?

 

[angelmandi]

I appreciate the idea about the greenhouse fabric. Maybe we will use that with some sturdy frames next year. Up my way with all of the crazy 'lake effect' snow, you just never know how a snowstorm is going to hit you, and how much snow you will actually receive. For example: we received about 3 feet from our 2 day snowstorm, but about 20 minutes west of us, they received 73 INCHES. So, we would need to make sure the frames are very sturdy to hold that fabric well from the flakes and the wind.

I don't have a heater, just a de-icer, but I would assume that if we built a greenhouse-like structure over the pond in the future, we would keep the de-icer plugged in just in case. Our temps can fall rather suddenly in the course of a workday. I would hate to come home and find things gone awry while I was working.

 

[JustJack]

Yeah, I forgot about Lake Effect snow. I never lived that far north, but my husband's from Western New York and still has family up there. They can get some pretty crazy weather there.

I would probably build a wooden frame for the greenhouse fabric. For extra sturdiness, you could sink the posts in a bucket of concrete. If you build it in sections, it would still be movable but sturdy enough to withstand those winds and snowfalls.