I now have two greenhouses. I'd like to share how that has come about and offer what encouragement I can to those who are considering a bit more self-sustainability. Actually, raising our own food, isn't self-sufficiency or self-sustaining as much as it's the original plan of our Creator, therefore our sufficiency is of G-d. It's only been in the last 100 years that we got away from that plan. For centuries, even those businessmen in towns were utterly dependent upon their bartered trade of produce and meat. Making a living is about providing food and shelter, rather than just making money. The transition has resulted in this: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/hunger-rise-missouri-how-can-we-reverse-trend#.UmFPeloJVZw.twitter
The first photo was taken at the first homestead, EinGedi. It was my starter place. On just under two acres, I had enough pasture to provide most of my dairy and eggs, as well as meat and chicken in the freezer. I also had a garden that was a little less than 1000 square feet. This garden provided me with more than enough vegetables to eat fresh, give away, and can. Since I began homesteading, my kids have adopted the "returnable jar" plan. If they return the empties, they can shop in the fruit cellar!
I've tried various things in my years of working with a green house. I am not really gifted with a "green thumb" so I have to learn and work at it! The reason I've share a photo from the old place, is this green house was moved to the new place. These are nice little sturdy buildings that snap together quickly and easily. I don't take it down through the summer or anything, but for about $300.00 it's a nice investment, even in the case of a move. 
I don't use any electricity in my greenhouses. In one, I use candles, and the other water. The one I heat with candles, cannot have the added straw insulation, so I've juggled and struggled to find the "perfect" balance to hopefully, this year, have fresh produce all winter. The one I heat with water won't hold as many pots and plants, since it contains a 100 gallon water tank. Bear with me, I am going to make a point, as to how I came to have two greenhouses, rather than one large one. These greenhouses are identical 6' X 8' with a 7' peak. So although we are only looking at 48 square feet, shelving doubles and in the case of shorter plants, even triples the potential space. The walls are 4' so basically you have 192 cubic feet of potential. The next size greenhouse was 10' X 12" and over 10' tall, with the sides 8' tall. That is 120 square feet of floor space and 960 cubic feet for nearly 3 times the price. Financially, it's a toss up, actually, but for me it was the practical aspect of maintaining heat. Heat rises, and the larger greenhouse would best accommodate shelving taller than I could reach, since that's where most of the heat would be. Even at 5'7," I opted for keeping it close to the ground!
Right now, these greenhouses are less than $300.00 and if you eat healthy and can have any sort of outdoor structure, it might be worth considering. These are structured nicely and so far, the one has provided me with not only some fresh produce through the winter, but a place to start all my garden bedding plants in the early spring.
I'll be including photos through the winter . . . It looks like we may get a real test this year, both economically, and weather wise.
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