Single hen

[Spike-J]

I've never had a green house before but have been offered old one by a friend.

I'm currently trying to work out if it will fit in my not overly big but quite full garden.

I believe its approx 7x7'.

However I realise I know very little.

 

If I go ahead my first quesion is what do I build it on?

I think it is an aluminium frame, so do I need to lay a brick foundation for it? Even if it has corner stakes I could put straight in soil.

 

What do I do about its "floor".

I intend to use it to extend growing range/season for veg and fruit- I want tomatoes cucumbers, peppers, aubergines, a grape vine, seedlings to bring on for outside...

Do people mostly have cement/ wood etc floors and then just use grow bags or build raised beds on top? Or is it feasible to have just the garden soil with a path up the middle. Or would that be too cold in winter? I don't want to heat it unless I come up with an environmentally sound way to do it that I as a feeble female with not much DIY skills could manage!

 

I have "googled" building greenhouses but think I am more confused other than getting practial ideas for rebuiling 2nd hand GH ie photos before, label corners with pen, oil and hacksaw, lots of new bolts etc

 

Can anyone help??

[chickenanne]

I'm no expert, but have been looking at buying a greenhouse, so....

You need a flat, even surface for the "walls" of the greenhouse to be on. You can do this either by putting a floor in the house or leaving bare earch but making a border of bricks/paving slabs. Either way it has to be flat and even.

I think the advantage of bare soil as a base is that you could plant directly into it. However, how likely you are to do this rather than use gro-bags /containers is worth thinking about. A solid floor isn't going to be a muddy horrible mess.

I think you need to fin out teh dimensions of the greenhouse first, as that way siting it may not be a dilemma! really you want it to get as much sun as possible, and lots of people say east-west orientation is best, but I can't see how it makes any real difference unless you're looking at a commercial-sized greenhouse!

You probably want to consider things like where your nearest water supply is (tap, water butt or whatever) and wether you want to run electricity to it. And, where is flat!

[Guest]

Personally I dont like dirt floors. The greenhouse we have just put up is on a lovely concrete base the one we inherited with the house had a dirt floor.

 

If you grow things in the dirt it will lose all its nutrients unless you are rotating/composting etc.

 

Also if you leave the door open local cats will use your dirt as a toilet.

 

Do you have chickens roaming your garden ? (not THAT daft a question, some people fence theirs in). If you do then they will enjoy scratching up the dirt etc.

 

In short the one we had with a dirt floor and a path down it always had dirt everywhere and you couldn't see the path - leave it open for 5 mins and the dirt was kicked all over the place.

 

Only sure fire way of keeping the chickens out of it was - incorporate it into the chicken run - havn't seen a chook in their since!

[Spike-J]

Thanks both of you.

 

Now know greenhouse on offer is about 2.5m sq. I have one possible place only in garden which would be a mostly on soil but overlapping slightly on paving stone "patio area".

This area is generally quite flat but have to see if paving needs lifted or extended.

Can't make up mind if it's too big or not so have marked out space with bamboo poles too think about it and need to talk to hubby at weekend about the logistics of it!

 

Thanks for viewpoints on earth/ no earth. Ultimately may come down to hubby again!!

 

It would be in full sun running west to east with nearby water butts.

 

Hens are roam free with parts of the flower bed (and greenhouse if kept) fenced off!

 

Will think some more!!

[Matthew]

I've just bought a greenhouse on ebay and put it back together this weekend

 

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=296321#296321

[chickencam]

Our greenhouse is supported on concrete blocks aroud the edges with a paving slab path and soil either side.

 

I like to have the soil borders because we plant our tomatoes in bottomless pots and stand them on the soil so that they can root through into the ground that way they have the benefit of good compost at the top and moisture underneath.

 

To stop the chicken and cat problem we have a trellis panel that we prop up in front of the open door.

[Spike-J]

quote: Matthew- "I've just bought a greenhouse on ebay and put it back together this weekend"

 

 

Thanks Mathew very helpful.

 

I've been to see "my greenhouse" and it looks in great condition.

Hope to get it moved when other half next free in a few weeks. I plan to get it moved and rebuilt without glass in 1 weekend so it doesn't matter if base not ready. I presume it would be fairly safe not anchored down if there is no glass in it. Or maybe I should tie it to the fence... would hate squashed hens or dog (or child) if it blew over...

 

I'm now looking through seed catalogues planning what I'm going to grow. Can't wait!!

[Matthew]

quote: Matthew- "I've just bought a greenhouse on ebay and put it back together this weekend"

 

 

Thanks Mathew very helpful.

 

I've been to see "my greenhouse" and it looks in great condition.

Hope to get it moved when other half next free in a few weeks. I plan to get it moved and rebuilt without glass in 1 weekend so it doesn't matter if base not ready. I presume it would be fairly safe not anchored down if there is no glass in it. Or maybe I should tie it to the fence... would hate squashed hens or dog (or child) if it blew over...

 

I'm now looking through seed catalogues planning what I'm going to grow. Can't wait!!

 

No problems

 

Have my first batch of next years sweet peas just starting to poke their heads up in the green house

[Spike-J]

Just to update those who gave advice and encourage those in the same position as I was...

 

The greenhouse was moved sucessfully over christmas- we cheated a bit- all the glass came out but we were lucky enough to have a friend with huge trailer so moved frame whole (8 by 8 foot greenhouse) so the lot was moved in about 4 1/2 hrs.

I then cheated and paid 2 very nice men to put down concrete and brick foundation as OH wasn't interested in doing himself.

We got glass in one afternoon and I haven't looked back since.

 

I have tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers, peppers (thanks to father-in -law as mine didn't germinate...again) and chillies. I also have been able to sow and bring on plants for outside to try and get them big enough to withstand slug attacks- they still prefer big plants to my beer traps!

 

Its all great fun. My only worry now is that the 2 windows are not going to provide enough ventilation when (!) we get this lovely summer they are promising so must look into getting more ventilation.

 

Greenhouses are great!

 

Spike-J

[Egluntyne]

I 'cheated' too and got someone to build mine for me.

 

Him Indoors doesn't know a screwdriver from a bar of soap, bless him, and I don't do lifting or anything that requires the use of a ladder, so between us we are a dead loss.

 

I absolutely love it and spend hours in it.

 

I can see why men love their sheds.

 

Any photos of yours?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

*sighs*

 

Wish I had room for a greenhouse (and a less windy garden) .

[Spike-J]

 

I absolutely love it and spend hours in it.

 

I can see why men love their sheds.

 

Any photos of yours?

 

Thats all so true!

Have photos but need to download to computer and then work out how to post them- never tried to do that before so depends how complicated it is whether or not I can!!

[Egluntyne]

Dead easy Spike. Instructions **here**

[Happy chickens!]

Egluntine said

I absolutely love it and spend hours in it.

 

I can see why men love their sheds.

 

Absolutely, except we go for light fragrant spaces that are so much more productive!

 

I only got a proper greenhouse last year and can't believe how much I love it - and best of all it's next to the girls, so I can chicken watch too!!