Will hoey

[chickenanne]

Well, should I get a greenhouse or not? All opinions very welcome.

 

I grow a good amount of veg in our small garden, but find raising seedlings involves every window in the house being overtaken by compost, which OH hates (particualrly as our "do-er upper" house should be finished by the spring!).

I've grown toms in hanging baskets, but would get a way better crop in a greenhouse. I'd also use it for herbs and no doubt the occasional "oddity" (y'know dead exotic stuff like -gasp - cucumbers).

Where I live is incredibly windy so would need to get a decent robust one - otherwise I might be more tempted to get the cheapest I can find and see how it goes: I just don't think it would withstand the howling gales for long.

 

Would I use it year round?

Would I remember to water?

Would the mice get into all my seedlings?

[Lesley]

I'm biased towards the Keder greenhouses - a cross between a greenhouse and a polytunnel. Very robust - but not cheap. Ours is the Growers one and is 10m x 4m and in a very exposed site - they do Gardeners ones as well.

 

We grow salad all year round and have grown all the usual stuff through summer including cucumbers and melons. This year we also grew broad beans, beetroot, peas and potatoes so that we had some early crops for visitors we had staying early June.

[chickencam]

We love our greenhouse, it is great for raising seedlings and we have had fantastic tomatoes and cucmbers this summer. We have a soil base with a path down the middle and we grow the toms in bottomless pots so that they can send down deep roots. This year we top dressed around them with well rotted manure and we really saw the benefit. We grew basil and marigolds aroung the base of the plants to deter whitefly and that seemed to work and was pretty too.

 

We have a really cheap small greenhouse, about £200 from B&Q I don't think it would stand too much wind, we have had panels blow out but have been able to easily put them back in.

[missuscluck]

I love my greenhouse. We have a little 4x6 wooden one as we wanted it to fit in a small space and look nice in the garden too. I have room to raise all my seedlings and grow cucumber plants, tomato plants and chilli plants usually about 4 or so of each.

 

I do wish it was bigger and would love a large one but the garden is so busy it just wasnt feasable to have a larger one. Definatly a good purchace though.

[Redwing]

I also love my greenhouse, its a 10 x 8 Eden greenhouse with big double doors

 

The frame is on a foundation about a foot deep which stops the mice getting in, then there is a wooden base and the aluminium frame is on top of that - the whole load is bolted down

 

I got it off a chap who buys up old greenhouses and strips them back, adds new or cleaned up glass, new rubber, new bolts and clips then sells them on - he did the installation for us too, we got a greenhouse that retails at £1500 (plus installation) completely installed and foundations built for £520 and are chuffed to bits with it so my tip is go secondhand for a good make rather than buy a flimsey one cheaply if you have a limited budget

 

Our greenhouse was installed in January and was warm enough to work in straight away mainly because of the good construction and insulation

 

It is easy to forget the watering, I have lost a bit this year because I didnt bank on how hot they get but you soon learn

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm very interested in the answers to this . We have an incredibly windy garden too (you don't live in Edinburgh do you ?) and my plastic tomato "greenhouse" was totally shredded/snapped by the wind this week .

 

I don't have much space for a proper greenhouse but would love one .

 

One of those potting shed type ones would be great but that would mean loadsa cash and ditching our current shed which is perfectly fine .

 

I'm still trying to find a plastic greenhouse that will withstand winds. Our other one is intact but is covered in bungees and chains holding it to the garden bench (and has some splits in it already) .

[Olly]

I would say definitely go for it, Chickenanne. I was lucky enough to inherit an aluminium greenhouse when I bought this house, and this year is probably the first year that I have made full use of it.

 

I didn't really know what to do with it in the first year, and I overestimated how warm it would be early in the year, however I've now learned to start seedlings off indoors and then move them to the greenhouse. I'll be overwintering my pelargoniums and begonias and other tender plants, I have just sowed some sweetpeas for next year, and I am hoping I'm not too late to do a few cuttings and bring them on in there. Mine is not heated, which limits the things you can do but still offers many opportunites to have more plants, and to have them sooner and more vigorous than those started outdoors.

 

I had a fabulous crop of tomatoes this year, starting much earlier and ripening a lot sooner than people with outdoor ones, and it lets you grow things like peppers and aubergines which are difficult to grow without cover.

 

The Dr Hessayon book on greenhouses is a really good one to get and it explains the different types and the pros and cons.

[chickenanne]

I'm very interested in the answers to this . We have an incredibly windy garden too (you don't live in Edinburgh do you ?) and my plastic tomato "greenhouse" was totally shredded/snapped by the wind this week .

....

I'm still trying to find a plastic greenhouse that will withstand winds. Our other one is intact but is covered in bungees and chains holding it to the garden bench (and has some splits in it already) .

 

I know exactly how you feel! Have you tried using a cold-frame? becuase they're lower they seem to suffer slightly less - i bought one in a local GC sale for £15, but all it is is cheap pine and that clear rigid plastic stuff, it would be easy and cheap to make your own.

I had one of those plastic-covered mini-greenhouses, but it was pointless - even weighted with bricks / breezblocks in the bottom it would get blown over and the plastic cover was just shredded.

They're pretty handy, though obviously nowhere near the hight/size of a greenhouse!

 

Thanks all for your thoughts - any other opinions or advice very welcome!

[sjp]

I'm very interested in the answers to this . We have an incredibly windy garden too (you don't live in Edinburgh do you ?) and my plastic tomato "greenhouse" was totally shredded/snapped by the wind this week .

 

I don't have much space for a proper greenhouse but would love one .

 

One of those potting shed type ones would be great but that would mean loadsa cash and ditching our current shed which is perfectly fine .

 

I'm still trying to find a plastic greenhouse that will withstand winds. Our other one is intact but is covered in bungees and chains holding it to the garden bench (and has some splits in it already) .

how about putting a lean to one on the end or side of your shed

[Milly]

I got my first ever greenhouse last autumn and have been pleased with it so far. It is a Keder - as Lesley says, they are a bit pricy but seem to be really solid and should last well.

 

I found it very useful for seedlings, as we don't have much window sill space in the house, so I could start growing things more easily. One lesson learned was that I planted too many tomatoes, which meant the things I put under them were too much in the shade in our very dull summer. The best thing has been to have somewhere to pot things up rather than squatting on the ground like I used to do - luxury!

 

I was going to plant some winter lettuces - but opened the seed packet this week and it was empty!

 

Milly

[chickencam]

You need to have a few mini greenhouses along the way, so that you can use the insides for staging in your real greenhouse.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'd like one of these ....

 

 

but the back of our house doesn't have enough empty wall space (3 large windows).

 

If I removed some shrubs, I could fix it to my neighbour's garage wall (which is one side of our garden). It faces N/NW though. Would it get enough sun ?

 

The girls would lose a little freerange space but I'm sure they'd forgive me .

 

(OH isn't convinced .)

[chickencam]

It would be ok in the summer but you might struggle for light with the early seedlings

[Olly]

I've just re-read your post, Chickenanne and realised I got carried away and didn't answer your questions!

 

Would I use it year round?

Possibly not - although I use mine to overwinter tender plants, I'm lucky because we don't get heavy frosts down here in the South East. An unheated house may not be frost-free.

I still think you would use it for 9 months of the year though.

 

Would I remember to water?

Remember? You'll be dashing in there before you do anything else! It is worth considering where you are going to site it, and whether you'll have a tap handy. Mine is the far end of the garden, so I have to either lug the hose up there or fill watering cans, it would be easier if the water supply was nearer. Once you have things growing in there, though, you definitely won't forget about them.

 

Would the mice get into all my seedlings?

I've never had a mouse problem. My large and sharp-eyed tabby cat may have something to do with that though!

 

Another wonderful benefit is that on a cool or even chilly day, the greenhouse will be a good deal warmer - I sit in there and do all my sowing and potting up whilst keeping an eye on the chickens outside.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sorry, Chickenanne, I ended up hijacking your post . We are asking the same questions though .

 

I'm just scared of spending all that money to have it wrecked by the first gale .

[Blackrocksrock]

We live in an incredibly windy spot at the bottom of a mountain!! - high up above the village and used to have an aluminium greenhouse tucked it away from the wind we thought - It was glass except for 2 plastic shaped panels on the roof and had had problems in the wind with the plastic panels blowing out and had to replace some glass and then one hogmanay we had a real storm and it blew out the plastic panels again and the whole lot twisted and the glass all shattered and we could not do anything but listen to the breaking glass. I vowed never to have another one but bought a wooden one which does not move an inch and is no problem and have had it for years. It is really heavy and solid, great for a windy spot.

[ali-s]

I had one of these in my previous garden, five minutes walk from the windy(in Winter) Moray Firth coast. I bought the budget greenhouse.

 

http://www.norfolk-greenhouses.co.uk?shop?shop-infopage.php?longref=175~0

 

 

It has polytunnel type plastic covering it, we tucked the ends of the plastic under slabs. I used it for over two years the plastic ripped once, a tiny tear in the door on a particularly windy night which resulted in gusts of over 100 miles an hour on a couple of occasions. OH screwed two of the metal posts to a trellis fence for extra security.

 

I think for £69 it is a super starter greenhouse, and the company didn't charge me extra postage to get it up here

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's funny, I was just looking at their website this afternoon .

 

I think I've decided to test the water (or wind!) with something not too expensive and if that works, perhaps upgrade (or not, if it lasts!). Not till this winter is over though .

[Redwing]

That's funny, I was just looking at their website this afternoon .

 

I think I've decided to test the water (or wind!) with something not too expensive and if that works, perhaps upgrade (or not, if it lasts!). Not till this winter is over though .

 

Someone on here bought one, was it Couperman? and had a heck of a job putting it together.... I think it turned out ok though - will see if I can find the post for you

 

I went to a museum recently that had a display of these for sale in their foyer (not an obvious relationship between the two things!) and I must say they didnt look like they would stand up to a Scottish winter

 

here you go..

 

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=45437&p=682469&hilit=Norfolk#p682469

 

I have found a comment from Ali in Scotland here which is promising:

 

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18725&hilit=norfolk+greenhouse

[ali-s]

[

I have found a comment from Ali in Scotland here which is promising:

 

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18725&hilit=norfolk+greenhouse

 

 

That was just before the plastic tore in the door

 

When we moved here there were 2 glass greenhouses, I would have brought my little Norfolk greenhouse with me if the 2 weren't here. The people who bought our house were happy to have the little one and were going to have a go at growing vegetables

[chickenanne]

Sorry, Chickenanne, I ended up hijacking your post . We are asking the same questions though .

 

I'm just scared of spending all that money to have it wrecked by the first gale .

 

Hi-jack away, ANH, we are asking the same thing (I think!). I too am really concerned about spending lots of money to see it destroyed by wind, or unused after the novelty wears off!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Although my tomato greenhouse like this has ended up in the bin after only 4 months:

 

My one like this is still pretty much intact. I've had to put some extra plastic in where the roof ripped but if I'd repaired it sooner it would probably not be so bad.

 

So I'm tempted to get more of these as at least you have the staging if the plastic goes. (And they're fairly cheap!)

[Old Speckled Hen]

I'm biased towards the Keder greenhouses - a cross between a greenhouse and a polytunnel. Very robust - but not cheap. Ours is the Growers one and is 10m x 4m and in a very exposed site - they do Gardeners ones as well.

 

We grow salad all year round and have grown all the usual stuff through summer including cucumbers and melons. This year we also grew broad beans, beetroot, peas and potatoes so that we had some early crops for visitors we had staying early June.

 

Wow these look wonderful. I have bookmarked their site.

I long for a greenhouse I can actually swing a cat in

[Valkyrie]

Ours is an Alton wooden greenhouse (we used to have aluminium - never again). It's huge, but it's brilliant. You will need to think whether you want to use it all year round - when heating has to be considered. After a hefty bill one year, we decided to only use it when necessary to look after the seedlings in the colder spring nights. I still sew toms and peppers at the beginning of January - in heated propagators, and when it is supposed to be really cold, they get covered with old towels to keep the frost off. Seems to work fine.

I haven't had a problem with mice in the greenhouse, although one nested near the door during one cold snap and didn't eat anything it shouldn't. They are a bigger problem outside - well until we had chickens and then they eat them. I do have a problem with naughty slugs and snails that sneak in and eat paper and the outside of boxes.

A couple of years we have been able to continue the tomatoes and had them for Christmas - still unheated - but the winters had been mild then. This year it's all going to get cleaned out beforehand ready for my next session.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Oh, and I have seen an aluminium greenhouse blown almost flat with glass over a fair distance due to heavy winds at the allotment. Our neighbour lost his, and we had to pick up the glass for ages after on our plot.

[Happy chickens!]

I love my greenhouse. I can sit in it and sniff the tomato plants, it's warm when I prick out my seedlings and it doesn't blow over like those plastic covered shelves. I got stuff started so much earlier this year - we ate the yummiest sweetcorn ever for example - and my chillis have to be seen to be believed!

 

Go for it!