Plastic greenhouse (2)

[Ricard with an H]

After planning my new green house and agonising over decisions I need to make I put it on the back-burner for another year and bought a £40 greenhouse/tent from Lidle.

Fortunately i've been able to consider comments on this forum so i'm wouldn't expect to much unless I can fit it in on a wall a sheltered place which is what I have.

I just unpacked the box and yes, it's put together rather like a tent though i'm wondering about how long that plastic "UV resistant" will last before it goes brittle.

A full report to follow when I get it installed though I do have 100 sea-buckthorne arriving tomorrow for planting.

It's all go.

[Flanjamin]

These are a great stop gap but they are very prone to blowing away! The best solution I saw was one tied down to concreted in anchor points with ropes that passed over the top in a criss cross pattern. Not pretty but it stayed put!

[vegpatchmum]

Tut! Tut! Richard. Now where has all your positivity gone?

It's a greenhouse! Granted a blow away greenhouse but it is till a greenhouse.

Reminds me of the old Beattie advert for BT where her grandson has just got his exam results: "What do you mean? You got an 'ology'! That means you're a Doctor!"

VPM
x

[Ricard with an H]

Tut! Tut! Richard. Now where has all your positivity gone?
VPM
x

I hear what you say and I feel like a back-slider, the financial expense and effort to create my new lean-to greenhouse are such that I don't want to make a mistake with the design and position. It's an investment to the property as-well as a place for an old-boy to play with plants.

Also, at a time the new greenhouse should be almost complete I started another project of planting a 20 metres long windbreak hedge of sea-buckthorn, this is proving to be very hard work for me, the hedge-planting is only 30% complete now. 28 plants are in out of the 100 plants.

The plastic greenhouse will serve two purposes, it'll give me an idea about the south-facing aspect being the right one as regards the sun and other practicalities.

To be perfectly honest i've taken-on far to-much for my abilities, my body can't keep up with whats going-on in my head and i'm useless at multi-tasking.

Oh-yes, AND, this plastic greenhouse will be screwed-back to a wall of my outbuilding shed though i'm not decided how to hold the fabric down other than to use stones. The ground here is a consolidated hard-core called, 'scalpings' which consists of two-inch-to-nothing crushed stones so i'll not get ground pegs in.

[Ricard with an H]

Here it is for your inspection.

I have yet to fit any extra-durable holding down straps though it is in the pipeline and in this case the tent is in our only sheltered spot. Massive amounts of work (for me) going on at the moment so it has to wait.

[Primrose]

I have one of the mini four shelved plastic greenhouses which was also blowing over in the wind so I don't know whether this solution would work for you as your greenhouse is much bigger.

My husband fitted two large hook bolts into the house wall through which a very long nylon strap is threaded and then strapped around the greenhouse structure, about two thirds of the way up its height. For your larger greenhouse a length of plastic covered cable would probably work well.

This has kept the structure firm, even in the strongest winds. Another problem we found with the first plastic cover was that in very hot sunshine, the plastic parts of the roof cover which were actually resting on the metal structure at the top became so hot in the sun that the metal actually melted holes in the plastic! We solved this by wrapping long lengths of Jeyes cloth around the top parts of the roofing tube which were in contact with the plastic cover.

I don't use the greenhouse in the winter and remove the plastic cover as I suspect that heavy frost would soon make it brittle and cause the plastic to crack and tear.

However, good luck with it. I'm sure you'll have a lot of satisfaction with it and will enjoy being able to potter inside when it's pouring with rain!

[Ricard with an H]

My husband fitted two large hook bolts into the house wall through which a very long nylon strap is threaded and then strapped around the greenhouse structure, about two thirds of the way up its height. For your larger greenhouse a length of plastic covered cable would probably work well.

I'm thinking along the same lines, this plastic tent really is a spot-gap for me whilst I'm very busy and can't make my mind up about the new greenhouse I intend to build and it's position. This wall is south facing and gets quite warm, whilst that is terrific for raising plants through the spring I doubt anything would survive the heat during summer unless it was very open. What I'm thinking on the basis of forum comments is a lean-to with a door at each end plus roof vents and the whole thing will have to fit between the slate window-lintels.

[Geoff]

Primrose - you could invest in a roll of polytunnel anti-hot spot tape when you reassemble it for the new season.

[Primrose]

Geoff. Thanks for that suggestion. I didn't know such a product existed. It would certainly look a little more elegant than my solution. Where would I be able to buy it? A garden centre?

[Geoff]

There are quite a few online sellers but for an odd roll I guess the pp could make it silly. Anywhere that deals with tunnels would have it. There is an eBay supplier at £1.95 plus £0.99 that is quite a good price if you think it is worth it.

[Ricard with an H]

Thanks for that both of you, i'll be ordering some myself.

I'm not going to mess with it today because it's bitter out there but I am trying figure a way of holding that tent down without relying on the flimsy attachments and guy-ropes although it is in a well sheltered spot. Todays NE wind is coming from the other side of the shed and there are hay barns a few trees within twenty metres.

At minus five with wind-chill I think i'l rescue the few sprouted seedlings and bring them indoors for the day.

Tomatoes, peppers and chilli this year and I have a comfrey plantation to feed them, the comfrey has really gone massive in just one season.

[Flanjamin]

Hot spot tape - self adhesive draught proofing tape is more or less the same thing, and available from DIY shops.

[sally wright]

Dear Flanjamin,
yes it is but the ahpt is UV stabilised and will not degrade in the sunshine (if we ever get any!). Try Two Wests and Elliot for your tape needs Richard.
Regards Sally Wright.
ps I would make the glasshouse/conservatory go all the way along that wall as it will cost very little extra and will provide free heat to the house in winter if you open the house windows inside on sunny days.

[Ricard with an H]

ps I would make the glasshouse/conservatory go all the way along that wall as it will cost very little extra and will provide free heat to the house in winter if you open the house windows inside on sunny days.

Well blow-me, that is a very-very good idea. During winter I always keep that building (It's a shed/garage full of toys and machinery) warm, it's actually built higher than domestic standard with 13" cavity-filled walls so the small multi-fuel stove that I fire every day keeps it nice and toasty. Today, with a very cold wind blowing all the water butts are frozen it was 15 degrees for most of the day. I just went over there to collect some washing (It's also a utility room) and the fire is going out but it's still 13 degrees. Opening the windows would give me a heated greenhouse without loosing much light.

Brilliant, now I have to find a place for the coal-bunkers round the other side.

Thank-you Sally.

[sally wright]

Dear Richard,
keep the greenhouse watering to an absoloute minimum over winter or there will be problems with mildew inside. A couple of extractor fans in the adjoining wall will help the air circulation in winter or possibly run a radiator or two off the stove if feasible. Also an excellent place to dry laundry in the winter especially as the washing machine is nearby. Ooohh the possibilities......
Regards Sally Wright.