Greenhouse set up

Polytunnels, cold frames, greenhouses, propagators & more. How to get the best out of yours...

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thornton1969
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Evening everyone

I don't have an allotment, but now the kids are older (teenagers), I'm taking over the back garden. I'm getting my first greenhouse in a few weeks and was planning on a weed proof membrane with paving slabs down the middle and out of the door, with pea shingle on top. Does this sound ok? Will an inch or so of shingle be enough?

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Regards

Alison
tigerburnie
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I put slabs down so I can wheel my barrow in and out easily, good luck with yours.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
sally wright
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Dear Thornton,
don't bother with the shingle; it will harbour slugs, woodlice, vine weevils, weeds and dirt. I have shingle under the benches in my works greenhouse and I have covered the lot with fabric; it has made my life so much easier as I can just give it a sweep when it needs it. I can also store things under the benches and they keep so much cleaner.

Use a good quality woven fabric and buy enough to do the greenhouse twice. Let me explain; put the first half over the whole floor as a single layer, making sure it is big enough to go under the sides of the greenhouse (if possible) and under the slabs as well. The second piece is cut into two and lines the floor either side up to the walls and to the edge of the slabs. These upper pieces are what takes the sun, general wear and tear and can be easily replaced. The under layer is what keeps the perennial weeds out and stops the slabs sinking in too much.

If your building site allows for it I would put some fabric around the outside for at least a foot out from the wall so you don't have weeds growing at the base of the greenhouse. Fold under the edges to prevent fraying and peg down well.

If you plan on wooden benches in the greenhouse make sure to paint the feet (or soak them in tins) with some wood preservative. Stand them on bits of slab or bricks to keep them off the floor and away from the soil and the benches should last for a lot longer.

Regards Sally Wright.
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oldherbaceous
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Ooooops, I have a central path of slabs and shingle either side.... :)
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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Geoff
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My smaller heated greenhouse has a full concrete floor with polystyrene built in like you would use in a house. The end and one side has fixed staging. The other side has removable staging where I grow some tomatoes, in pots these days used to be bags. The permanent staging used to be corrugated filled with gravel as that was how it came but I've changed it to treated wood to reduce bugs like wood lice and tiny snails.
The big unheated greenhouse has a concrete path down the middle and diggable beds all round.
Monika
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Our entire greenhouse floor is covered with limestone chippings over compacted soil. Any watering drips can soak away and during the hot days of summer I water the whole lots so that the evaporation keeps the greenhouse atmosphere damp. When the chippings get too impacted or any weeds show up, I just rake the whole loose again.
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Diane
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I just have a slab path down the middle with beds either side where I grow toms and peppers. No shingle.
'Preserve wildlife - pickle a rat'
thornton1969
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Thanks for the advice folks, still a little confused about the weed proof membrane inside - I thought it needed to be covered, hence the shingle? I will defintely extend it around the greenhouse though.

I've bought free standing staging for down one side and have something called a patiogro for across the back (until it falls apart) with a growbed down the the other side.

I can't really plant direct into the soil in the garden due to a very large, free range rabbit called Cookie. I was planning on getting a Woodblocx raised bed. It has been suggested that it might be cheaper to put a hit out on the rabbit....

Alison
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I've a greenhouse at home with a complete concrete floor and a pollytunnel down the plot with beds down both sides and the bottom ,I have a row of paving flags down the middle to walk on or push the barrow on,last year I raised the beds by 2 to 3 inches just so I had something to stapple the cardboard to, the year before last I had blight on my tomatoes so now I grow through cardboard it saves weeding which is another plus
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JohnN
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Alison; Homebase do a self-assembly steel "bed", made by Birdies, about 5ft long which holds at least 200 litres of compost and is ideal for salad crops, and other things as well if you wish. It was only £10, last Spring. Go and chat up your local publican(s) and you may get some plastic bottle crates, which are ideal for raising it off the ground. Put some net over the top and it should be rabbit proof!
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