[ytyynycefn]

Well, I picked up my Freecycle greenhouse this weekend, and it's way better than I could have hoped for!  An Eden 8x6 ally job, which (hopefully) shouldn't be too hard to erect, as it wasn't totally dismantled, we trailered it home as two gable ends, two sides, and an apex bar with window frame attached.  So much simpler to work out than a random assortment of metal sticks  :shock: AND we only broke one piece of glass!

The base rails are a bit rusty, but we can either weld new bits on, or simply bolt the house onto railway sleepers.  It also came with brackets, shelves and a few other bits and bobs like pots.

The really good bit is the lady that gave it to me is a slightly loony hippy type (just like me), and our kids (both three) got on like a house on fire, so it looks like I may have made a new friend as well.  Which is rather good!

Grannieannie, you were right - there was one out there with my name on!

I shall of course keep you posted with the ongoing progress of my magnificent erection, weather permitting, we hope to start getting it up next weekend  

Mel

[GrannieAnnie]

quote      I shall of course keep you posted with the ongoing progress of my magnificent erection       unquote.


I'm not sure you should be saying things like that on here!!!!!!  We might get higher ratings on the porn sites again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    LOL

Pleased you have your greenhouse at last Mel!!!

[John]

Just a tip when reglazing - glass doesn't bend or force into place!  Wear gloves when handling glass - old glass can break for no apparent reason and really slice you up.

Take your time and use plenty of clips.  My Eden was pretty good - tight for the clips though, if you need 'D' clips rather than the easy to find 'W' clips you'll find some resources on my article on Building a Second Hand Greenhouse

I also popped one up on Where to put the Greenhouse

I got some eight foot 2 by 1s, pressure treated from Wickes to slip under the base, which is lipped. That meant the large beam base didn't need to be millimetre perfect because I found that nearly impossible with the big sleepers.

My wall building skills (the alternative base I considered) are best suited for roller coasters.

[ytyynycefn]

Cheers for that, if/when any break, I'll replace with polycarb or acrylic, as I have an inquisitive three year old ("Mummy, want to go to the LOTMENT!!").

The other question is.... borders or containers???  I want to grow tomatoes, peppers, maybe melons, and can't decide which is best.  Our soil is fabulous, but not sure if I can be arsed to replace it every other year....  But also not sure about the watering nightmare of grobags....  I'm tempted by borders though, I can always put my OH to good use with a shovel  

And are automatic vent openers a good thing?

Sorry to be such a pain, I have absolutely NO experience of growing organic under cover, and it's a bit of a specialist subject for my tiny local library...

Mel

[John]

I covered those things as well! - take a look at  the articles on fitting out the greenhouse.

Automatic vent openers are, IMHO,  a must - you only need to have a busy morning to cook your plants on a sunny day.

Borders have the benefit they hold more water and allow space for root growth but you need to change the soil. Drawback is that  you can't get staging on a border.  You can compromise with a border on one side and slabs / staging on the other.

Take a look at the allotment shop special offers this month - the foldaway workstation looks really useful because you can fold it away when the tomatoes go into the border and you don't need to be sowing seeds etc.

I can't wait for mine to arrive (OK, I'm a sucker for gadgets) but I'll take photos and do a write up when it comes.

[Heather_S]

You can do crop rotation in greenhouses or at least Garden Organic thinks so.

[John]

You can do crop rotation in greenhouses or at least Garden Organic thinks so.

Theory is great
Practice is that most small greenhouses will grow toms, cucumber peppers and there is never enough space.