Well, after nearly 12 months I thought I'd better post an update, so here goes
With reference to an earlier post the greenhouse is now water tight, more or less, the black silicone worked a treat and no water creeps in under the frame anymore.
The shelving went in next, so rather than spend £250+ on the integral type I used decking boards which I varnished, I think the boards, brackets and varnish only came to about £28, so a big saving.
This years Toms ( GC bought ) are in and growing on very well, maybe a little too well as some of them have already started to produce flowers and the night temps in my neck of the woods are about to drop to about 5°c for the next fortnight, so I might have to bring them indoors, or maybe just try and cover them with fleece?
The above Toms in brown pots ( Sungold and GD ) got frazzled the other week, so we'll see how those go as they have lots of leaf scorch, which leads me onto shading.
The next part of the learning curve was how to try and control the daytime temps, which have been pushing 44°c inside the greenhouse with the recent nice weather. I bought some greenhouse shade material which really helped the plants, but didn't help with the internal temps, so I knocked up some external shading made from wooden batons, plant shade and stainless steel staples, which I'm hoping will help keeps the temps under control.
So, we are now up to date and I'll try and keep this thread moving along through the growing season, can't wait to see if the external shading works, let's hope so
I have just acquired a greenhouse but mine is about 20 yrs old, 6x8 and was free, on Freecycle. My son in law put it up for me, having brought it home, frame assembles, on the back of a borrowed trailer. I have just levelled the ground inside and laid weed matting. I shall put paving slabs down the centre and use washing up bowls as drip trays for growing tomatoes and cucumbers in old compost sacks instead of pots.
I have bought a 4' tiered staging which I am struggling to assemble. The instructions sheets are abysmal, I am going to buy some readymix cement to fill the gaps between the brieze blocks which it stands on because my garden is inundated with small brown furries which love to eat seeds.
However, my excitement at my new acquisition is no less than you with your lovely greenhouse. It will be brilliant to have room to sit in the conservatory which has been used as a greenhouse to date. They say that no matter what size greenhouse you acquire, it will never be big enough and we will always wish we had bought a bigger one.
Hi Joyce...hope all goes well with your greenhouse, I bet you are going to have great time growing in it. I grew toms outside last year and they were prolific, I think it's going to be more of a steeper learning curve in the greenhouse, but I'm ready for the challenge.
When I built my greenhouse I laid strip of mortar on the base to form the outline of the greenhouse, and then sat the greenhouse onto the mortar. This gave a decent seal to prevent water getting in when it rains. I left a gap in the mortar at the back edge so I can hose the inside down when cleaning and the water can drain out. I also used 'L' shaped brackets to screw the greenhouse to the concrete base to secure it in strong winds.
Posts
Thanks NB and Mary
It is lovely! You will have so much fun in it. I am so jealous!!!!
It looks fantastic, enjoy!
What a lovely greenhouse. Looking forwards to your pictures and progress.
With reference to an earlier post the greenhouse is now water tight, more or less, the black silicone worked a treat and no water creeps in under the frame anymore.
The shelving went in next, so rather than spend £250+ on the integral type I used decking boards which I varnished, I think the boards, brackets and varnish only came to about £28, so a big saving.
This years Toms ( GC bought ) are in and growing on very well, maybe a little too well as some of them have already started to produce flowers and the night temps in my neck of the woods are about to drop to about 5°c for the next fortnight, so I might have to bring them indoors, or maybe just try and cover them with fleece?
The above Toms in brown pots ( Sungold and GD ) got frazzled the other week, so we'll see how those go as they have lots of leaf scorch, which leads me onto shading.
The next part of the learning curve was how to try and control the daytime temps, which have been pushing 44°c inside the greenhouse with the recent nice weather. I bought some greenhouse shade material which really helped the plants, but didn't help with the internal temps, so I knocked up some external shading made from wooden batons, plant shade and stainless steel staples, which I'm hoping will help keeps the temps under control.
So, we are now up to date and I'll try and keep this thread moving along through the growing season, can't wait to see if the external shading works, let's hope so
Like you Sheps,
I have just acquired a greenhouse but mine is about 20 yrs old, 6x8 and was free, on Freecycle. My son in law put it up for me, having brought it home, frame assembles, on the back of a borrowed trailer. I have just levelled the ground inside and laid weed matting. I shall put paving slabs down the centre and use washing up bowls as drip trays for growing tomatoes and cucumbers in old compost sacks instead of pots.
I have bought a 4' tiered staging which I am struggling to assemble. The instructions sheets are abysmal, I am going to buy some readymix cement to fill the gaps between the brieze blocks which it stands on because my garden is inundated with small brown furries which love to eat seeds.
However, my excitement at my new acquisition is no less than you with your lovely greenhouse. It will be brilliant to have room to sit in the conservatory which has been used as a greenhouse to date. They say that no matter what size greenhouse you acquire, it will never be big enough and we will always wish we had bought a bigger one.
Happy greenhousing.
Hi Joyce...hope all goes well with your greenhouse, I bet you are going to have great time growing in it. I grew toms outside last year and they were prolific, I think it's going to be more of a steeper learning curve in the greenhouse, but I'm ready for the challenge.
Also, good luck with the staging