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Greenhouse Advice Please

DogmumDogmum Posts: 96
in Problem solving
After the disaster that was my short lived poly tunnel, I am now debating investing in a glass greenhouse. I’ve only had small plastic grow houses before, the kind that you fasten to a wall with a zip up cover.  I do love growing seeds and harvesting our own veg but this would be a big step and I am a little nervous.

I have the luxury of plenty of space to accommodate pretty much any size I want.  I’ve read plenty of places that you should always buy the biggest you have space for, but I don’t really have a space constraint, so do you think an 8’ by maybe 8’ or by 10’?  Hubby wouldn’t use the greenhouse but keeps pushing that I ought to go 10’ wide, I’m not sure, any thoughts?

My plans for it to start with would be to grow tomatoes, peppers, chillis etc for the summer and then over winter plants in there and attempt to grow some winter crops in the colder months.

My other question is about the base.  With the poly tunnel I had dug beds direct into the ground.  Does anybody have experience of doing this with a glass greenhouse? Does it still work the same and what kind of a base is your greenhouse sat on / fastened down to?

If anybody has any other pointers to help me, advice about good brands to buy, or those to avoid, I’d love to hear.   This would be a big investment and I want to make sure if I do it, I do it right.

Thanks

Tomorrow is another day
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Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd say ten by eight would be adequate for most people, but it depends how much you'd use it.  :)
    You can certainly plant into the ground with a greenhouse. Many people do a bit of both, so that they can have staging for seed sowing, storage etc. You'd still need a solid base of paving or concrete or similar, to attach the greenhouse base onto. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I've got an 8 x 10 Rhino
    I wouldn't want one any wider.
    A bit longer would be nice tho.
    Mine is on a paved base, but I believe you can install a Rhino directly on top of the soil.
    I've had it several years now and am very pleased with it.
    They do cost more, but even the standard type comes with lots of extras you'd usually pay extra for.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That's interesting re the base @Pete.8. I wouldn't have thought it would have been reliably stable like that. 
    I've got my tiny growhouse on a bed now [still attached to the house wall  ;)] but it's light. It's sitting on some sturdy bits of timber, and it's unlikely to move around, but I'd be a bit wary of being in a big one if it wasn't 'attached'!
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited March 2022
    You got me wondering @Fairygirl so I had a look on their site, and you can-

    Rhino Greenhouse Base Options

    The great news is that a Rhino greenhouse allows for flexibility, giving you options when choosing a base that's right for you.

    You can choose one of the options below, based on how you want to grow, the aesthetic you're looking for or if the chosen positioning of your Rhino is dictated to you by the quality of foundation.

    Soil Option

    Unlike most other brands of greenhouse, Rhino greenhouses can be erected on soil. This is only possible because the Rhino greenhouse is so strong. Its combination of a sturdy base and framework mean it will happily sit on a properly prepared soil site.

    In most situations soil is a perfect foundation, as long as it is level and fully compacted (freshly dug soil will shift too much to create a stable foundation).

    While you do need to take time and care to properly prepare a soil site to the required standard, it does have the considerable advantage of doing away with the extra cost and time of building hardstand foundations.

    Take note of the quality of the soil itself. Very heavy clay, waterlogged or very sandy soil can cause problems; a good amount of loam is ideal.

    The greenhouse is held in its permanent position by concreting it in place using the specially supplied brackets and J-shaped ground anchors.

    N.B. The ‘low-threshold door’ feature on the Rhino greenhouse is most easily incorporated onto a soil site, ensuring the bottom door runner and integrated ramp are supported from beneath. See Base Plans for example.


    PS - although mine is on a paved base I did leave a border so I can plant my toms directly into the soil


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ah - but they still say concreting it in with brackets and anchors. That's fair enough.

    I thought you meant just leaving it 'sitting' there. In any windy site that wouldn't be ideal!  :D
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    edited March 2022
    I think Mr Titchmarsh once said " 2 things in your garden which can never be " too big ": your compost bins and your greenhouse" 
    If you're gonna have one, have a big'un.
    Has anyone ever said " If only I'd bought a smaller one"? Methinks not
    Devon.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    edited March 2022
    We got a "Greenhouse people" one 6 years ago, green safety glass. 6 X 8 as we already had a halls aluminium 6x 8 and 6 X 4 lean to,but we overwinter a lot of plants,so bought another 6 x4 lean to a few months ago. Halls, nowhere near as good quality. Our greenhouse people one is on shingle,with their own metal base. The others on paving slabs. We did have soil beds,raised beds,hot bed.  Gave them all up, because of having to change the soil, difficulty in keeping the temperature down, problems with white and green flies. The one in the veg plot faces east to west,and I grew cucumbers and peppers in there,in pots 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    I've got a 6' long x 4' wide greenhouse here and it's the bare minimum size IMO. On the other hand I've also used my dad's old 12'x8' for many years and that's an excellent size. I had raised beds either side for 10' and 2' of storage and potting space at the end by the door. If it was any wider the beds would have been harder to manage I think but you can grow an awful lot of food in that size.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    I am delighted with my Victorian style Cultivar greenhouse but you do have to pay handsomely for such a highly engineered, aesthetically pleasing product. Rhino was my reserve choice.
    Rutland, England
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    We have an 8 x 12 rhino. It’s a good size, would happily buy the same size again. As said room for a potting area and still have plenty of growing space 
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
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