Forum home› Tools and techniques
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Green House Advice

Dig2006Dig2006 Posts: 65
in Tools and techniques
Hi, Im planning on buying a green house and the place it will go is currently grassed.  Could anyone give me some advice please on what I could / should do to prepare for it.  I had assumed I might need to get a concrete pad put in, but then I saw some pictures of green house directly on grass.  Also seen some where there seems to be grit or gravel inside - would that just be on top of the grass?

Posts

  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 731
    edited September 2023
    I think it depends on the greenhouse. Most need a level solid base to which the frame is secured so that the frame can't move - if it does move, the glass may be dislodged or fall out. Our concrete base was out by a fraction and had to be redone. Really you need to look at greenhouses and maybe ask the people who sell them. They rarely seem to put them up for you themselves so they have no inentive to make you spend loads of money on a concrete base. We decided to get one as the area we wanted to put it in is prone to flooding and is far from level.
    I am sure others will have more expertise in this though.
  • DaveGreigDaveGreig Posts: 189
    My green house is on a concrete block foundation with a central slab path inside and gravel borders. It was the cheapest option for me as it used the minimum of materials and I was able to do the work myself. It also had the advantage of adding 6” of height to the greenhouse which although not much actually makes a difference. I think if I was doing it again I’d use a double layer of blocks to increase the height more.

    An aluminium green house will eventually  rot at the bottom  if you sit it on soil/grass so not a good idea.
  • ontopofthehillontopofthehill Posts: 76
    We don't have a glass greenhouse but were getting a bit of landscaping done anyway so asked him to do a concrete pad and so glad we did. Between the slope and the gales and the rain it would have been a mess otherwise. On a more sheltered site I'm sure directly on grass would be fine though and lots of people use concrete slabs and blocks very effectively!
  • DaveGreigDaveGreig Posts: 189
    It’s not ok to site a greenhouse on grass if it’s made of wood or aluminium. Al will degrade and wood will rot.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Dig2006  Your enquiry sat on a back burner for nearly a fortnight but is only now being actively discussed, which is why I held back initially.  Let me say I have no greenhouse, nor have I ever had one, and in my humble opinion very few designs on the market do themselves justice.  I could have written an essay on the subject, but only if I knew WHY you thought you needed one.  Have a quick look at Peppermint Farm's website to see what might appear to be a 'Rolls Royce' design but.........
  • Penny_ForthemPenny_Forthem Posts: 455
    You can prepare it from scratch in that case. How lucky.
    Orientation...west/east if possible. 
    As others have said, best on a concrete  base.
    Glass or polycarbonate?
    Size...the bigger the better
     
    Beautiful North Wales - hiraeth
Sign In or Register to comment.