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4 TIER Compact growhouse.
delboi
Posts: 22
hi i just got one of these to overwinter my lavender cuttings and such, i like it as not allowed a greenhouse and only got small garden but was wandering what i could do come sping/summer.
i've currently only got wildflower seeds and some bulbs but thinking they would do better sown straight in the ground. any recommendations welcome though i only have small budget
0
Posts
I have one very similar and use it for hardening off seedlinns that I have started on the windowsill. Things like sweet peas and cosmos that are too young/small to go straight into the ground. The door can be kept open on mild days and zipped up at night when it can still get very cold.
Please make sure its in the most sheltered spot you have and secured, i put a bag of compost across the bottom of mine to secure it, but it still managed to blow over and wreck my seeds, its gutting, dont want that to happen to you
The wild flower seeds will be ok in there, as its still on the cool side,but possibly best sown where they are to grow as some dont like to be transplanted, what sort of bulbs do you have?
My tip for these houses is to make sure you keep them ventilated because, if its the same as one I had, before it blew away, the walls are made of millions of tiny 'pockets' and they hold moisture, specially on chilly mornings as they warm up. I lost a lot of seedlings and plants until I realised the problem. After that I wiped the walls down, left the door open to a greater or lesser degree depending on the weather and all was well.... till as I said it blew away!
I had a bag of unopened compost in the bottom of mine, along with several ceramic pots.. and tied it to the railing it was up against in one corner.
In the summer once your seedlings are out, consider cutting upon the side of a bag of compost and growing some tomatoes in there (with the door kept open half way or full depending on your situation. The extra bit of protection/warmth will help the tomatoes grow, and the with less raining hitting it it may keep blight away.
I am now a bit wary of putting seed trays on the shelves as although mine has yet to blow away IT has shaken in the wind to send the trays on the sheves to the floor.
I am currentry working on a plan to cable tie the seed trays to the shelves, I have already cable tied the shelves to the frame.
I guess some peppers or aubergines in it could work If stood on the floor?
clare
Mine is against house wall, been a year, hasn't blown over but zip broke a few weeks in!
If it is next to a south facing wall then by April it will pretty much be frost free, so I suggest summer seedlings or bedding.
I secure mine with 2 bungee cords round the middle.the ends are hooked onto metal eyelets drilled into the brick wall.
It has not blown away yet!
hi thank you all for the replys. it is on a south facing wall. i have strapped it to the wall using some stretchy hook things meant for bikes,also a couple of buckets of top soil and a brick to help it not fly away. Cable ties are my friend. when its dry i can drill some extra hooks on the wall to run a cable through the cover as i see it had sewn into it something to do that. i like the idea of tomatoes or chillies but really want to try and get my garden more fuller with plants as quite bare as the shrubs i have are still young and quite small. as i am on a tight budget i'm liking propergating as its free but still i'm buying bulbs and seeds when i can.i like native wild flowers (UK) and anything purple to attract the bees and butterflys. i have some Liatris (spicita) bulbs as i think it would look nice next to the lavender and perovskia (blue spire). should i open the zips in winter days?