Grower68 - I'm a bit like you as I'm getting a greenhouse tomorrow. My previous experience of growing under glass is the window sill so I understand the daunted feeling. I've already got a slab base that I laid some years ago for a large dog kennel and being a bricky in a past life I'll lay two courses of bricks to fix mine and raise the level of the eaves.
However if you see a GH you like, get the steel base too. Sometimes its included in the price. Is there someone who could lay a few concrete slabs for you?
Apologies to Louise for hijacking the thread somewhat.
Thanks Fishy65, thats a good piece of advice, in short I might be able to find someone to lay the slabs but then it all adds to the cost ... thinking perhaps the large cold frame may be a better option, its still a dilemma as I think maybe the cost of that would go toward a lovely GH... sigh I'm so indecisive. Hope your GH is coming along nicely, can I ask where you got it?
Grower68, to cut the cost you don't need to flag the entire area, I just flagged were the GH frame would stand and down one side, to stand a potting bench on, which doubles up for pots once the growing season kicks off and put a gravel path down the middle. The other side is a soil bed.
You don't need the frame base either although probably better to have, mine is mounted and secured to the flags on treated wood, no doubt this will eventually rot as the one on the allotment has but it takes some years.
You make a good point Zoomer, its basically the GH frame that needs something sturdy and level underneath it.
Grower - is there anyone in your family that could lay the slabs for you? Don't worry about being indecisive, I trawled the internet looking at all the options until my head was spinning. My GH is an Eden New Acorn 6x8 from Eden Halls Greenhouses. Its a 50th birthday present from my Dad so money wasn't the issue in my case. Well, the bricks and mortar were
Thanks Zoomer and Fishy... some of the Gh's have the base included so that's a plus as I dont like the idea of long term maintenance, it was all the beautiful but different photos that confused me about bases as the advice is paves but the photos showed grass, gravel, bare earth... All sorts of scenarios... and not really my eldest could perhaps be persuaded after his exams this summer but that's a bit late, I'll have to get my thinking hat on
On the basis that I would get a fairly good quality treated and guaranteed rot free for 15 years wood, a teeny walk in work area and a few shelves for propagation without having to fork out (pardon the pun) for the suitable base and for putting up a full 6x8 glass house. I think its right for me ... after all I started off a few years ago with a foot high plastic thing with two shelves and got 50 tomato plants plus, so this will be lots more space and nearer to the house for me to pop out and tend to my little ones while it sits on existing patio which was frankly expensive enough. Has any one else started with something small?
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Grower68 - I'm a bit like you as I'm getting a greenhouse tomorrow. My previous experience of growing under glass is the window sill so I understand the daunted feeling. I've already got a slab base that I laid some years ago for a large dog kennel and being a bricky in a past life I'll lay two courses of bricks to fix mine and raise the level of the eaves.
However if you see a GH you like, get the steel base too. Sometimes its included in the price. Is there someone who could lay a few concrete slabs for you?
Apologies to Louise for hijacking the thread somewhat.
Thanks Fishy65, thats a good piece of advice, in short I might be able to find someone to lay the slabs but then it all adds to the cost ... thinking perhaps the large cold frame may be a better option, its still a dilemma as I think maybe the cost of that would go toward a lovely GH... sigh I'm so indecisive. Hope your GH is coming along nicely, can I ask where you got it?
Grower68, to cut the cost you don't need to flag the entire area, I just flagged were the GH frame would stand and down one side, to stand a potting bench on, which doubles up for pots once the growing season kicks off and put a gravel path down the middle. The other side is a soil bed.
You don't need the frame base either although probably better to have, mine is mounted and secured to the flags on treated wood, no doubt this will eventually rot as the one on the allotment has but it takes some years.
You make a good point Zoomer, its basically the GH frame that needs something sturdy and level underneath it.
Grower - is there anyone in your family that could lay the slabs for you? Don't worry about being indecisive, I trawled the internet looking at all the options until my head was spinning. My GH is an Eden New Acorn 6x8 from Eden Halls Greenhouses. Its a 50th birthday present from my Dad so money wasn't the issue in my case. Well, the bricks and mortar were
Thanks Zoomer and Fishy... some of the Gh's have the base included so that's a plus as I dont like the idea of long term maintenance, it was all the beautiful but different photos that confused me about bases as the advice is paves but the photos showed grass, gravel, bare earth... All sorts of scenarios... and not really my eldest could perhaps be persuaded after his exams this summer but that's a bit late, I'll have to get my thinking hat on
Right, after much research and costings, I've plumped for this ...
http://www.forestgarden.co.uk/shop_product.asp?category=Planting%20and%20Growing&subcategory=Greenhouses&product=Victorian%20Tall%20Wall%20Greenhouse
On the basis that I would get a fairly good quality treated and guaranteed rot free for 15 years wood, a teeny walk in work area and a few shelves for propagation without having to fork out (pardon the pun) for the suitable base and for putting up a full 6x8 glass house. I think its right for me ... after all I started off a few years ago with a foot high plastic thing with two shelves and got 50 tomato plants plus, so this will be lots more space and nearer to the house for me to pop out and tend to my little ones while it sits on existing patio which was frankly expensive enough. Has any one else started with something small?
SchlumpfLouise have you sorted your gh yet?