Greenhouse advice

stumpycat

I have an aluminium and polycarbonate greenhouse & don't have any horror stories about it. It's set onto concrete blocks & has survived the 'fresh' :eek: winds of Dundee for 3 years so far.
It's the lack of sun I'm having a problem with...

Lotus-eater

avantra wrote: »

I would like to add that I am also looking for a green house and would love to know if anyone here ever used a Botanico walk-in type. Due to space and price constrains I am opting for this design of tubular frame and heavy duty plastic (similar to Polytunell??) I have a good sheltered position for it but would love to hear if anyone here ever had one of those and can give her/his view.

I had one in the past, a bigger one than the one in your photo though.
They will only last 5 years, max, the plastic wears away at the places it meets the frame and after that the plastic goes between the fabric strengthener material.
Check if you can buy a replacement cover before you buy one.

Also they have problems with ventilation, its a pain to open and close all the roll up windows all the time,

It worked well enough for me though.

avantra

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I had one in the past, a bigger one than the one in your photo though.
They will only last 5 years, max, the plastic wears away at the places it meets the frame and after that the plastic goes between the fabric strengthener material.
Check if you can buy a replacement cover before you buy one.

Also they have problems with ventilation, its a pain to open and close all the roll up windows all the time,

It worked well enough for me though.

Thanks a lot Lotus, £50 every five years will do me just fine
I have bad experience with the rigid aluminium lean-to last year and reckon my veg will do fine with a plastipolygreenhouse thingy.

Lotus-eater

avantra wrote: »

Thanks a lot Lotus, £50 every five years will do me just fine
I have bad experience with the rigid aluminium lean-to last year and reckon my veg will do fine with a plastipolygreenhouse thingy.

Tbh I probably over estimated the length of time it will last, mine lasted 4 years, but by the last year really had had it, did get hard use though.
It REALLY needs to be held down well, I had strong guy ropes all over the place.

roobyroo

Many thanks everyone for your really helpful replies. I'm still not sure what to go for but you've given me lots of points to consider. Think I'll shop around a wee bit before I commit - there may be a few other places that have good offers in their sales.

Thanks again.

invisiblecabbage

dreamt of having a greenhouse but knew we could never afford one, then an 8' x 6' secondhand glass one was offered on my local freecycle. Yes we spent a day dismantling and transporting but it was well worth it for free.:j

Davesnave

I'm sure Lotus is right that cedar greenhouses should have more maintenance than aluminium ones, but mine wasn't given any. Purchased secondhand 21 years ago for £150, it was at least 10 years old then. The young couple, who'd bought a small terraced house, just wanted it off their garden as its 25' x 10' bulk was taking up most of it! The whole thing came down into 22 pieces in a single evening, was transported in a large luton van and then sat around in my garden while I cleaned it up, piece by piece over the next few months. The hard bit was making the foundation totally level, because with bolt together structures, it must be, or they don't.

Anyway, I still own the land it stands on, so I still have it, but as it's about 95 miles from where I live now, the watering is a bit of a chore....:eek:

I would say that, even without any maintenance, 50% of it is still sound, including the two end panels, so parts of it could yet make 50 years old if re-erected as a 12' x 10'. It would need new bottom sills, but any good wood yard could take the profile and turn those out.

Not sure about poshness. £150 and a bit of foundation concrete + minor tweaking over 50 years makes it a pretty cheap option in my book, or even £500 at todays prices.

Incidentally, my first greenhouse was a aluminium lean-to model that the local garden centre used for house plants, and needed rid of when the site was re-developed. Full of youthful bravado, I bargained it down to about £25 and then, with equal confidence, took it to bits in a flash. It was only when I got the hundreds of pieces home, it dawned on me that I had dozens of similar-looking bits.....and no instructions! :rotfl:

If you are buying secondhand aluminium, invest in one of those write-on-anything pens and label every piece and joint.

Oh, and I'm absolutely serious about Radio 4. I used to do a fairly stressful job, which I found tolerable, because at the end of each day I could disappear into the greenhouse for an hour, catch up on the news, enjoy one of those half hour comedies, then emerge more-or-less human to spend some time with the family. Of course, what you listen to is irrelevant; it's the de-stressing and getting back to fundamentals of life through handling plants and soil which is so beneficial.

Cheaper than any drugs or self-medication, I reckon a good greenhouse is a bargain on many levels.

balloo_2

http://www.norfolk-greenhouses.co.uk/shop/buy-Greenhouses-Ultimate.php The Ultimate has solid panels not stick on stuff prices are great i bought one this year and i am pleased with it. It does not need a base as it screws directly to the floor slabs, concrete or a block base, wich will give you more height.

xXLARYXx

I bought my OH a greenhouse from B&Q (metal frame and plastic 'glass') 6x4 for less than £200.

All we did was lay some paving slabs and build it on them, it seems sturdy and tough enough, and the plants are flourishing in it.

Mojisola

We got a greenhouse through the ads in the local paper so keep an eye on those as well.