Lean-to from scratch - including new back wall?

[quanglewangle]

I've had a greenhouse (2m * 3m and free) for going on 3 years and am very pleased with the success it's brought. We grow tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and cucumbers in the greenhouse. Have grown melons successfully and would like to again but don't have enough space currently.

Now considering a new one and hatching a mad scheme for a lean-to against a purpose built back wall.

The plan would be to get a handyman to build a suitable (blockwork?) wall and base (perhaps with underfloor insulation) then buy a lean-to to erect against it. Wall would about 4m long be oriented east - west with greenhouse on south side.

Leaning to towards a lean-to since we have covered most of the north side of the current one with reflective foil and considering adding insulation board also. So it looks to me like the north half of a ridge greenhouse is a heat sink and waste of time.

Plan would be to try to get more-or-less year round production of the crops mentioned in top of the post.

We are in sunny far west of Cornwall with a very mild climate.

Would start late summer to commission it in the winter.

Any observations on the scheme?

[nickdub]

I built something similar myself. Stone north wall with a lean-to style polycarb roof and glass walls on the other sides from an old aluminium greenhouse. I don't make that much use of it these days - its given over to a grapevine and a very large bay tree. I also built myself a 6 x 3 m poly-tunnel and grow tomatoes and cucs in there. I find it easier as its bigger.

[burnie]

Lean to glass houses are more productive for delicates like fruit, if you plan to grow Pineapples or Apricots then you need the residual heat from the walls, I'm sure you are getting enough light in a greenhouse or polytunnel in Cornwall in summer, even on the north side, I do and I live in the North of Scotland.

[quanglewangle]

Lean to glass houses are more productive for delicates like fruit, if you plan to grow Pineapples or Apricots then you need the residual heat from the walls, I'm sure you are getting enough light in a greenhouse or polytunnel in Cornwall in summer, even on the north side, I do and I live in the North of Scotland.

Thanks for responses

Summer is no problem, but we want to grow cucumbers, aubergines and tomatoes year round. Now that LED lighting is energy efficient we can use supplementary lighting in the darker months. We already start stuff at Christmas with lights and root zone heating cables, and space heating on the occasional nights when outside temperature gets down below about 6°C

Would like to be starting crops off late summer for early spring harvest.

[burnie]

There are some folk who grow like that in the Shetlands, indeed one used to post on here some years back, can't remember her name, the one's I have seen on the tv tend to use polytunnels. One I visited on Lewis used a Keder one, he had year round crops, but when I looked into it, they were expensive.

[Plot70]

I built one against a wall with a central heating radiator on the other side for mainly non frost hardy ornamentals some years ago using old double glazed units.
The inside got a coat of white paint and the door finished off after the photos were taken.
I just used salvaged bricks and steel rods and only bought cement and steel strips to tie the front wall to the existing wall.
It has lasted.

[quanglewangle]

^^^ That's what we call a room!

[Plot70]

It was over the footings of a long since demolished outside loo with a lot of the original bricks.

[Dave8abond]

Hi

Did you build the lean to?

I ask because I'm considering doing the same and would love to know how it turned out.

All the best

Dave

[Plot70]

Post#53 here.
I painted the walls white to improve the light. The money plant is flowering.
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...e4#post2543951

*Mod note….post #54

[quanglewangle]

Hi

Did you build the lean to?

I ask because I'm considering doing the same and would love to know how it turned out.

All the best

Dave

Actually, no. Mrs quanglewangle mandated other priorities