My 65 quid E-Bay greenhouse is up

[ukmastiff]

Lo all, just thought I'd share a few pics of progress in the garden so far.

The racks are year ones 'mini greenhouses' the covers of which were pretty rubbish but they make great staging and I intend to grow my tomatoes up them. Also I got them very cheep the other year ((£15) and they are now 30 pounds each in most places.

http://www.englishmastiff.org.uk/boa...hp?f=12&t=2041


Regads Mas

[sharonr]

Looks good

[kiwirach]

oooo....now you've got me thinking......my local wyevale had something similar on special that had the greenish plastic over it like yours and i thought it wouldnt let in much light, but looking at yours it looks fab....great job. i may have to rethink fast!!

[ukmastiff]

I snaffled it quickly a few weeks ago on e-bay as I was sure the price would go up in season. Within about 3 days of delivery I saw that it had gone up from 65 including shipping to the cheapest price being 75 including shipping.

Mine is the 3.5 metre by 2 metre one not the 3 by 2.

It may be 'temporary' , but with all joins taped with parcel tape , bricks all round and two guy ropes its rock solid. I sat in there with a beer today
( after some hard work of course) and I was so lovely and warm (and sunny) I wish my gazeebos have been as good :P

I'm hoping mainly to grow toms , squash and peppers in there if everyone thinks that is ok.

Regards Mas

[kittykat8]

A couple of people have do ne this down the allotment, the first guy last year had some problems with wind, but built a proper door frame for it, which made it a bit stronger. Some one else has just put one up and attached it to wood in the ground and a door frame on it.


Marion

[Stacey Steve]

I have the domed type of that sort of greenhouse and in the winds, despite being weighted down with high density building blocks, ended up up a tree about 100m away.

Some others have the same type as you and they dug a trench all round and buried the flaps in the ground, stamping it down well. They have had no problems.

With the ex-mini houses, I've got a couple that I covered in fleece and use as cold frames. The fleece has been on a couple of years now and will need replacing this year. If I think of it I will take a photo to give you an idea (perhaps).

[King Carrot]

I use these plastic type greenhouses - I tie the frame in at the corners and middle to 4 x 8 blocks and usually put a row of 4 x 4 blocks around the plastic skirts. I also had to tie the eyes around the skirt to blocks after one end lifted clean up despite the blocks on the skirt and ended up in the air above the frame.

This was following winds during June last year that were about 30mph with the odd gust above that - I know your'e in Herts but if it was me I'd have a bit more weight on the frame!

Good luck with it!

[ukmastiff]

Im totally with you on that one and my paddock is very exposed from one side. I have already added two guy ropes made from washing line with the metal inner and staked in to the ground with stakes that will NOT come out.

Also discretely inside that you can tsee i have attached the growing racks to the frame with tape and the grow bags on the racks wil lof course ad doverall weight. I am also looking to stick excess clumpy soil over the bricks as i dig ip up to again add to the weight. I also dont like zip up doors so im going to sink two posts in to the ground and use them to make a door frame which will eventually have a hinged door :P It is my intention to make it more of a fort knox that a greenhouse by the time I have finished.

Let's hope its not a flying fort eh !

Mas

[ukmastiff]

We have a spring storm brewing and I have just been out to check the greenhouse. If i hadnt already previously added the guy ropes with poles hammered a foot in to the ground it would already be history !

I stood in there and it was like armageddon frame bending bricks being moved etc. It is one big windsock :P

If it survives the night I will be thinking of a wooden skirt round the bottom of the plastic to stop it lifting and getting ripped to shreds.

A bit of the English Bulldog spirit is creeping in and I am determined to keep it if I possibly can as it is lovely.

If you are at all religous please prey for my placie greenhouse.

Cheers Mas

[newbieveggie]

Placie greenhouse still standing ??

[ukmastiff]

It is m8ee but I have to re-iterate if your thinking of one.

We had a storm and it battered it to you know where , all the bricks were thrown off and the ONLY reason its still standing is that I have put two 'guy ropes' slung over the top and staked them using wooden stakes hammered in to the ground. Without the guy ropes over it forget it.
( used a washing line from B and Q , green strong and cheep)

If it was more sheltered which my paddock isn't you couldnt fault it.

Cheers Mas

[newbieveggie]

Great to hear that as my hubbie bought me two from ebay as a pressie and Ive been so worried about putting them up. Am planning to sinking some scaffold poles into the ground and attach the frame to them as well as digging in the skirt and guy ropes. Fingers crossed mine will be ok. I didn't really want to go down the route of a big poly tunnel at the mo as I just wanted to see how much I would use it. Now full of enthusiasm and hoping that the weather will play fair.

[ukmastiff]

Secure it as you described and im sure youll be fine. out of interest, how exposed is your plot , is it a fenced garden or something open like mine

Mas

[rogesse]

I bought the exact same model for my plot last year. the bottom is buried, with bricks on top of that and three ropes equa-distance over the top and pegged down - I had read other peoples horror stories! One downside is that I didn't fit it tight enough and water can gather at the bottom of the sloping 'roof'. Having said that it has made a year without disaster and I was able to grow peppers properly for the first time and I had blight free toms when everybody else on the site lost theres.

A word of warning - even with last years non summer it got unbearably hot in there even with the flaps open.

[windowsillqueen]

I got really exited about this when I saw your picture, but then I remembered our wind problem in our garden. Some strange quirk in the way the houses are built and where we are on a hill creates a wind tunnel through ou rgarden. There is no way I could keep one of those on the ground. To date the following have taken flight, never to be seen again from our garden - One plastic greenhouse shelving unit, including entire crop of toms, beans, chillis and peppers. 2 paddling pools. One sturdy plastic sand-pit lid. 1 rotary washing dryer. Most of my underwear.... you see the problem.