Is this the stupidest idea you've ever heard?

[Pete C]

Now, you'll have to bear with me, because I am utterly clueless about all things gardening. I'm setting out on a voyage of discovery, and the sum total of my knowledge thus far gleaned from a few books is that growing vegetables is simplified by some type of "under glass" action.

I have looked at cold frames, greenhouses and polytunnels, and to be honest I don't actually know why I need them, but those in the know seem to think that I do. I have also read on here that greenhouses are never big enough; lack of space is a concept I readily grasp as my home-brewing operation has expanded beyond reason!

Now, here's my thinking. I am planning a series of 1.2 x 2.4 metre raised beds. I have room to add a greenhouse and/or cold frame, but I was wondering whether another way might be best.

I figured that if I constructed some sort of glass lid with hinged panes, I could put it onto the raised beds at relevant times of year. The panes could be opened, closed or the units could totally removed and stood upright for storage. it essentially means that my entire growing space could, theoretically be under glass (or exposed, or whatever).

Now, in my garden-ignorant brain, this seems a bit of a simple and obvious solution, but not many people seem to do it. Therefore, I can only assume I have got it hopelessly wrong.

So this is what I crave; can someone with gardening knowledge please tell me the flaw in what I am planning?

[Two_Sheds]

the main point (as I see it) of growing under glass is to get plants started when it is too cold outside.
So: you can start your chillies and tomatoes off in January, then plant them outside in June. If you only had the outside, you couldn't sow them so early, and you'd never ever get a ripe crop.
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btw, you don't want to have everything under glass, esp in summer, because it will get too hot and humid, and spread fungal diseases

[Two_Sheds]

I figured that if I constructed some sort of glass lid with hinged panes, I could put it onto the raised beds at relevant times of year.

You could: but it's easier to move plants (in pots/trays) than it is to move a coldframe

[Bigmallly]

In my brief experience, I would say it depends on what you intend to grow. Some veg grow much better undercover i.e Tomatoes, peppers, chillis. There will be more. Apart from growing the above, I use the greenhouse for overwintering tender plants & also for raising seedlings. Propergators may be next on your list which believe me will grow & grow.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I have raised beds too, and I also have a couple of glazed doors (taken off a horrible cupboard), which I can lay over the frame of the raised beds to offer a bit of protection to young seedlings in the spring. As they aren't fixed to anything, I can move them easily to where ever they are needed.

However, most of the time I tend to raise my seeds in modules in a plastic mini-greenhouse or a sunny window ledge until they are ready to be 'hardened off' (a process of acclimatising the young plants to outdoor life over a couple of weeks). That way you have nice robust plants that can cope with life in the open.

[crazywitch]

Now, you'll have to bear with me, because I am utterly clueless about all things gardening. I'm setting out on a voyage of discovery, and the sum total of my knowledge thus far gleaned from a few books is that growing vegetables is simplified by some type of "under glass" action.

I have looked at cold frames, greenhouses and polytunnels, and to be honest I don't actually know why I need them, but those in the know seem to think that I do. I have also read on here that greenhouses are never big enough; lack of space is a concept I readily grasp as my home-brewing operation has expanded beyond reason!

Now, here's my thinking. I am planning a series of 1.2 x 2.4 metre raised beds. I have room to add a greenhouse and/or cold frame, but I was wondering whether another way might be best.

I figured that if I constructed some sort of glass lid with hinged panes, I could put it onto the raised beds at relevant times of year. The panes could be opened, closed or the units could totally removed and stood upright for storage. it essentially means that my entire growing space could, theoretically be under glass (or exposed, or whatever).

Now, in my garden-ignorant brain, this seems a bit of a simple and obvious solution, but not many people seem to do it. Therefore, I can only assume I have got it hopelessly wrong.

So this is what I crave; can someone with gardening knowledge please tell me the flaw in what I am planning?

i have had to put some raised beds on top of where previous tenant buried mounds of rubbish and glass. i am buying some of the semi rigid piping that plumbers use and putting polytunnel type hoops to stretch plastic, or fleece over and grow my tomatoes and cucumber in them next year, as i am without a greenhouse.

[Pete C]

I had to Google propergators; this is getting confusing! So I need to put the seeds in a propergator, in a greenhouse or cold frame or other glazed contraption, then I need to let them get a bit hardened to the terrors and turmoils of life, before moving them to the outside world, where they further grow until I decide to gobble them up?

I would presume that the process would be seed in a propergator in a greenhouse/cold frame, then in a pot in greenhouse or cold frame, then when hardy and after the frosts, into the garden.

One other thing, a really stupid thing I suspect. Do greenhouses and cold frames do the same job? I presume the former is just a bigger version of the latter, which additionally has the height to allow certain plants to fully grow inside? As far as germinating and sprouting seeds, are the two interchangeable?

[annacruachan]

It would probably help to ease the confusion, Pete, if you decided what you want to grow and look up the growing needs of each individual plant. That way you will know what needs protection and what doesn't; also when to plant out and so on.
Another, and better, way would be to ask on this forum 'How do I go about growing .....?' You'll get a detailed answer which will include all the little wrinkles that come from years of practice.
Starting small with maybe a plastic greenhouse and a couple of cold frames will enable you to experiment with a few plants in your first year and build up your own knowledge. You will always find help on the vine however basic you feel your questions are. It's a great life in the garden and you have years of enjoyment and fascination before you Good luck.

[Two_Sheds]

Do greenhouses and cold frames do the same job?

pretty much, yes.

[Eco-Chic]

To further complicate things Pete, you might want to have a heated greenhouse for very tender plants and to kick off early seedlings. You need to be as rich as Croesus and not give a stuff about Global warming for this.

An unheated greenhouse to move the seedlings into 4/6 weeks later, depending on how tender they are. Get the biggest you can afford and accommodate.

A cold frame will give some protection to the hardier seedlings you want to move on from the unheated greenhouse but protect from unexpected cold snaps. The cold frame can also be used to keep the rain off the raised bed and warm up the raised bed prior to planting out the seedlings.

A propagator can be heated or cold and will provide a micro climate system for seeds to germinate in. It's basically a seed tray with a clear lid.

[Alison]

I used some old windows on top of my raised beds to raise the temperature of the soil a bit before sowing early peas which worked well. You can also use them over empty ground in high summer (if you have any either empty ground or summer!) as the concentrated heat will do for the weeds.

[jayjay giant]

Brilliant idea. I used wooden frames with clear plastic sheeting to cover my crops. If you make your beds to a standard size then you can move the frames from bed to bed as different crops need them.
You will be better off with your tomatoes and cucumbers in a greenhouse though unless you build giant frames to cover the beds !
I did try but the wind just took them to pieces.
Good luck

JJ