need help, please ...

[leicestershirelass]

I recently bought (on impulse!) a new/ boxed 6'x4' greenhouse frame together with all fixings, but no glass or base. My logic being that I would be able to cover it with a suitable material for whatever I decided to use the frame for e.g. glass, polycarbonate, netting etc

I'd very much appreciate any ideas you have for making good use of this frame + inexpensive ideas that you may have for covering it.

Thanks

[chris]

A wooden frame, to act as the base will enable you to fix it to the ground if you're not going to be using glass (glass is heavy and will help weigh the frame down). You could attach wooden pegs at each corner of the rectangle wooden frame and bash them into the ground. Screw the frame's lower sil onto the wooden base. Cheaper than bricks - can be replaced eventually, and also somewhat portable if you wanted to re-site it.

Covering wise... Not really sure, I guess you could make a hybrid polytunnel-come-greenhouse as you say with polythene. It'd need to be UV stable, but I'm not sure how you'd fix it to the frame in all honesty.. at least with polycarb/panes of glass you can use the 'W' clips cheaply to fix them on (check ebay - i've seen large bags for very reasonable prices).

Netting, as you say - you have you're own [fruit/veg] cage then - just greenhouse shaped

[SarzWix]

Norfolk Greenhouses sell their PVC-on-a-roll seperately from their greenhouses, and it's really good stuff. You wouldn't need a base either - just cut the lengths of PVC long enough to go over the top and leave 'tails' either side which you can bury in a trench or, weigh down with paving slabs. Either works well. The rolls are £12 for 12m or £19 for 19m. You'd need a roll of trans-tape too, but that's not much. They should be able to tell you how much you'd need for the size of g/house. Telephone: 01638 713418

[leicestershirelass]

Hi - thanks for your responses, I like your ideas ... netting frame for fruit or using PVC roll - just wondering what you'd secure the pvc to?

[SarzWix]

Itself - imagine it like a roll of wrapping paper, you start on one side at the back and unroll it right over the top of the roof and down the other side, then cut the piece off leaving it a bit too long. Then you move along and start unrolling it over the top again, slightly overlapping the first piece, leavine long tails again, and so on until you reach the far end. Then you use the translucent tape to tape over the overlaps. You have to cut pieces to fit the gable ends, and they're also taped into place. The weight of the soil or slabs holds the greenhouse securely -neither of ours have ever moved in high winds.
I think it only took 2 or 3 lengths to cover our 6x4.

[SarzWix]

Actually, thinking about it... If your frame has a really pronounced ridge across the top, it might not work that brilliantly with the PVC going over the top of it...
It would still make a splendid fruit cage though if that was the case

There's piccies of our PVC covered greenhouse in my profile albums I think...

[leicestershirelass]

Thanks Sarah . it's an aluminium frame (Halls), although not constructed it yet.

I've taken a peep on the Norfolk site, but couldn't find where they sell the tape separately ... will have another go later and maybe give them a ring next week.

Either way pvc or netting are going to give me a nice, reasonably inexpensive covered frame

[SarzWix]

The tape and PVC aren't listed on the site But I rang them about it a couple of weeks ago and they definitely do sell it seperately

If you decide to net it, Harrod Horticultural do lots of types by the running metre, as do LBS Garden Warehouse and a few others so worth a look around.

[leicestershirelass]

Thanks again for the info Sarah ..... it's very much appreciated.