Greenhouse questions

[quietandy]

Good evening all. Having just joined this is my first question/thread outside of the introduction one so i am hopeful of some useful and interesting replies to my questions.

I have a 8' x 8' glass greenhouse. It was second hand so i don't know make, model or even how old it is. I managed to get it up before the Beast from the East hit by about 12 hours! putting glass in with flurries of snow swirling around was not fun!

Now my questions.

• Heater. Is it worth buying one at this time of year?
• If i did get a heater do i need extra ventilation other than my single roof window?
• What safety considerations do i need to take.
• Propane seems to be the "better" way to fuel a heater?
• If no heater is needed how soon can i take my seedlings down from the dining rrom table to the greenhouse?

Just some thoughts i would like to ask.

I would just add that i have seen a Lifestyle Eden Gas Greenhouse heater 2Kw. Would this be suitable for my needs?

Thanks in advance

Andy

[muck lover]

Congratulations on your acquisition of a greenhouse. I’m sure you will have many hours of enjoyment from it and maybe the satisfaction of home grown produce too.
As to whether you should heat it or not I suppose it really depends on what you want to grow.
My own instinct would be to hold off purchase of a heater. Gas heaters make a lot of water vapour which might make your plants more likely to get Moulds . If you run out of gas your plants will cop it. A few more weeks will see no need for extra heat for most crops. A bit of fleece or bottle cloches over vulnerable plants at night if frost is forecast should keep you right. As long as you are managing the seedlings on your windowsill there’s no rush.

[veggiechicken]

An old thread that may help!
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ter_69559.html

Is the GH at home or at the plot?
Second question - do you need a heated GH? What do you intend to grow?

[nickdub]

As has been said it depends on what you want to grow whether a heater is a good buy or not. Other factors include how much you want to spend on your gardening activities and also whether you can move stuff in to the warmth of your home easily if necessary.

I've always gardened on a shoestring budget and as I don't mind plants in side some of the time, I just move them in to the house at night if the weather is coldish and I have small tender seedlings like now.

There's always a temptation to spend money on stuff when you start a new activity and a lot of the time only a few things are absolutely necessary. I'd place a good spade, a strong wheelbarrow, a sharp pruning knife and a watering can near the top of my "must have" garden tools. If I was starting out again I'd always try to buy these second hand if I could, as that means your money goes further and the quality of the metal in old tools is often much better.

[Guest]

Heater. Is it worth buying one at this time of year?
If you are intending to heat your greenhouse I would say don't. If you are just trying to keep plants from overnight chills then look at fleece, bubble wrap or sowing later

If i did get a heater do i need extra ventilation other than my single roof window?
I find this time of year mine need good ventilation and mine aren't even heated mould and beasties will thrive in a warm damp atmosphere

What safety considerations do i need to take.
Make sure you read instructions and follow them on whatever you decide to use for heating.

Propane seems to be the "better" way to fuel a heater?
No idea

If no heater is needed how soon can i take my seedlings down from the dining rrom table to the greenhouse?
Get a min/ max thermometer for your greenhouse. Toms want a min. night time temp. of 10c and chillies a touch warmer.

[burnie]

Where are you in the country Andy, is it exposed to winds, full sun or partial shade? makes a difference, probably more than heat.

[quietandy]

Well i didn't expect this amount of help so soon so thank you all very much for taking the time to respond. I will try and answer your questions as best i can.

I didn't think about the increase in water vapour and thus giving opportunity for mould etc to thrive.

I did have a nagging thought that a couple more weeks i wouldn't need one.

The greenhouse is on the plot so i wouldn't be able to bring them back indoors if the forecast is cold so fleece and bubble wrap would be the way go.

Budget is also a consideration too. If i don't spend on a heater the money will be spent elsewhere on the plot.

What i plan to grow is just run of the mill veggies but in the greenhouse itself Tomatoes, chillies and maybe cucumbers.

Reading the replies and looking at the forecast i think i will hold off a couple of weeks and keep close attention to my min max thermometer in the greenhouse.

To answer where i am i am located in the South East of Northumberland (approx 20 miles north of Newcastle).

[veggiechicken]

Another drawback about heating a GH away from home is having to visit twice daily to turn the heater on or off as you're unlikely to need it on all day.
Tomatoes are fine in an unheated GH as long as you don't set the plants out until night temps are 10C +.

[bikermike]

Congrats!

I'd not heat it in your first year - see how you get on with everything.

What have you done for the base? I'd attend to the that before you fill it with plants. I have a path up the middle and gravel over membrane on both sides. This keeps down weeds and pests (strangely enough, they all like the warmth and shelter as much as officially-welcomed plants).

How about some shelving? I have a bench with one shelf below and one above. They are on the shaded side (it's up by a fence), but they are handy for holding pots and plants respectively and the bench is good for working on.

I'd also sort out a watering system. Do you have water piped nearby? I have a pipe into the garage and use that on a time when I'm out. When I'm about, I have a 20l mini-reservoir on the shelf below the bench (suitably reinforced) which is enough for 2 days watering. that is just high enough (about 35 cm off the floor) to give me sufficient pressure to water (it needs to get into pots that are 10cm high).

Regular watering over the summer will make a big difference to plant growth.

You might end up wanting to shade the sunnier side in summer too (presumably the south-est facing side), so think about how you might rig up a piece of net or similar.

Then of course there's the fridge for in-gardening refreshments...

[ESBkevin]

My suggestion would be no to heating if you can start your peppers, cucumbers and tomatos at home on a windowsil. Then move them to the greenhouse in a couple of weeks and put them inside a plastic tent against the cold. I use a cheap blowaway type plastic greenhouse inside the real greenhouse as double insulation and shelving.
There are some people who use the heating power of fresh manure to create a hot bed similar to the way the victorians did. The heat generated by the microcit life breaking down the manure creates enough heat but it needs to be at least 1meter bu 1 Meter and at least 0.75 Meter tall. You place your seed trays on top and they prosper. After about 8+ weeks the heat generation gets less but you can move out the manure to complete is composting for later use elsewhere. It's completely free apart from the effort and works 24 hours a day (takes about the first 36 hours to get 'cooking').

Oh and welcome Andy.

[quietandy]

In response to some more questions.

The greenhouse is based on paving slab outline and inside is gravel onto membrane with slabs as a central path.

For shelving i have made some myself out of some cheap wood and rescued pallets from work.

I am lucky that my site has 1 tap per 3 gardens but i also have over 200ltr of water in butts. I have bought and awaiting delivery of some more butts to increase that capacity.

Shading is something i have not thought about. Can you place netting on the outside? I have heard of people whitewashing the glass? I will have to look into it more so any other advice would be helpful.

I was going to start transferring this weekend but looking at the temperatures on the forecast i doubt i will risk it. I have fleece and a mini plastic cold frame that could be used inside the greenhouse but i don't think that will be enough for this weekend.

[Tripmeup]

In response to some more questions.

The greenhouse is based on paving slab outline and inside is gravel onto membrane with slabs as a central path.

For shelving i have made some myself out of some cheap wood and rescued pallets from work.

I am lucky that my site has 1 tap per 3 gardens but i also have over 200ltr of water in butts. I have bought and awaiting delivery of some more butts to increase that capacity.

Shading is something i have not thought about. Can you place netting on the outside? I have heard of people whitewashing the glass? I will have to look into it more so any other advice would be helpful.

I was going to start transferring this weekend but looking at the temperatures on the forecast i doubt i will risk it. I have fleece and a mini plastic cold frame that could be used inside the greenhouse but i don't think that will be enough for this weekend.

What were you thinking of transferring this weekend?
I would think it is way too early for tomatoes, cucs and chilliies just yet...
You could start sowing spring onions, cabbage, lettuce etc down there now tho.

Welcome by the way

[bikermike]

sounds like you've got it well set-up.

re shade: I have netting inside. the greenhouse came with it, and I probably wouldn't have thought to do it otherwise. if doing it again, I'd put net inside - drill small holes in the end spars/fit eyelets and run wire across and then you can cable tie the netting to it.

I have a grapevine in mine and the netting goes up late spring when the vine starts to get going.

the problem with whitewashing is that you presumably have to scrape it off at some point.