Buying a greenhouse...any advice welcome

[wee quinnie]

We are considering buying a greenhouse, but neither of us has ever had one before....has anyone got any suggestions as to where might be a good place to buy one from? I realse that they are sold by Argos etc., and would not dismiss getting one from them....but we have absolutely no idea whether or not this is sensible, given that we know v little about them.

Any words of wisdom gratefully received.

Many thanks

[elloriac]

Oh yes, us too! :-)

Aluminium versus wood?

Glass versus plastic/polycarb/acrylic?

worth shelling out for automatic opening temperature-sensor window?

Anything else to think about?

Thanks!

[Undisputedtruth]

Me too. I would like to grow herbs like Basil throughout the year.

[computedshorty]

When you buy a greenhouse,you must think of where to place it too near a wall or fence you cant put in the glass in, under a tree and the tree will have to be cut back some time so you might damage the Green house. Where in the garden do you get the most sun? Try to put in in the north of your garden so that it gets the southern sun.

Make sure you have a level base or the glass wont fit in. Use the Gutter down pipe to collect all the rain water in a bucket, saves all that walking back to the house for water.

[Salsaboy]

And never ever throw stones when you're in it.

[peterstorm1985]

Undisputedtruth Wrote:

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> Me too. I would like to grow herbs like Basil

> throughout the year.

You'll need to heat the greenhouse - frost free isn't enough for Basil - much cheaper to buy the occasional pot from the supermarket and keep on your windowsill in the kitchen. Winter use for non-heated is really just protection for tender plants, growing winter lettuce and getting spring crops off to an early start.

We have a tiny (6x4') greenhouse - aluminium/glass, bought on the internet. You need reasonable DIY skills (and common sense) to put them together yourself but it is a lot cheaper. Solid and very level concrete base is essential (can be made of paving slabs). Make sure you can squeeze yourself (or handy small child) all the way around it if it's near a fence so that you can clean the glass and pull up weeds that might obscure the light. Don't position in the shadow of a tree - you'll get mosses/lichens.

[Undisputedtruth]

Thanks Peter.

I'm also looking at hydroponics as another option to grow Basil and other herbs indoors.

[*Bob*]

I'd like to grow basil too all year round too.

And other herbs, of course. But mostly basil.

Lots and lots and lots and LOTS of basil.

[Undisputedtruth]

I love Pesto. :)

Basil is an interesting herb as, Peter rightly stated, it needs a warm place to grow and in addition needs plenty of light.

[katie1997]

Anyway, building a greenhouse isn't difficult at all as long as you have good analytical skills to choose the components and able to follow instructions. Any reasonably intelligent person should be able to build a greenhouse from instructions.

[Annette Curtain]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> I'd like to grow basil too all year round too.

>

> And other herbs, of course. But mostly basil.

>

>

>

> Lots and lots and lots and LOTS of basil.

I turned my whole front garden into a raised bed herb & veg garden this year.

The really successful herbs have been Thyme & Miniette Basil ( the tiny leafed one ) sometimes called snipping basil.

Next year i'm growing a whole lot more as the flavour is amazing, way better than the regular one, which I also grew successfully.

If this one can grow year round then that would be "brill"

NETTE:)

[wee quinnie]

I know i am slightly going off topic here ON MY OWN THREAD - but what a gorgeous webpage that is Nette - I do like the look of Cardinal Basil.

[Undisputedtruth]

katie1997 Wrote:

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> Anyway, building a greenhouse isn't difficult at

> all as long as you have good analytical skills to

> choose the components and able to follow

> instructions. Any reasonably intelligent person

> should be able to build a greenhouse from

> instructions.

That may be true but the real issue for me is whether I'd make full use of a greenhouse. At some point in my life I may take up gardening but want to make sure it's done to a very high standard.

[*Bob*]

Undisputedtruth Wrote:

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At some

> point in my life I may take up gardening but want

> to make sure it's done to a very high standard.

I too enjoy doing gardening to a very high standard. Does anyone else enjoy doing gardening to a very high standard? If not, what standard do most people achieve when doing gardening?

[Undisputedtruth]

Well for me it's about getting the garden design right, perhaps growing rare plants, and to ensure the garden fits into my lifestyle.

[*Bob*]

I think it helps if you've actually started 'doing' something, before you can declare what it's 'about'.

[Undisputedtruth]

You could be right Bob but gardening is not yet one of my priority projects.

[*Bob*]

For example:

For me, riding to north pole on a Shetland pony for a sordid orgy with the wrong half of Buck's Fizz is about warm clothing and picking the right music.

[Undisputedtruth]

Thanks Bob but I'll know when the time is right to start on the garden project. I rarely get my projects wrong.

[*Bob*]

What are your current priority projects?

[Undisputedtruth]

I'm afraid I'd like to keep some of my affairs private. Sorry Bob.

[*Bob*]

Gutted.

[Salsaboy]

Surely this also means that some of your affairs are public?

Undisputedtruth Wrote:

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> I'm afraid I'd like to keep some of my affairs

> private. Sorry Bob.

[*Bob*]

Don't think of them as 'public'.. more 'unclassified'.

[computedshorty]

Buying a green house is only part of the cost. You will need stageing, that is the work benches and shelves, these can cost as much as the greenhouse. There will be the Bambo stakes and pots, to say nothing of the growing compost or peat, you will nead whitewash to coat the inside of the glass to protect the very young plants in strong sun. A heater of some kind for cold nights. Pest sprays and lots and lots of packets of seeds and a thermometer It is not advised to have a solid floor as you can plant in the ground inside.

If you are very tall you might dig a walkway, to give you some headroom so that you do not come into contact with the glass.

I have just picked the cucumbers and pepers and tha last of the tomato's, no basil as the herbs are under a cover outside the back door.