Greenhouse advice needed.

Ok, so after considering using a spare room I have now decided that the best course is to buy a small greenhouse.

I know absolutely NOTHING about greenhouses so what would you advise I look at. What I will want it for is growing and developing plants from seed and cutting etc. So I need shelving in it. I don't have a huge amount of space and no experience at building greenhouses. Can anyone suggest a possible way to get a small greenhouse requiring little knowledge? I have also read about having a base, wood, brick etc. This scares me a little ... again lack of experience.

Idiots guide to erecting a greenhouse is needed ... can anyone guide and idiot?

thanks

 

I'm afraid I let my husband do 'the clever stuff' when he put mine up.

I'm told that the best way is to face them north/south, so that they get the sun all day, passing as it does overhead on it's way from east to west. Unfortunately, my garden, like so many, didn't allow me the luxury of this, so it had to go in the only place it could.

Others here will give you the benefit of their much greater expertise, but when we bought my greenhouse, we bought the base separately - basically it was 2 very long, and 2 shorter bits of aluminium which you bolted together at the corners which just made a frame (or 'base') for the greenhouse itself to sit on. You don't need a concrete or brick base, in fact all you really need is a flat site.

Depending on your budget (and for ease of building) I'd say go for aluminium. Get the biggest one you can afford or have room for, no matter how big, you'll very soon wish it were at least twice the size!

The 'building' bit is easy - unless you're making your own, bespoke greenhouse - since they all come with 'idiot proof' instructions and you'll only need a few basic tools, spirit level, a couple of spanners and possibly a screwdriver. Just identify all the bits (physically write on them in marker pen, if it helps), lay them out, start at the bottom and work up! It helps if there are two people, sometimes a steadying hand is useful, someone to hand you the next bit or (in the case of Mr. F'smum), someone to swear at when you drop one of the bolts!

You don't need to buy expensive staging, even an old table will do to begin with, anything which gives you a comfortable working height. Aluminium shelves are available (certainly for aluminium greenhouses), my shelves however, are just pieces of wood screwed to some very cheap wall brackets (from Wilko probably, although I can't remember), and fixed to the fabric of the greenhouse by means of nuts and the long crop-head greenhouse bolts which just slot into the grooves.

 

Mine is 8' x 6' and would never do without it, ours just went in where we could put it and have had no problems. Your local freegle site normally advertises greenhouses for free as long as u take it down, Glass is about £.3.00 a pane in Suffolk

 

My greenhouse came with an aluminium base which all the framing and glass sat on. This was basically four pieces of aluminium which had long pegs at each corner. You hammered the base into the ground using these pegs. All you needs to worry about are a couple of paving slabs as a base if you buy a greenhouse like mine.

I put my greenhouse up on my own (I did need the other half to hold the sides though) and I did it in about two days. I'm not the best DIYer in the world either. The greenhouse I bought was brand new but the instructions were rubbish and ended up putting the door on backwards.

As for staging the other half made me this about a month ago. Only cost about £20. (Note lack of greenhouse floor)

 

OK guys, this is the greenhouse I am considering buying. It would be sited on what is currently a bit of patchy grass/soil ground. What preparation would I need? If I built a base with bricks to sit the whole thing on would that be ok and would I need to lay a foundation of concrete for the bricks to lay on? WIll I even need to build anything or site it as is comes?


Model 4x6 - Aluminium Greenhouse Frame + Base + Polycarbonate Glazing, 0000003834664

 

Thanks John.

 

I expect you know this, but in case not: if you measure both diagonals and they are the same, then its "square" (notwithstanding that its a rectangle :thumb

 

There will be full instructions with it, regarding laying the base etc. I would suggest you keep the inside floor as soil - you can grow stuff direct into it, with maybe a paving slab to stand on so you don't get too muddy while working (and a fold away seat to sit and drink tea and enjoy your plants!)

 

Hehe ... I like the paving slab idea, as in singular. Not a lot of room is there?

I also like the idea of the seat to sit and drink tea on ... but again, not a lot of room. I would love to get a slightly bigger one but funds are not available.

Thanks for the advice and comments. I am looking forward to getting a nice garden over the years amd maybe I could afford to upgrade in time.