which greenhouse dilema

hi i have just concreted a area in my garden for a greenhouse to grow toms i have got it into my head that i want to put greenhous on say 3 or 4maybe 5 course of brick this is to form a raised bed situation with the greenhouse sat on top i was going to buy a greenhouse from elite which is sat on dwarf walls but after consideration i would effectivly be spending £550 for half a greenhouse and the head height is not there for the plants if anyone could advise me it would be apprecated as i feel i am going round in circles:ntwrth:

 

Hi Holty, its a shame you already made a concrete base. Last year I built a leantwo greenhouse, where there wasn't enough headroom, so I dug down about 2 feet and put my floor and lower part of the walls in the hole. This gave me an extra 18 + inches of headroom, after allowing for the thickness of the foundations. I do have a large step down into the greenhouse, but I am very pleased I did it - and it doesn't flood.

In your case, if you build a greenhouse that is designed to sit on small walls - its still only a standard height greenhouse. I would be inclined to build some walls and then put an all glass greenhouse on top. You won't of course be able to walk straight in, as you will have to step over the wall. But it will give a genuine increase in roof height. And you can always make steps up and down if needed.

In my case I am very tall and needed the extra height. But you might like to consider if you really need a raised bed. If the pots are on the ground, the main part of the plant and the tomatoes themselves are going to be three or four feet higher anyway. But most small greenhouses are not that high, so a small wall, or even sleepers is a good idea.

 

thanks for your reply thr concrete base had to be done because of the existing surroundings ie i bought 3 square meters of garden from next door which is concrete slab where there garage sits so i had to level it all off .My next step is to aquire a greenhouse 8x6 then build wall for it to sit on i think i am going to end up making one as it will be more robust than the ones you can buy for the same budget i am now adamant that i will build walls approx 12 inch high minimum to form raised beds what do you think

 

Holty. Excellent idea. Building your own walls is not difficult and puts you in control.And you can have it any height you like. If you have the space I would say build the largest greenhouse you can afford. I wish mine was five times the size - but I don't have the space.

 

thanks pete this is what i was wanting to hear i was worried i was going to use a heap of money and time without optimum results come harvest time you have given me the confidence to procede i will let you know how i get on cheers

 

ok so now the greenhouse is done ive just been given a freezer for garage im toying with the idea of putting it in the greenhouse to heat it reason being i had a mate with a newsagents who used his drink coolers as heating heat coming from the motor has anyone else tried this

 

It would be a shock hazard as it wasnt designed for greenhouse use :wink: