How does everyone manage?

I have been enviously reading the posts of people who have cleaned their greenhouses, started off loads of seeds and even pricked them out....
My green house is still stuffed to bursting with overwintering fuschias, geraniums miscellaneous hanging basket plants, and semi-hardy shrubs and trees. There's hardly room to move, let alone clean or put seed trays. We had a heavy frost a few days ago and it's only a few degrees above zero now. I am going to resuscitate my little plastic blowing over and falling down effort, and have contemplated buying a 'tomato house' for �£19.99 from Morrisons.....
How do you do it? :rolleyes:

 

My plastic greenhouse got ripped to bits in the winter..so i am eagerly awaiting a new one a bit better quality with rigid panels..I lost a beautiful glass one a few winters ago the wind lifted it up like a feather..and it smashed to bits i was heart broken..i have a dog and small grandchildren so i decided not to have glass again until they get older..at the moment i have seed trays on all the upstairs window ledges .."MAKING MESS" and will be really glad when my new one comes next week ..then it will take my husband a day to put it together..with much huffing and puffing..Their are some good bargains on ebay for some make shift greenhouses for extra space..

 

Hi Wildflower, and welcome! My new greenhouse has got safety glass in which was horrendously expensive, but I have got 3 dogs and a grandchild who all like to play ball, and crutches which fall over wherever I put them. I had a potting shed with fairly thick polycarbonate panels which blew out and cracked all the time, so I thought I'd get the glass- so far no blowouts or accidents despite falling off a ladder onto the glass trying to clean the gutters!
All my seeds except tomatoes are in the house, too, but I have a very small cottage with not very good light.. Still better weather must be on its way(?)

 

I have been a bit envious too, although my greenhouse is all washed and ready for action it is still very cold here, just got rid of the snow a couple of days ago :( No power in there either, hubby's new garage is being built so things are a bit of a mess to say the least! but I am dying to get in and sow my seeds.

 

I bought 3 of those plastic tomato houses last year (to relieve the pressure on the g/h) from Aldi, never again! It was well anchored but the seems ripped in the wind, and slowly fell apart!
Must say though, nearly all my gardening equipment comes from Aldi which has been both very good and remarkably cheap. No plastic for me, so like you have bought the expensive toughened glass.

Best thing I did last year, was to grow hanging baskets of cherry tomatoes in the roof of the g/h, and in May hung them up outside in my improvised tomato grove. I hung 11 baskets on timber rails over the compost heap and cold frame area at the bottom of my garden. Worked a treat, will do it again this year! Oh, and maintenance/watering is a doddle when you use those baskets with plastic wires instead of chains. Just hold the basket and hook it down, no ladder required!

 

Oh, Lisa - you've just given away all our secrets!!

 

Perhaps buy something 4x as big as you think you might ever need.
After you managed to fill it (which you will).. you`ll just have to exercise restraint or get a second one
Buying these cheap `n` nasty temporary things although useful in the short term will likely prove to be a false economy in the long run.

 

At the very least, you'll have to nail it to the fence or garage, or whatever, so it doesn't blow away! But if you can weight it down with plenty of stuff it'll be ok!

 

Quote [lisa]
LIE!!
What? have i missed something here? :confused:

[ 15. March 2006, 01:51 AM: Message edited by: Liz ]

 

DAG, that is such a good idea- I have lots of room in the roof [I've already got a hanging rail ready for baskets], and it would be very easy to fix a hanging rail outside over one of my raised beds.I even have some superfluous gadgets [called hi-los] which let you raise and lower baskets easily! THANKS

[ 15. March 2006, 02:00 AM: Message edited by: Liz ]

 

Liz - Lisa was answering your original question!! - how do we manage!!!! :D

 

Oh, I see Surely not!

 

Would we? You'll never know!!
I've just put up 4 shelves on the walls of the greenhouse, to let me move things on. I have loads of little teasel plants, peppers, and hundreds of cornflowers, to start with - and loads more coming on!! And last night the electricity to the greenhouses and garage went!!!
Just to make all southerners jealous - the electrician popped in 2 minutes after I rang him!! How's that for service? :D :D :D

 

Was he a lodger in your greenhouse then Nixon?

 

no, but his mum lives along the street!! - like your stars, DAG!