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Old 03-10-2004, 09:30 PM
Franz Heymann
 
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"Paul Giverin" wrote in message
...
In message , Kay
writes
In article , Paul Giverin
writes
Now I'm wondering if there was a better alternative or whether I

need to
use anything at all. I intend to use the greenhouse to over winter

a
load of our plants which are in terracotta pots and prone to

cracking
with the frost. I've got some bubble wrap and will shortly begin

to
lining the greenhouse with it. I've also invested in an electric

heater
to keep it frost free but also to help get a head start with next

years
seeds.


Mine is concrete - easy to sweep clean. I usually raise plants of

the
floor in winter by standing them on something (1) balanced on

bricks.
The logic of this is that hot air rises so one might expect a layer

of
cold air along the floor (2) - in which case, covering the floor

with
compost would merely raise the level of the floor and I'd still

want to
raise my plants above it. But there's no guarantee my logic is

sound.

(1) old pieces of staging, plastic trays, old polystyrene boxes -
anything that comes to hand

(2) and you can sweep under them


Hello again Kay,

Helpful as usual

The mention of polystyrene has given me a thought. I could lay
polystyrene ceiling tiles in the winter when its really cold and I

could
lift them in spring when I'm likely to be needing to water stuff

inside.
I use those decking squares as duck boards down the middle at the

moment
and I could retain these all year round.


That will be an entirely nugatory exercise. Concrete only feels
colder to the feet than a carpet because it conducts heat from the
feet much better than a carpet does. A concrete base for a greenhouse
is about as good as you can get. Be glad you have that possibility.

Franz