|
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On Oct 31, 10:28 am, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote: In message om, Des Higgins writes On Oct 30, 3:41 pm, Des Higgins wrote: On Oct 30, 1:41 pm, "Kate Morgan" wrote: I have just come in from my greenhouse muttering about the fact that greenhouses like workshops, are never big enough :-) As we are planning to move to Scotland my husband suggests that I go for a polytunnel. I am beginning to warm to the idea but would appreciate some opinions from the group :-) kate We have a suburban backgarden and so space is limited and we have a 12x8 foot greenhouse which I think is better for confined spaces but is more expensive. If I had a big country patch, I would prefer a polytunnel and would prefer to have a whopping big one as I think it would be much cheaper that way (big poly tunnel much cheaper than huge greenhouse). ok, looks like I am outvoted; alright then, if I had a choice, I would choose a nice wooden greenhouse with a brick base, as long as it came with a small bloke to paint it every 2 years. If I was offered a choice between a polytunnel and a greenhouse of the same footprint, at the same price, I'd go for the greenhouse, but I don't expect to be offered that choice. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley I agree with that now; Having read the other posts; I did not realise how much maintenance was needed for tunnels. For domestic gardening, greenhouse is the way to go alright. If I ever went into serious veg growing, a tunnel might me an option but that is not looking imminent. |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On Nov 1, 10:27 am, Sacha wrote:
On 1/11/07 10:17, in article . com, "Des Higgins" wrote: On Oct 31, 10:28 am, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote: In message om, Des Higgins writes On Oct 30, 3:41 pm, Des Higgins wrote: On Oct 30, 1:41 pm, "Kate Morgan" wrote: I have just come in from my greenhouse muttering about the fact that greenhouses like workshops, are never big enough :-) As we are planning to move to Scotland my husband suggests that I go for a polytunnel. I am beginning to warm to the idea but would appreciate some opinions from the group :-) kate We have a suburban backgarden and so space is limited and we have a 12x8 foot greenhouse which I think is better for confined spaces but is more expensive. If I had a big country patch, I would prefer a polytunnel and would prefer to have a whopping big one as I think it would be much cheaper that way (big poly tunnel much cheaper than huge greenhouse). ok, looks like I am outvoted; alright then, if I had a choice, I would choose a nice wooden greenhouse with a brick base, as long as it came with a small bloke to paint it every 2 years. If I was offered a choice between a polytunnel and a greenhouse of the same footprint, at the same price, I'd go for the greenhouse, but I don't expect to be offered that choice. -- Stewart Robert Hinsley I agree with that now; Having read the other posts; I did not realise how much maintenance was needed for tunnels. For domestic gardening, greenhouse is the way to go alright. If I ever went into serious veg growing, a tunnel might me an option but that is not looking imminent. Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? -- Same difference in long run I think. Sloshing oil still requires time and effort. Usually you do it for a bit and then forget. To paint oil on takes almost as much effort as a coat of paint. The wooden ones look gorgeous but short of getting a small bloke in, the aluminium is dead handy. Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove weeds from address) 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On 1/11/07 11:53, in article
, "Des Higgins" wrote: On Nov 1, 10:27 am, Sacha wrote: snip Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? -- Same difference in long run I think. Sloshing oil still requires time and effort. Usually you do it for a bit and then forget. To paint oil on takes almost as much effort as a coat of paint. The wooden ones look gorgeous but short of getting a small bloke in, the aluminium is dead handy. Nobody would describe me as a handyman but I thought there was an oil (Danish teak oil?) that can just be brushed on and doesn't require all the sanding down and preparation that painting does? I'm sure I remember some yotties using that on weathered teak decks. I certainly agree the aluminium is the best practical solution but it depends on whether it's going to be considered an eyesore if totally visible from the house or the rest of the garden. -- Sacha http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove weeds from address) 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
"Sacha" wrote in message . uk... On 1/11/07 11:53, in article , "Des Higgins" wrote: On Nov 1, 10:27 am, Sacha wrote: snip Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? -- Same difference in long run I think. Sloshing oil still requires time and effort. Usually you do it for a bit and then forget. To paint oil on takes almost as much effort as a coat of paint. The wooden ones look gorgeous but short of getting a small bloke in, the aluminium is dead handy. Nobody would describe me as a handyman but I thought there was an oil (Danish teak oil?) that can just be brushed on and doesn't require all the sanding down and preparation that painting does? I'm sure I remember some yotties using that on weathered teak decks. I certainly agree the aluminium is the best practical solution but it depends on whether it's going to be considered an eyesore if totally visible from the house or the rest of the garden. Depends on the style whether its an eyesore.Plain auluminium is functional but you can get powder coated auluminium glasshouses in any colour you want and turn the duck into a swan. K -- Sacha http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove weeds from address) 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
In article .com, Des
Higgins says... I agree with that now; Having read the other posts; I did not realise how much maintenance was needed for tunnels. For domestic gardening, greenhouse is the way to go alright. If I ever went into serious veg growing, a tunnel might me an option but that is not looking imminent. Throwing in my penny's worth. I'm planning to make my own greenhouse again next year (time permitting) and will use clear corrugated pvc sheets (again). The structure will be made with pressure treated 3 x 2" timbers set into a concrete foundation. I made one like this before at a previous property and it worked very well. Not as pretty as a glass greenhouse but very functional. The timber construction meant I could attach anything anywhere - great for hooks for hanging baskets or fixing shelving. Also good for stapling some bubble wrap to over Winter. I took quite a fancy to sitting there in the evenings with a book and a pint of home-brew surrounded by all my favourite plants and watching the sun go down. Bliss! -- David in Normandy |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On 1/11/07 12:28, in article , "Sage"
wrote: "Sacha" wrote in message . uk... On 1/11/07 11:53, in article , "Des Higgins" wrote: On Nov 1, 10:27 am, Sacha wrote: snip Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? -- Same difference in long run I think. Sloshing oil still requires time and effort. Usually you do it for a bit and then forget. To paint oil on takes almost as much effort as a coat of paint. The wooden ones look gorgeous but short of getting a small bloke in, the aluminium is dead handy. Nobody would describe me as a handyman but I thought there was an oil (Danish teak oil?) that can just be brushed on and doesn't require all the sanding down and preparation that painting does? I'm sure I remember some yotties using that on weathered teak decks. I certainly agree the aluminium is the best practical solution but it depends on whether it's going to be considered an eyesore if totally visible from the house or the rest of the garden. Depends on the style whether its an eyesore.Plain auluminium is functional but you can get powder coated auluminium glasshouses in any colour you want and turn the duck into a swan. K Sounds good! -- Sacha (remove weeds from address) 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On Nov 1, 2:10 pm, David in Normandy wrote:
In article .com, Des Higgins says... I agree with that now; Having read the other posts; I did not realise how much maintenance was needed for tunnels. For domestic gardening, greenhouse is the way to go alright. If I ever went into serious veg growing, a tunnel might me an option but that is not looking imminent. Throwing in my penny's worth. I'm planning to make my own greenhouse again next year (time permitting) and will use clear corrugated pvc sheets (again). The structure will be made with pressure treated 3 x 2" timbers set into a concrete foundation. I made one like this before at a previous property and it worked very well. Not as pretty as a glass greenhouse but very functional. The timber construction meant I could attach anything anywhere - great for hooks for hanging baskets or fixing shelving. Also good for stapling some bubble wrap to over Winter. I took quite a fancy to sitting there in the evenings with a book and a pint of home-brew surrounded by all my favourite plants and watching the sun go down. Bliss! -- David in Normandy You de man!! I wish I had the time/energy/ability to do that. I had toyed with the idea of making one in the past and just reckoned it would take me too long and I would make a mess of it and I chickened out and bought our current one. Clear corrugated PVC?? How about polycarbonate? How do you attach the sheets to the wood? With a router, it is easy to cut out rebates in the wood to take a sheet like in a window but if the sheets are big enough, you just fix them on like a perspex roof with big nails with rubber seals? Whatever you do, it sounds great! Des |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On Nov 1, 11:59 am, Sacha wrote:
On 1/11/07 11:53, in article om, "Des Higgins" wrote: On Nov 1, 10:27 am, Sacha wrote: snip Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? -- Same difference in long run I think. Sloshing oil still requires time and effort. Usually you do it for a bit and then forget. To paint oil on takes almost as much effort as a coat of paint. The wooden ones look gorgeous but short of getting a small bloke in, the aluminium is dead handy. Nobody would describe me as a handyman but I thought there was an oil (Danish teak oil?) that can just be brushed on and doesn't require all the sanding down and preparation that painting does? I'm sure I remember some yotties using that on weathered teak decks. I certainly agree the aluminium is the best practical solution but it depends on whether it's going to be considered an eyesore if totally visible from the house or the rest of the garden. I have used that on wooden worktops and it is easy but after a few years you just forget to do it. It is hard to maintain the enthuasiasm once the initial novelty wears off. -- Sachahttp://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove weeds from address) 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.'- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
In article .com, Des
Higgins says... On Nov 1, 2:10 pm, David in Normandy wrote: In article .com, Des Higgins says... I agree with that now; Having read the other posts; I did not realise how much maintenance was needed for tunnels. For domestic gardening, greenhouse is the way to go alright. If I ever went into serious veg growing, a tunnel might me an option but that is not looking imminent. Throwing in my penny's worth. I'm planning to make my own greenhouse again next year (time permitting) and will use clear corrugated pvc sheets (again). The structure will be made with pressure treated 3 x 2" timbers set into a concrete foundation. I made one like this before at a previous property and it worked very well. Not as pretty as a glass greenhouse but very functional. The timber construction meant I could attach anything anywhere - great for hooks for hanging baskets or fixing shelving. Also good for stapling some bubble wrap to over Winter. I took quite a fancy to sitting there in the evenings with a book and a pint of home-brew surrounded by all my favourite plants and watching the sun go down. Bliss! -- David in Normandy You de man!! I wish I had the time/energy/ability to do that. I had toyed with the idea of making one in the past and just reckoned it would take me too long and I would make a mess of it and I chickened out and bought our current one. Clear corrugated PVC?? How about polycarbonate? How do you attach the sheets to the wood? With a router, it is easy to cut out rebates in the wood to take a sheet like in a window but if the sheets are big enough, you just fix them on like a perspex roof with big nails with rubber seals? Whatever you do, it sounds great! Des As I remember, the last time I made one the price of flat polycarbonate sheets was too expensive, so just used the clear corrugated pvc. Construction was very easy, just overlap the sheets with one (or two) corrugations and at this point you need a vertical timber to fasten to. Just drill a small hole and use proper corrugation sheet fastenings - basically long screws with a clear flexible washer and spacer between the timber and sheet. No fancy woodworking skills needed - just a pile of the cheap metal brackets from Wilko's to join the timbers together. The finished structure is virtually bomb proof - certainly stands up to a gale or two and misdirected footballs from neighbours children. -- David in Normandy |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
"Des Higgins" wrote in message oups.com... On Nov 1, 2:10 pm, David in Normandy wrote: In article .com, Des Higgins says... I agree with that now; Having read the other posts; I did not realise how much maintenance was needed for tunnels. For domestic gardening, greenhouse is the way to go alright. If I ever went into serious veg growing, a tunnel might me an option but that is not looking imminent. Throwing in my penny's worth. I'm planning to make my own greenhouse again next year (time permitting) and will use clear corrugated pvc sheets (again). The structure will be made with pressure treated 3 x 2" timbers set into a concrete foundation. I made one like this before at a previous property and it worked very well. Not as pretty as a glass greenhouse but very functional. The timber construction meant I could attach anything anywhere - great for hooks for hanging baskets or fixing shelving. Also good for stapling some bubble wrap to over Winter. I took quite a fancy to sitting there in the evenings with a book and a pint of home-brew surrounded by all my favourite plants and watching the sun go down. Bliss! -- David in Normandy You de man!! I wish I had the time/energy/ability to do that. I had toyed with the idea of making one in the past and just reckoned it would take me too long and I would make a mess of it and I chickened out and bought our current one. Clear corrugated PVC?? How about polycarbonate? How do you attach the sheets to the wood? With a router, it is easy to cut out rebates in the wood to take a sheet like in a window but if the sheets are big enough, you just fix them on like a perspex roof with big nails with rubber seals? Whatever you do, it sounds great! Des If your vegetable prep skills could be improved then a few covered window boxes might suffice :-). Powder coated Aluminium with glass(safety) is the best solution, at a price. |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
Des Higgins wrote:
On Nov 1, 11:59 am, Sacha wrote: On 1/11/07 11:53, in article om, "Des Higgins" wrote: On Nov 1, 10:27 am, Sacha wrote: snip Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? -- Same difference in long run I think. Sloshing oil still requires time and effort. Usually you do it for a bit and then forget. To paint oil on takes almost as much effort as a coat of paint. The wooden ones look gorgeous but short of getting a small bloke in, the aluminium is dead handy. Nobody would describe me as a handyman but I thought there was an oil (Danish teak oil?) that can just be brushed on and doesn't require all the sanding down and preparation that painting does? I'm sure I remember some yotties using that on weathered teak decks. I certainly agree the aluminium is the best practical solution but it depends on whether it's going to be considered an eyesore if totally visible from the house or the rest of the garden. I have used that on wooden worktops and it is easy but after a few years you just forget to do it. It is hard to maintain the enthuasiasm once the initial novelty wears off. Wax might be a better bet outdoors. Paraffin wax is about as waterproof as it gets. Make your own from a box of candles, or get something like this. http://www.bellbrush.com/selden-selw...tre-p-460.html The downsides are that it gets tacky in hot weather and dirt sticks to it, and the appearance is a bit cloudy compared to oils and varnishes. Still, it only needs doing once and IME it will almost certainly extend the life of the wood by a factor of 3-4. |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
In article , Sacha
writes Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? Ha! Sloshing oil over the wood of an Alton greenhouse takes as much time and energy s painting the thing Sacha . I did mine very year since 1979 but it now has a sagging roof and all the base pieces are rotten, the glass slides off if you don't put your own screws on the end to hold them in and I think the roof panes are now dangerous as they could slide off if the screw come out of the rotting wood up on top. For some reason Alton rest the panes on a, (well for non technical people such as me) plank of wood running along the length of the greenhouse, with about 2 inches exposed, so.............. the rain comes off the roof straight on to the wood. Janet -- Janet Tweedy Dalmatian Telegraph http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
On 4/11/07 13:09, in article , "Janet Tweedy"
wrote: In article , Sacha writes Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? Ha! Sloshing oil over the wood of an Alton greenhouse takes as much time and energy s painting the thing Sacha . I did mine very year since 1979 but it now has a sagging roof and all the base pieces are rotten, the glass slides off if you don't put your own screws on the end to hold them in and I think the roof panes are now dangerous as they could slide off if the screw come out of the rotting wood up on top. For some reason Alton rest the panes on a, (well for non technical people such as me) plank of wood running along the length of the greenhouse, with about 2 inches exposed, so.............. the rain comes off the roof straight on to the wood. Janet I'll take that as a 'no', then? ;-)) -- Sacha http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon (remove weeds from address) 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
Greenhouses v. Polytunnels
Martin wrote:
On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 13:09:31 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote: In article , Sacha writes Apropos the remark above about painting the greenhouse every 2 years, isn't it possible to buy teak ones that won't need painting? I'm sure they must cost more but perhaps there's a saving in the long run if all that's needed is a slosh of oil over the wood? Ha! Sloshing oil over the wood of an Alton greenhouse takes as much time and energy s painting the thing Sacha . I did mine very year since 1979 but it now has a sagging roof and all the base pieces are rotten, the glass slides off if you don't put your own screws on the end to hold them in and I think the roof panes are now dangerous as they could slide off if the screw come out of the rotting wood up on top. For some reason Alton rest the panes on a, (well for non technical people such as me) plank of wood running along the length of the greenhouse, with about 2 inches exposed, so.............. the rain comes off the roof straight on to the wood. For some years now we've been treating the teak on our boat with Burgess Wood Sealer. Other than that it turns a dark brown after about a year, it has worked very well. Real teak is resinous and water resistant to start with. It would be a mighty expensive way to build a greenhouse |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:50 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter