Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the house)

Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or can I get away without one just using containers etc?

Can anyone suggest the pros and cons of both options as I'm new to greenhouses and would like to get it right.

Many thanks

Terry

"Lordspudz" wrote in message
...

Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I
will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the
house)

Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or
can I get away without one just using containers etc?

Can anyone suggest the pros and cons of both options as I'm new to
greenhouses and would like to get it right.

I mounted mine on a base made of bricks making a wall about 6 inches high to
mount the sides on, as the door would have been a little dificult to get
through as I am/was 6'3", the ground part I made a path with concrete down
the middle, and kept soil on each side, but this was not wise, and so I
covered the whole floor with concrete, on one side I put a long bench which
has been very useful, and the other side I grow thing in pots or growbags.

Alan




Many thanks

Terry




--
Lordspudz

On 1 Sep, 17:50, Lordspudz
wrote:
Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I
will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the
house)

Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or
can I get away without one just using containers etc?

Can anyone suggest the pros and cons of both options as I'm new to
greenhouses and would like to get it right.

Many thanks

Terry

--
Lordspudz

Consider ring culture. Way to go in my view.

On 01/09/2010 17:50, Lordspudz wrote:
Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.


We have slabs under ours and everything is in pots, we do however have a
trough for the tomato plant-pots to sit in, this trough is filled with
gravel. We decided on slabs rather than a full concrete base to allow
any spilled water to drain away. Have no experience of soil or partial
soil under the greenhouse. Would imagine that an entirely soil base
wouldn't be stable enough .

The gravel will act as a soakawy and the slabs will give you something
sturdy to put, say, staging on. Only caveat I can see with that system
is weeds growing in the gravel, and the usual gravel 'migration' as it
is trailed about on boots etc.



http://www.cheesesoup.myby.co.uk/images/GH7.jpg
Wee pic of what ours looks like.

On 2 Sep, 04:22, soup wrote:
On 01/09/2010 17:50, Lordspudz wrote:

Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

We have slabs under ours and everything is in pots, we do however have a
trough for the tomato plant-pots to sit in, this trough is filled with
gravel. *We decided on slabs rather than a full concrete base to allow
any spilled water to drain away. *Have no experience of soil or partial
soil under the greenhouse. Would imagine that an entirely soil base
wouldn't be stable enough .

* The gravel will act as a soakawy and the slabs will give you something
sturdy to put, say, staging on. *Only caveat I can see with that system
is weeds growing in the gravel, and the usual gravel 'migration' as it
is trailed about on boots etc.

http://www.cheesesoup.myby.co.uk/images/GH7.jpg
Wee pic of what ours looks like.

I set mine on slabs and don't regret it but made the mistake of only
leaving myself half a slab's width around the outside of the
greenhouse. This is too narrow for access, especially when competing
with butternut squash. I am constantly nearly overbalancing into the
glass.

Destrier

In article ,
says...

Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I
will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the
house)

Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or
can I get away without one just using containers etc?

Can anyone suggest the pros and cons of both options as I'm new to
greenhouses and would like to get it right.

Many thanks

Terry




--
Lordspudz

So long as its dead level and square it doesnt make a lot of difference
to the construction, the low wall bases are more flexible in that you can
slab the interior but change your mind and take up slabs at a later date
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 02/09/2010 11:57, Destrier wrote:


I set mine on slabs and don't regret it but made the mistake of only
leaving myself half a slab's width around the outside of the
greenhouse. This is too narrow for access, especially when competing
with butternut squash. I am constantly nearly overbalancing into the
glass.

Chap over the back has done even worse than that he has one side of the
greenhouse two inches from a wire fence leaving him absolutely no access
what so ever. When I sited the greenhouse I deliberately set it a couple
of feet from the fence to give easy access to one of the long sides of
the greenhouse.


This pic shows how much access I have on the 'back' side.
http://www.cheesesoup.myby.co.uk/images/GH9.jpg

On Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:32:14 +0100, soup
wrote:

On 02/09/2010 11:57, Destrier wrote:


I set mine on slabs and don't regret it but made the mistake of only
leaving myself half a slab's width around the outside of the
greenhouse. This is too narrow for access, especially when competing
with butternut squash. I am constantly nearly overbalancing into the
glass.

Chap over the back has done even worse than that he has one side of the
greenhouse two inches from a wire fence leaving him absolutely no access
what so ever. When I sited the greenhouse I deliberately set it a couple
of feet from the fence to give easy access to one of the long sides of
the greenhouse.

I've got that too. A neighbour built his green house 9" from our
fence and has no access to one long side.

I do keep his glass clean with a pressure washer during early spring
but the 9" is full of weeds and ferns. I can always spray the
b**gers I suppose.

Also one narrow end of his greenhouse is being taken over by a rampant
clematis rooted in his next door neighbours' garden



--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

In message , Lordspudz
writes

Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I
will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the
house)


Do you need any extra height in the greenhouse? - often a little bit of
extra height is useful.

Both my last greenhouses were on a course of concrete blocks. I then
fixed treated timbers on top of that and the greenhouse was fixed to the
timbers.

One because it was going onto an existing concrete slab anyway. The
other because it was on sloping ground. Though I would probably go the
same way again. Otherwise of your two options I'd go foe the slabs. It's
a lot less effort than laying a concrete slab.


Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or
can I get away without one just using containers etc?


We've had both. For general use, I'd suggest that an all over base of
concrete or slabs is best, as it's most flexible - staging etc. can
easily be moved around and easily cleaned (as long as there is a drain
hole through the wall or whatever supporting the greenhouse)

Though a central path with gravel each side works ok, and will be
cheaper and easier.

Soil beds have their advantages - less watering and good for sowing
some early/late saladings in, but overall in less useful in an
intensivley used space.
--
Chris French

"Lordspudz" wrote in message
...

Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I
will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the
house)

Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or
can I get away without one just using containers etc?

Can anyone suggest the pros and cons of both options as I'm new to
greenhouses and would like to get it right.

Many thanks

Terry




--
Lordspudz

Just a couple of points

1. is it wood or metal,
This governs the contact with soil

2. Is the ground level? Mine isn't so I used the greenhouse manufacturers
base to get the house level so I didn't have to worry too much about the
inside . I have slabs on a slope3. I gave consideration to the resale of
property. I wouldn't choose to buy a house with a 10 by 8 greenhouse if I
would have to set about demolition work if I didn't want it. A stepladder,
spanner and just something to lift slabs with and it could be removed in a
day.

4. In my view it is more important to have level staging than a level floor
especially as I used capillary watering over periods of absence.

5 . Water. I have laid water on feeding a tank to warm the water up and also
have a waterbutt to collect water from the roof but I should have engineered
a slight slope on the house so that water cleared the gutters although the
birds use it as a bird bath from time to time.

I strongly recommend leaving a bit more space than you think you need
between the house and the boundary as others have suggested.

Alan

On 01/09/2010 17:50, Lordspudz wrote:
Hi
I'll be taking delivery of a 10 x 6 greenhouse soon and was wondering
what would be the best base to set it on.

My options a
1 Laying slabs to allow the house to sit in the middle of the slabs. (I
will probably lay some slabs inside filling in the rest with gravel).

2 A concrete base (using containers, pots and raised beds inside the
house)

Is it essential (or preferable) to have a soil bed in the greenhouse or
can I get away without one just using containers etc?

Can anyone suggest the pros and cons of both options as I'm new to
greenhouses and would like to get it right.

Many thanks

Terry


I did a concrete foundation around the outside and central path. I have
had two years growth of tomatoes etc from the soil beds. Containers IMO
are more demanding in terms of watering.

One thing that I did get wrong was a slight (2mm)slope on the foudation
the wrong way for the gutter to drain to where I wanted a water butt.


--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames