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#1
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New Scouser seeks advice on 'Potting shed'
Hi everyone, I have just joined this group and have enjoyed a good couple of hours reading many of the threads and the helpful advice given.
I would like to have a 'place' in my garden to where I could retreat. I want to take my time planning and end up with somewhere that serves all purposes; potting shed, greenhouse etc probably getting my end design made up for me. The trouble is I have never had a greenhouse and I don't know what are essential features and which are money wasters. Although I am very keen, I don't have a lot of money to spend. I would love to have somewhere large enough to be comfortable and entice me in during the dark winter time. Have any of you advice or experiences that I could benefit from? |
#2
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"Sadie" wrote in message ... Hi everyone, I have just joined this group and have enjoyed a good couple of hours reading many of the threads and the helpful advice given. I would like to have a 'place' in my garden to where I could retreat. I want to take my time planning and end up with somewhere that serves all purposes; potting shed, greenhouse etc probably getting my end design made up for me. The trouble is I have never had a greenhouse and I don't know what are essential features and which are money wasters. Although I am very keen, I don't have a lot of money to spend. I would love to have somewhere large enough to be comfortable and entice me in during the dark winter time. Have any of you advice or experiences that I could benefit from? -- Sadie I'm not sure thats easily sorted in one building, since a greenhouse is going to be too cold in winter, and a snug potting shed, too dark, and one of those sheds with a slanting wooden front IME is not up to much when it comes to growing more than a few plants. Get one of each :-) -- Tumbleweed Remove my socks for email address |
#3
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In article , Sadie Sadie.1f9cbp@n
ews.gardenbanter.co.uk writes The trouble is I have never had a greenhouse and I don't know what are essential features and which are money wasters. Although I am very keen, I don't have a lot of money to spend. I would love to have somewhere large enough to be comfortable and entice me in during the dark winter time. Have any of you advice or experiences that I could benefit from? Whatever size you get will be too small ;-) You will need opening windows as it will get very hot and you will need air circulation - automatic window openers are good as there will be spring days when it just doesn't occur to one that the greenhouse is getting too hot. Other than that, you'll want to consider somewhere to sit, arm chair if possible, electric light, heating to extend the growing season into winter, a radio - and I find a solar powered one is excellent 'cos there's plenty of sunlight in a greenhouse. It's also convenient to have plenty of work space for potting things up, and therefore storage space for bags of compost and spare flower pots. And somewhere for a few tools and reference books. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#4
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Kay, this sounds exactly what I have in mind, the armchair and radio set the scene.
Having plenty of working space is something that would encourage me to do more, at the moment I have little propagators and seed trays in all of my windows, which I really get fed up with, and it stops me doing a lot of things. Thankyou Sadie |
#5
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"Kay" wrote in message ... In article , Sadie Sadie.1f9cbp@n ews.gardenbanter.co.uk writes The trouble is I have never had a greenhouse and I don't know what are essential features and which are money wasters. Although I am very keen, I don't have a lot of money to spend. I would love to have somewhere large enough to be comfortable and entice me in during the dark winter time. Have any of you advice or experiences that I could benefit from? Whatever size you get will be too small ;-) You will need opening windows as it will get very hot and you will need air circulation - automatic window openers are good as there will be spring days when it just doesn't occur to one that the greenhouse is getting too hot. Other than that, you'll want to consider somewhere to sit, arm chair if possible, electric light, heating to extend the growing season into winter, a radio - and I find a solar powered one is excellent 'cos there's plenty of sunlight in a greenhouse. It's also convenient to have plenty of work space for potting things up, and therefore storage space for bags of compost and spare flower pots. And somewhere for a few tools and reference books. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" And a kettle............ Jenny |
#6
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The message
from Kay contains these words: It's also convenient to have plenty of work space for potting things up, and therefore storage space for bags of compost and spare flower pots. And somewhere for a few tools and reference books. And a sack of hardened cement to sit on, a tin to keep biscuits in, a camping stove to make tea, some old cracked mugs with hardened paintbrushes in, an old mangle and an array of tobacco tins full of tqt. Oh, and a hammer. You'll never find the Stanley knife 'cos it's dropped into Shedspace down the back of (Bob's sofa. HTH -- Rusty Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar. http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/ |
#7
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I built mine and it's still the most amazing architectural achievement known
to man, you can keep yer pyramids. It's 13 x 6 x 6 to 10 tall, biggest I could squeeze in. Cost me £700, would have been £3.5K commercially. But go for the biggest you can because it's vast in winter and then in spring you fill it with seedlings and each seedling then demands an acre of its own and your greenhouse shrinks down to a jungled nothing in summer. I used twinwall plastic for the roof, which holds in the heat for reasonable cosiness in winter, with automatic vents for summer heat. Make sure you have electricity multi socket for propagators, lights, fans, lawnmower, I have cctv cam. And think about water too, I have a butt on a nearby roof which gives rainwater on tap, otherwise you'll be lugging watering cans about twice a day, and make sure the door is big enough for your wheelbarrow. :-) Jon "Sadie" wrote in message ... Hi everyone, I have just joined this group and have enjoyed a good couple of hours reading many of the threads and the helpful advice given. I would like to have a 'place' in my garden to where I could retreat. I want to take my time planning and end up with somewhere that serves all purposes; potting shed, greenhouse etc probably getting my end design made up for me. The trouble is I have never had a greenhouse and I don't know what are essential features and which are money wasters. Although I am very keen, I don't have a lot of money to spend. I would love to have somewhere large enough to be comfortable and entice me in during the dark winter time. Have any of you advice or experiences that I could benefit from? -- Sadie |
#8
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"Oxymel of Squill" wrote in message .. ..And think about water too, I have a butt on a nearby roof which gives rainwater on tap, otherwise you'll be lugging watering cans about twice a day. I prefer to have the butt sited in the greenhouse - this has lots of obvious advantages. It can be fed from a nearby gutter downspout. Pete www.thecanalshop.com |
#9
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In article , Peter Stockdale
writes "Oxymel of Squill" wrote in message .. .And think about water too, I have a butt on a nearby roof which gives rainwater on tap, otherwise you'll be lugging watering cans about twice a day. I prefer to have the butt sited in the greenhouse - this has lots of obvious advantages. Don't you get algae problems? -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#10
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Quote:
Sadie |
#11
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I take your point about water, I will have a tap installed (mainly to fill my kettle) I would like to use a water butt but haven't the experience for the advantages of keeping it inside to be obvious, I can only think of not having to carry the water as far. Does the water in a butt get smelly and stagnant? and wouldn't it take up valuable space inside the greenshouse? sorry if I am being unbearably stupid. Quick answer from a non gardener. If you have your water butt inside the greenhouse, it will always be at greenhouse temperature :-)) AND, if you keep a lid on it, A) The wildy beasties won't get in and B) it should not go green and nasty :-)) Mike A non gardener but learning fast from 'her out of doors' and the patio/path/bed/fence making I am asked to do :-(( (Now a plumber/tiler/shower installer/under floor tile heating expert/carpenter etc etc) |
#12
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In article , Sadie Sadie.1fb1fo@n
ews.gardenbanter.co.uk writes I take your point about water, I will have a tap installed (mainly to fill my kettle) I would like to use a water butt but haven't the experience for the advantages of keeping it inside to be obvious, I can only think of not having to carry the water as far. Does the water in a butt get smelly and stagnant? That's what would worry me. Lots of light and warmth = algae. I'd prefer a solution of water butt outside and pipe into the greenhouse. Or, as I do, water butt outside, and just dip the watering can (no waiting around for trickle from tap to fill can). Otoh, if you are watering plants in the winter, and outside butt gets too cold, and you have to leave a can in the greenhouse for a few hours to warm the water. and wouldn't it take up valuable space inside the greenshouse? Yes. Whereabouts are you? Do you have hard or soft water? If your water is really soft, then it'd be OK for watering plants. If it's hard, then you do need a rainwater butt and use the tap just for the kettle. If you're piping anything into the greenhouse (electricity, water, telephone line ...) through a buried conduit, remember to leave a piece of cord in place along the conduit to make it easy if you ever want to add another cable. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
#13
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"Kay" wrote in message ... Don't you get algae problems? -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" No more than in outside butts which I also use.(for outside plants). This problem is significantly reduced by using dark coloured butts. My main outside "butt" (5000k gallons) also has a black polythene cover to eliminate algae totally. Pete |
#14
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The message
from "Peter Stockdale" contains these words: No more than in outside butts which I also use.(for outside plants). This problem is significantly reduced by using dark coloured butts. My main outside "butt" (5000k gallons) also has a black polythene cover to eliminate algae totally. I should think that a 5,000,000 gallon butt would be kept quite clear by keeping giant catfish in it... -- Rusty Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar. http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/ |
#15
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"Peter Stockdale" wrote in message ... This problem is significantly reduced by using dark coloured butts. My main outside "butt" (5000k gallons) also has a black polythene cover to eliminate algae totally. I beg your pardon? That would be roughly 100 ft * 100 ft * 100 ft. Some butt! Franz |
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