The Greenhouse Thread

[227bhp]

PositronicRay said:

227bhp said:

ledger said:

Hi,

does anyone use a raised bed in their greenhouse. I've just got a new greenhouse and was considering putting one in as I was thinking they would need less frequent watering than the pots I traditionally use. However now I'm thinking I would need to change the soil every few years and they may harbour diseases

From a practical viewpoint raised beds are a waste of time and money. Ok, if you're disabled you can reach the plants better, but that aside it's purely for aesthetics. Personally I don't need my vegetables to look fashionable so I just dig a shape in the garden and stick them in. The higher you go away from the base soil the more chance you have of them drying out.

Depends n your soil. My brothers place is built on chalk, no topsoil to speak of, ours is on limestone, again topsoil very poor. I've used gravel boards and farmyard manure.

My greenhouse sits on a concrete base, pots dry out quickly. Something I've not tried yet but might. My local bargain household place sells plastic 40l flexible trugs, like those builders bucket type things for 3.99. A few holes in the bottom, stand on some batterns, fill with compost and plant.

One thing I'm wary of the greenhouse will get too hot for most stuff except tomatoes. So plant in a tub or pot so you can take it out side July and August.

Edited by PositronicRay on Saturday 20th April 17:21

It's a fair point, unless you can replace a section of top soil where you are planting (which is what I would do). I wouldn't want a concrete based greenhouse personally, I prefer the ground or at least growbags laid on it as it's easier to keep an even moisture content.
Direct sun is an issue and can burn, open as many windows and the door. In the past gardeners used whitewash, the modern alternative is bubble wrap which has obvious insulation benefits too (Winter and Summer).

[PositronicRay]

227bhp said:

PositronicRay said:

227bhp said:

ledger said:

Hi,

does anyone use a raised bed in their greenhouse. I've just got a new greenhouse and was considering putting one in as I was thinking they would need less frequent watering than the pots I traditionally use. However now I'm thinking I would need to change the soil every few years and they may harbour diseases

From a practical viewpoint raised beds are a waste of time and money. Ok, if you're disabled you can reach the plants better, but that aside it's purely for aesthetics. Personally I don't need my vegetables to look fashionable so I just dig a shape in the garden and stick them in. The higher you go away from the base soil the more chance you have of them drying out.

Depends n your soil. My brothers place is built on chalk, no topsoil to speak of, ours is on limestone, again topsoil very poor. I've used gravel boards and farmyard manure.

My greenhouse sits on a concrete base, pots dry out quickly. Something I've not tried yet but might. My local bargain household place sells plastic 40l flexible trugs, like those builders bucket type things for 3.99. A few holes in the bottom, stand on some batterns, fill with compost and plant.

One thing I'm wary of the greenhouse will get too hot for most stuff except tomatoes. So plant in a tub or pot so you can take it out side July and August.

Edited by PositronicRay on Saturday 20th April 17:21

It's a fair point, unless you can replace a section of top soil where you are planting (which is what I would do). I wouldn't want a concrete based greenhouse personally, I prefer the ground or at least growbags laid on it as it's easier to keep an even moisture content.
Direct sun is an issue and can burn, open as many windows and the door. In the past gardeners used whitewash, the modern alternative is bubble wrap which has obvious insulation benefits too (Winter and Summer).

The concrete base wasn't my choice but does seem to have benifits. Easy to clean and sweep out, stable for potting tables. But more importantly early in the season soaks up any heat during the day and protects tender plants from late frosts.

My neighbour has a big jobbie and plants directly into the ground.

[Pheo]

Raised beds very very very useful on heavy clay soil like mine which is prone to waterlogging - some form of elevation is almost mandatory otherwise it becomes a quagmire in winter and everything rots.

[227bhp]

Pheo said:

Raised beds very very very useful on heavy clay soil like mine which is prone to waterlogging - some form of elevation is almost mandatory otherwise it becomes a quagmire in winter and everything rots.

What plants do you grow in Winter?

[48k]

227bhp said:

That aside what exactly are you talking about? The yellowing leaves? If it is and they are old it's common for them to be jettisoned and new ones take over.

Yes the yellow leaves. They're not old, I planted the seeds a month or so ago.

48K Senior says I've over watered them so I will check the drainage and back off the watering a bit and see how they get on.

[227bhp]

48k said:

227bhp said:

That aside what exactly are you talking about? The yellowing leaves? If it is and they are old it's common for them to be jettisoned and new ones take over.

Yes the yellow leaves. They're not old, I planted the seeds a month or so ago.

48K Senior says I've over watered them so I will check the drainage and back off the watering a bit and see how they get on.

It would be my first thought too, but impossible to tell as obviously we don't know how much or little your giving them, only you know that.
You've done some research and come up with various answers, this is to be expected as plants with yellow leaves are a bit like babies in that respect. When a baby cries it can be for various reasons and you've got to find which is the cause.
You've got the advantage there in that you've got quite a few so can experiment, you could label 3 or 4 A, B, C etc and give each one a different regime or condition and monitor them.
It helps to make notes for next year if you've got a memory like mine.

[48k]

Good tips, thanks.

[Skyedriver]

30+ leeks potted on this afternoon.
First courgette seedling through.
6 out of 8 sweetcorn germinated
4 cucumber now about 3" high
Tomatoes (second or third attempt) still not looking their best. Did you see the ones Monty D was potting on. Massive compared to my titchy things.
And about 50 pepper sees germinated, from a Tesco pepper. Not sure what to do with them.

New cherry trees in leaf, new plum tree getting there.
Some stuff I ordered from a certain supplier looks like it needs putting out of its misery. (Ketsura tree and Annabelle Hydrangea).

[227bhp]

Skyedriver said:

Tomatoes (second or third attempt) still not looking their best. Did you see the ones Monty D was potting on. Massive compared to my titchy things.

Monty D has probably got a fully gas heated, double glazed argon filled, oak framed greenhouse complete with Sunburst gables and electrically opening roof lights so I wouldn't worry too much, you'll just have a later crop. If you want early, start early, but you have to have somewhere suitable to grow them.

---

I'm looking to move house in the future if something suitable comes up so didn't want something too permanent or expensive. I started looking at used ones, but (long story) got sidetracked with a dead end deal and have realised I need to act now otherwise my inside toms will have nowhere to go. I've brought them on so far in the Conservatory and some have fruit on them.
I have a patch of wasteland off the end of my actual garden to put something on and the OH wisely pointed out you can buy small cheap polythene covered ones thinking i'd settle for one of those so I started searching. 1msq for £30 maybe? Uh, I can do better. Ah, Polytunnel. They look good I can walk in , how big? Something roughly car sized was about £100.
Then I saw huge ones were £150ish so a bit out of budget. What to do? Ebay came to the answer and a whopping 6 x 3 x 2m high is on it's way to be built (weather permitting) next weekend. £100 all in, If you can't go big, go home

My thoughts were it'll provide enjoyment in Summer and come Winter I could actually store a car in it. Yes I know it'll likely blow away or collapse under the snow, but we'll gloss over that for now and tackle it as and when

Meanwhile nature dealt its first cruel blow yesterday. I'd used the good weather last weekend to harden off my outside bush toms and also plant them out. They were doing ok, had some flowers on them, but yesterdays wind has snapped one of the main blooming branches off and some more off another

Some tips I found which you might find useful are to nip any shoots out which form in the V between the main leaves and the main stem so the energy is concentrated elsewhere . Also, Toms are self pollinating. The flower contains both bits needed, they just need agitating so the pollen gets across and does its stuff. Do it manually by shaking or vibrating if you don't have insects to do it.

[LeadFarmer]

Or the last few years I've been cultivating firewood in my greenhouse, which I harvest each winter...

[RichB]

Never thought if using a wood shed?

[227bhp]

Leave the door and a window open and I bet that dries it out lovely in Summer

[Jambo85]

How are your toms getting on Skyedriver? If no joy yet probably best to cut your losses and get plants from a garden centre. If you’re too late up north where we are then you end up with a big pile of green tomatoes that won’t ripen in November...!

Potted on the last of mine last night, some garden centre bought and some grown from seed by my dad, shouldn’t be short of them this year!



This has been to the detriment of outside stuff, don’t have beds prepared nor tatties planted or any outside spring seeds sown.

Apple blossom starting here too, really hope the cold snap approaching doesn’t knacker it

[48k]

What is the purpose of the plant pot buried in the plant pots?

[Jambo85]

48k said:

What is the purpose of the plant pot buried in the plant pots?

It's a wee trick for getting the water to the plant better, particularly for thirsty plants with deep roots like tomatoes, you water into the pot. Also gets around that annoying problem where compost sometimes develops that rock hard almost waterproof surface which seems to shed all the water to the outside of the pot and straight down the sides and out the drainage holes.

It's easy to do when potting on too, plant in one hole, the pot you take it out of into another, job done.

[Skyedriver]

Polytunnel nearly sorted, photo taken yesterday, (straw now under strawberries).
3 beds strawbs, 2 beds x toms, 1 bed x sweetcorn 2 courgette plants, and 4 cucumber.. plus spring cabbage still growing at the back. Still have peppers to go in and have just sown coriander, parsley and varieties of basil.
Potatoes doing slightly less than good outside, rhubarb ditto but was moved in spring. 30+ leeks still to plant outside. Time to breathe....

[227bhp]

Those strawberries look really good, I didn't think they'd be so far on, but then isn't harvesting time normally June/July?
My outside toms aren't fantastic due to the patchy weather even though i've moved them into the polytunnel. I measured the temp at 50'c in there at the weekend before getting some ventilation going, i'll be lucky if its 10 this morning with a miserable cold & wet forecast for the next few days too.
The vine ones in the house are about 4ft tall and bearing fruit of about an inch across now though, drinking a lot of water when its sunny.



I'm growing them around canes.

[Skyedriver]

Been dry and warm for weeks up here on the west coast (of Scotland). Have to water the garden most days never mind in the PT.

[Jambo85]

Looking good, here’s how mine is looking on the east coast, roasty toasty in the greenhouse!

[James_P]

Finally got all my stuff in, about a month behind due to new patio, but worth it trying out strawberries this year, usual tomatoes, chilles and aubergine which did well last year.