The old greenhouse has been dismantled, and left is tiles and cast concrete. The greenhouse has got a new happy owner, who will surely create even more greenhouse moments.

Louise from the GreenhouseForum has once again put into words some greenhouse and garden considerations. Read or reread the first and second stories about getting rid of established flowers and whether one can sell an old greenhouse.

 

 

The next step in the garden project for this year is still cleaning up and out the beds but also the assembling of the new greenhouse. It would have been really smart of us to buy the same greenhouse in the same size, but we didn´t want it to be easy. The new greenhouse is 22 cm wider, so the pit for the old foundation does not exactly fit. In addition, we do not like the idea of ​​stepping one step down when entering the greenhouse. Since our plot is sloping and the greenhouse obviously needs to be level, I think we will make a small hill up to the greenhouse. I must honestly admit that I am left high and dry regarding this garden project, and my brain goes east and west about the considerations that need to be made before assembling the greenhouse so that we do not throw ourselves headless into the project. It's not easy for someone like me who is used to having to-do lists for the day, the week, the month, even for half a year ahead, so now I have tried to note down the challenges we might face and the considerations that must be done so that we can get the garden we dream of.

 

Location

The greenhouse will be used to grow crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, chillies, and peppers. Our garden is facing south, so my racing thoughts are on which conditions the common crops, which I, as a novice, will grow, require, as it will affect choosing the location for the greenhouse in relation to sunlight, as well as rules for distance to boundaries when placing the greenhouse.

 

Flooring

Flooring in the greenhouse is another mystery that rumbles in my head.

• Which flooring is best for cultivation?
• How should we cultivate best? In capillary boxes or directly in the ground? That is, whether we should have tiling throughout the greenhouse, or only in the middle?

My racing thoughts have forced me to the keys asking the GreenhouseForum´s garden expert Lars Lund, and he has some good considerations for the greenhouse's location and growing conditions for the crops I want to grow.

“IF THE LOCATION OF THE GREENHOUSE IS NOT IN THE SHADE MOST OF THE DAY, THEN MY ADVICE IS THAT YOU SHOULD PLACE IT WHEREVER IT FITS THE BEST AND LOOKS BEAUTIFUL IN THE GARDEN. A GREENHOUSE IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE GARDEN. UNLIKE IN THE PAST, WHERE THE GREENHOUSES WERE SMALLER AND THE LOCATION WAS IMPORTANT, IT IS NOT TODAY, AS THERE IS GLASS ON ALL THE SIDES.”

Weather conditions in the greenhouse

“If you place the gables east-west, you get the most light in spring and autumn, and if you turn them north-south, you get the most sun in the summer. If you live exposed to wind, most winds and storms come from the west, and it is, therefore, a good idea not to have the wide side facing west, because then there is something the wind can pull at, so shelter is very important. The shelter also creates a better climate in and around the house. If the side faces west, you may get more heat in at the end of the day, so it also depends a bit on what you prefer. But turn it the way you think looks most beautiful. However, do not forget shelter,” says Lars.

 

Good advice for placing a greenhouse in the garden

• Shelter - look at the surroundings
• Avoid large trees whose leaves fall on the roof or shade large parts of the day.
• Feel free to make room for a terrace around the greenhouse, especially by the entrance.

 

Cultivation and flooring

"If the greenhouse is to be used a lot for relaxing, I would choose to lay bricks or tiles as flooring throughout the greenhouse. You can always pick up some tiles and plant directly in the ground. Cultivation can be done in capillary boxes and pots. Cultivation in beds has other advantages. The plants require less water which can be obtained with a Juliana Vanlet drip irrigation system."

 

"There are two camps when it comes to cultivation:

• Those who could never dream of growing in plastic and plastic growbags, but are convinced that it is best to grow in beds because the crops taste much better.
• The other camp is those who mainly - because they think it is practical - cultivate in capillary boxes. Here too it must be said that it is very much up to you.
• You also have to remember that you can grow a lot in garden frames if you want to use the greenhouse more for relaxing. Citrus is e.g., far better off standing outside in the open all summer, and then you can easily grow tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouses, or even in the garden if you want something else in the greenhouse. However, the harvest of, for example, tomatoes is greatest when cultivated under glass. "

 

As a greenhouse novice, I now feel ready for the next step in my greenhouse journey. I now know that the gables should face east and west. I also think we will be extra happy with the location, as we can look directly into the greenhouse from our terrace. Although we only want to use the greenhouse to cultivate in, we would like tiles, and Lars´s idea of ​​picking up tiles in some places and growing directly in the ground will be remembered. The rest will be grown in capillary boxes. I'm so looking forward to kicking off my first greenhouse season, but I am aware that there are some tasks ahead before our Premium greenhouse can be assembled:

 

• The current foundation must be removed and the tiles too.
• We must fill in the soil where the old greenhouse stood.
• We have to make a small hill where the greenhouse should be placed.
• And finally, we must lay new tiles as flooring.

 

Read more next time when we assemble the greenhouse.

 

Warm greenhouse wishes

Louise, the GreenhouseForum