Greenhouse – Take two

Garden transformation Part 10 – The Greenhouses

We’d both longed for a greenhouse for years, we considered building a bespoke one to fit our tiny veg patch, but by then we’d pretty much decided to move.

We moved in summer 2013 and set about turning our new garden into a kitchen garden.

April 2014 – Greenhouse number one

In spring 2014, we ordered our very first greenhouse. This was our joint birthday present that year, and put it together with great excitement.

We had planned for the food growing area to be close to the house, so we would be able to clearly see the greenhouse. With this in mind we chose a more attractive one, it was by Halls in forest green and had a nice curved frame. We were really pleased with it, but we’d chosen the standard size of 6′ x 8′ , which turned out to be a mistake.

That first season we had a bumper crop. We had grown tomatoes outside for years, but we were always left with a lot of unripe green tomatoes. The up side of that was jars of green tomato chutney, but we’d rather have had more red ones!

Our chilli plants had been grown reasonably successfully in the office at our last house. Now they took off and grew so much bigger and more productive

Of course the greenhouse was a victim of its own success, and we quickly realised we needed a bigger one!

Greenhouse to shed

We lasted two years before replacing it with a much larger one – another joint birthday present. Having no shed and with lots of building materials needing a home. We decided to keep it temporarily, and move it to the pizza patio area.

We carefully took the glass out, then picked the whole frame up and walked it down the garden. I’m so sorry there are no photos of this, as even I would have liked to have seen them – Think ‘Last of the summer wine’.

March 2016 – Greenhouse number two!

We decided to put a concrete base in. To make it look more attractive we used buff coloured concrete dye in the mix, we also used sloping bricks around the outside.

The two years of greenhouse experience, had shown us that planting directly into the ground saved hugely on watering. Meaning that when we constructed the concrete base, we left out a long section to allow direct planting.

We built an interior brick border, again using the sloping bricks for aesthetics.

We’ve run a drainpipe up the whole length of the garden, spurring off to the greenhouse. This is to have both water pipe, and electricity cable fed through it. Unfortunately they’re still not connected as we haven’t finished the house alterations. Garden came first!

After much research we bought an Alton greenhouse. As I mentioned we can see the greenhouse from the house, so we wanted an attractive one. We were going to order the 8′ x 10′ but decided to go for the 8′ x 12′ as the price difference was negligible. I am glad we went for the bigger one, but it did mean the pond had to be smaller. More tomatoes, less froggies!

The main reason we picked their Evolution model, is the fact that the side panes are whole and not joined, this makes it much more aesthetically pleasing. We also loved the moss green aluminium capping as it gives it a really contemporary feel. We are truly thrilled with it.

Another bonus of the greenhouse being a good size is that two chairs fit nicely in there, doubling it up as a summerhouse. It’s perfect for when we finish work at beer o’clock, and it’s a bit too cool to sit outside.

We bought the staging from Gabriel Ash. We choose the natural aluminium with a recessed tray. It’s so sturdy and incredibly practical. At the moment it’s better than my kitchen worktop and has a much better view. I set my potting tray up at the far end so that I’m looking out at the pond. Perfect spot for watching the many birds bathing.

The staging gets rather crowed at the beginning of the growing season, with all of the seedlings.

Summer crops

Salad and chillies

Once all of the outdoor crops are planted out, and the tomatoes and cucumbers are in the ground. The staging gets filled up with salad and the chilli plants.

I discovered that the advice on potting chillies on, into large pots really works and I’ve had much bigger crops since doing this.

My husband and I like ‘very’ different chilli heat. So after experimenting with lots of different varieties. Some of which were too small and fiddly.

I now usually grow two staples ‘Habanero’ (hot) for my husband and ‘jalapeño’ (mild) for me, and a couple of others. This year I’m trying ‘Havana Gold’, they look like a  jalapeño with the same mild heat, but have the habanero flavour and Naga for Mr Asbestos mouth! I’ll let you know how they turn out….

We mainly turn the chillies into sauce (his and hers) which lasts all year. It is vital for me that we can tell whose is whose!

Tomatoes and cucumbers

Planted directly into the soil, we grow five different varieties of tomatoes, three favourites ‘Brandywine’, ‘Rosella’ and a golden variety, and two new ones each year. We’re now able to produce enough tomatoes, to make and freeze tomato sauce that lasts most of the year. As well as enough to eat fresh most days through the summer.

The Cucumbers are also planted into the ground. I usually grow two but this year I’m trying a gherkin for the first time, so only one cucumber.

I grow the mini cucumbers as they are small enough be eaten in one go. I usually have so many that I end up giving them to anyone I see, it’s a wonder I’m not known as the cucumber lady!

Last year however was very poor. I don’t think I watered them enough – lesson learned.

Winter crop

In the winter the greenhouse was pretty bare, except for overwintering the two lemon trees and the pitcher fly catching plant ‘Sarracenia purpurea’.

I did an internet search for what you could grow in the greenhouse over winter, and someone suggested carrots.

As soon as I’d cleared the tomato plants out in the autumn, I sowed some carrot seed. They germinated quite quickly, grew a little, and then sat there happily all winter waiting for the heat to come back into the sun. As soon as it did they shot off nicely, and we got quite a few harvests from them. I will definitely be sowing them again this year.

I made a viewers video about my winter carrot crop and sent it into Gardeners World. To my astonishment I made it onto episode 12 on 4th June. After watching for thirty years, I was absolutely over the moon!

This will take you to BBC iplayer, to see my two minutes of fame!

Prepping the bed, biennially

We dig the soil out every two years, down to a depth of around a foot. Then replace it with fresh compost. On the alternate year we just top dress it with some tomato grow bags.

Upcycling the first greenhouse

As well as growing much more food, the added bonus to the greenhouse upgrade, was one of my lifelong friends had the old one off us. She now seems to have caught the gardening bug. In her first season she kept saying how relaxing it is to spend time tending to your plants. I was really thrilled to receive photos of the veg she grew.

I’m always tried to spread the word of how good gardening is for your spirits and general mental wellbeing. I think this is especially true if you grow food. Feeding your body and soul.

Stay safe & happy gardening.

Although I have included links to Halls, Alton and Gabriel Ash. I have no affiliation with them, and have received no payment from them. I simply recommend them on the basis of the products we’ve bought from them and the good service they provided.

Next week ‘The Fruit Trees’

Part 1 – Let’s get stuck into the garden makeover! Part 2 – New garden, new cat! Part 3 – Building the raised vegetable beds Part 4 – Lady bricklayer? Part 5 Creating a walled garden from scratch – The Shady Wall Part 6 – Creating a walled garden from scratch – The Great Wall Part 7 – Bamboo and Hosta raised beds Part 8 – The Majestic Walnut Tree Part 9 –The Holly and The Ivy Part 11 – The Fruit trees Part 12 – Dreaming of a Pond Part 13 – The White Garden Part 14 – Gardening on an Ice-Age Glacier Part 15 – Creating the Pathways Part 16 – Creating a Woodland border Part 17 – Digging up the lawn