'Willpower & sheer idiocy combine in harmony'
Greenhouses, conservatories, grow houses, cold frames
Joys of growing under glass - structures to fit your garden & budget
GROWING under glass is incredibly rewarding, expanding the range of plants you can try.
Unfortunately, investing in any structure - whether it be a greenhouse, conservatory, cold frame, polytunnel, mini-greenhouse, grow house or fold-up tomato house - can be fraught with difficulties.
If you need inspiration, and want to assess what you can afford, there's a huge selection of greenhouses, polytunnels, cold frames, mini-greenhouses, grow houses or tomato houses available at Primrose.
First, there's costs to consider. Budget options are usually that for a reason - lightweight push-together frameworks covered with pvc 'tents' aren't called 'blowaways' for nothing - not great for windy or exposed sites.
I had a bad experience with an 8'x4' grow house, which retailed at nearly £100 and was wrecked after three days.
In May, I invested in an 8'x4' lean-to aluminium greenhouse, with double doors down the long side, which is great - but I'd recommend getting a professional to install one. It was utterly beyond me and the other half.
My conservatory has been great, but from March to October, you can barely enter the house without knocking something down. The colder months aren't much better, with half-hardy perennials to overwinter.
It's also up a flight of stairs, meaning many heavy pots have to carried outside/back inside in spring and autumn.
I THOROUGHLY recommend having someone to install the greenhouse for you. You need it to be secure, level, and fitting all that glass isn't child's play.
I had mine done by Mark Barry, of BMA Builders, South Shields - email bmabuilders@hotmail.com.
He managed to overcome a slope, a back wall that's way out of line and the lean-to was a few centimentres too tall after the ground had been levelled - all in a day.
Professional installation
Double-decker approach to growing under glass: above, the new lean-to greenhouse under the conservatory; right a still very packed conservatory in late May.
Pros and cons
THE pros and cons of under cover structures:
GREENHOUSE
PROS: Permanent.
Can be constructed to your specifications.
Can be successfully heated.
Toughened safety glass can be installed - but more expensive.
CONS: Expensive, especially wooden framed models.
Base needed for stability.
Difficult to build.
Requires time and effort to clean.
Wooden frames require treatment to prevent rot.
Danger of cheaper horticultural glass shattering.
POLYTUNNEL
PROS: Prices get more reasonable as size increases.
No glass to break.
Large areas can be covered.
Storm resistant if installed properly.
Professional growers' choice.
CONS: Not cost-effective on a small scale.
Manufacturers rely on you putting them up - I was quoted £700 to install a £400 model.
Cheaper covers need replacing.
Not as aesthetically pleasing as a greenhouse.
CONSERVATORY
PROS: Great habitat for exotics.
Sit and enjoy your plants!
Part of the house, so no cold journeys outside.
Temperature can be controlled.
CONS: If used as a sitting room, etc, not practical to have soil everywhere.
Using it as a greenhouse may upset family members.
Temperatures rise and fall dramatically if ventilation is not monitored.
GROW HOUSE
PROS: Cheaper but sizeable alternative to greenhouse or polytunnel.
Easier to install.
CONS: Avoid if you live in a windy area.
PVC covers rip at seams easily.
Light intensity poor.
MINI-GREENHOUSE
PROS: Strength of those made of upvc or glass with aluminium/wooden frames.
Can be fixed to walls.
Excellent for hardening off plants.
CONS: Expensive.
Small size limits what you can grow.
COLD FRAME
PROS: DIY fixed version are cost effective.
Excellent for hardening off crops.
Mobile versions great for warming soil in spring for early crops.
CONS: Plastic versions liable to blow away.
Heavier wooden types can be expensive.
TOMATO HOUSE/MINI GROWHOUSE
PROS: Cheap, easy to move.
Dismantles easily for winter storage.
CONS: Likely to blow away.
Not durable.
Shelves bow under weight.
From grow house disaster to greenhouse
George didn't take long to find the prime spot; tomatoes in September; hardening off at the end of May.
THIS great book brings a new dimension to the phrase 'gardening under glass'!
Terrariums Gardens Under Glass is the ultimate handcrafted, fun way to bring the natural world indoors.
If you haven’t seen this virtually foolproof and no-fuss way to bring nature indoors in the last 40 years (a far cry from 1970s bottle gardens), you're in for a treat.
Creating terrariums is a delightful way to combine the worlds of home decor and gardening.
Terrarium expert and teacher Maria Colletti makes designing your own interior gardens easy, with step-by-step photos of more than 20 of her own designs.
Get all the information you need on suitable plants – tillandsias (air plants), orchids, mosses, cacti and succulents, along with “traditional” terrarium ferns.
Learn how to transform basic designs using moss, air plants, succulents, vertical planters and hanging glass globes.
Terrariums Gardens Under is available now in paperback, price £15.99, published by Cool Springs Press.
To order the book at the discounted price of £12.99 including p&p* (RRP: £15.99), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG374. *UK ONLY - please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.
on Terrarium Gardens Under Glass book
