Author Topic: garden UF?O (Read 8891 times)

greenfinger · « **on:** December 27, 2005, 05:37:28 PM »

Who has experience with this kind of extra terrestrial kind of greenhouses: www.growingspaces.co.uk?

Kew · « **Reply #1 on:** January 16, 2007, 07:59:02 PM »

Not me, but I do make greenhouses out of next to nothing and from bits from my shed (with a little help from Gamma/Hubbo....!)

greenfinger · « **Reply #2 on:** January 16, 2007, 09:10:54 PM »

I think you are a handy man, painting, making greenhouses, doing pwa work...
And to prove our world is a little one: the owner of Hubo, the DIY chain you mention, is my neighbour. But that doesn't mean I get discount.
It seems to me not a lot of people have experience with that "extra terrestrial" kind of greenhouses. They are attractive but also (too?) expensive. Caviare to the general, nothing for the allotment man.

Kew · « **Reply #3 on:** January 19, 2007, 09:26:06 PM »

I never had a discounted anything, GF, and if I knew the Hubo boss I'd have a word to him about some of his 'helpful' sales people!
Here's how I put together a very cost effective tomato house. The fron I covered with a roll down open mesh curtain.

Kew · « **Reply #4 on:** January 19, 2007, 09:27:13 PM »

con't.

greenfinger · « **Reply #5 on:** January 19, 2007, 09:39:12 PM »

Héhé, that's nice! You give me some idea there.
Is that on the plot you will leave at the end of the year?
The green box next to your tomato house is that perhaps a waste bin transformed in a watertank?
If you have other pictures of your allotment, please transmit them. Expensive books are written about them these days. And with good reason: they are sources of ideas and interesting time documents.

greenfinger · « **Reply #6 on:** January 19, 2007, 09:41:07 PM »

The dog, is it a border collie, a sheepsdog? I happened to see a program about them just an hour ago, made in Scotland.

Kew · « **Reply #7 on:** January 19, 2007, 10:13:29 PM »

The greenbin is a wheely bin I picked up for ?2 from the council. They changed to bar-coded ones and sold off the old ones. I'm a great believer in that when it rains plants know that and 'open up' ready to drink. Bearing that in mind and also because I couldn't get to the plot daily, I modified the bin by putting a tap at the top, and a tap at the bottom. The bottom one I used to water as far as the pipe would reach, but the top outlet was the good part; When it rained, the bin filled up and rather than let the excess water go to waste, I piped it into the 'greenhouse' so that the over flow went to the tomato plants at a time the plants knew it was raining.
The plot I sadly left at the end of December, mainly due to thieves...

The dog is my pal, Ski, and yes, she's a Border Collie with 2 1/2 brain cells more than me.....quite good with sheep too!
I'm sure I have a few more pics of my allotment...if anyone wants to see them I'll do a search....I doubt they're of interest to anyone but me, tho'.

greenfinger · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2007, 09:32:05 AM »

So my guess was right. I think we should start a topic with the most original gardening tips. This one with the greenbin would be a very good one. First you have to think it over, keeping your eyes open when there is an occasion to buy such a thing for 2 euro's and knowing how and where to put taps in the plastic. A ready made water tank normally costs about 100 euro's!
I think you have something like a survivor's mind. And you write Ski is even better...
I understand you've already left the plot. Are you going for another one?
Speaking for myself I'm always interested in pictures of allotments. The reason for that interest is exactly what we have discussed: the originality of what people can do with simple materials and techniques and having good harvests of their own.

Kew · « **Reply #9 on:** January 20, 2007, 10:01:28 AM »

Growing your own isn't always cheaper depending on what you're growing but it's certainly healthier and more satisfying. Over time it does become profitable but initially it does cost money to get things up and running and the soil in good order. This is the real reason most allotment people come up with some very good ideas to keep costs down. Home made tools are in many cases better than bought ones. I made a hoe from an old silver spoon! to go between my carrots...it worked a treat and cost nothing.
A thread on garden/allotment tips is a good idea. Many people are put off growing their own simply because they don't know how. A little help and encouragement might be the only thing missing to get more people into this great and profitable past-time. Companion planting is a not very well understood procedure and yet it's so simple. I wonder if there is enough support here for such a thread. I'll certainly help out where I can on the vegetable side. Having grown veg for 50 year or more I might be able to answer the odd querie.
I could get another plot tomorrow...one a little nearer to home but I need to get the next 3 months out of the way first...I have a course to follow starting next month. I'll see about it after that.

Kew · « **Reply #10 on:** January 21, 2007, 05:23:30 PM »

On the question of greenhouse DIY...I bought the bits from Hubo and without help had it up in a very short time.

Kew · « **Reply #11 on:** January 21, 2007, 05:24:05 PM »

At last.

Kew · « **Reply #12 on:** January 21, 2007, 06:19:54 PM »

...and here's one I made from 'nothing' down the plot, mainly for peppers.

Gene · « **Reply #13 on:** January 21, 2007, 10:21:04 PM »

I do not know if these kinds of materials are available where you live or not. Thought I would post this link because I have had such great success with this design.

http://www.middlecity.com/backyard/hoophouse.shtml

Materials are really cheap and I can put up a 20' x8' hoophouse, by myself, in about half a day. My units are covered with 60% shade cloth because of the extream heat here in Texas. Check out my web site for pictures. George was kind enough to put up the site for me.

http://www.ideasforgardens.net/ivys/index.html

Gene

Kew · « **Reply #14 on:** January 21, 2007, 10:32:52 PM »

Now that's really wierd. My home-made one is almost identical to those albiet on a smaller scale, but I certainly didn't look for ideas outside of my head and my border collie...so, it goes to show there's no substitute for common sense and a bit of plastic pipe.
Cheers, Gene.

greenfinger · « **Reply #15 on:** January 21, 2007, 10:44:35 PM »

You did that "serre" alone? How much tentackles do you have?

Kew · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2007, 11:04:37 PM »

Where there's a will there's a way. Bit's of planking to hold up the sides. Glass was a sod tho'. Trying to do the top single handed is a little 'dodgy'...however, it went up and it's stood straight and proud regardless of God's efforts to undo it!
I think I have moved around 10 tons of soil in/out and goodness knows how much weight in sand, cement, stone and patio tiles...yes, I laid a 5x3 patio with extension complete with 4x4 wood supports for a roof (sometime??)

Kew · « **Reply #17 on:** January 22, 2007, 03:35:21 PM »

I see the greenhouse pic's have been downloaded 6 times....what does that mean and what's happened to them now?

greenfinger · « **Reply #18 on:** January 22, 2007, 04:40:10 PM »

You are right, they are gone. Downloaded literally, I'm afraid

Kew · « **Reply #19 on:** January 22, 2007, 04:49:36 PM »

Must remind George to lock the back door!

ideasguy · « **Reply #20 on:** January 22, 2007, 05:04:32 PM »

I'll check this out tonight, folk, by FTP'ing into the server.
Andre alerted me this morning.
It looks like a folder has been moved, hopefully not emptied!
Ive reported to my server provider in case they have made a change. No reply as yet.

greenfinger · « **Reply #21 on:** January 22, 2007, 08:05:05 PM »

Pictures are back. What happened, Georgewizz?

ideasguy · « **Reply #22 on:** January 22, 2007, 08:39:52 PM »

Well, Ive got this magic stick thingy, see, and I waved it like, up and own and around and around, and chanted a few choice things and begorrah, dem pictures came back.

Actually,I looked at where the attachments are stored, seen they were there and clicked the Save Changes button on exit (even though I didnt actually change any values).
I also reported the problem to the people who provide the hosting. Its more likely that they did something, but they didnt end an email to say so.

Maybe it was that stick thingy. I think I'll call it a wand, because now I remember, thats what I chanted!!!!!

I wand my photos back!!!!

Kew · « **Reply #23 on:** January 23, 2007, 08:12:43 AM »

Don't give up the day job, George...!

Gene · « **Reply #24 on:** January 23, 2007, 11:17:44 PM »

Look at some of the other pages on ivy's site. The "cattle panels" are what I was rerering to. 54" x 16ft. Made of 1/4 inch galvanized wire. About $15 each US. I put 4 of them together for about a 20 ft long "hoop-house". I can, at 6'+, walk down the middle. The local office supply strore supplies medium size paper clips to fasten the covering to the wire. In winter, cover with white plastic, almost like a green house. In summer I cover with 60% shade cloth (black) for protection from our intense heat. Wind goes over the top easy. I don't get snow but I can see it sliding right off the curved top. gene