Topic: New "mini greenhouse" from GC - advice?

[Mrs greenjeans]

 ??? Hi all,
Have been itching to have greenhouse and decided to try this first - hubby groans & rolls eyes at the thought of moving/setting up proper one (despite being offered FREEBIE on freecycle >:()
This was £60, with frames, plastic cover & I can walk in with shelving on each side. Seems pretty warm & wind proof. Have put it in sunny corner against two walls of my victorian-ish garden. Can move it when it gets sunnier  later in yr if necessary.

So, can I treat it as a Cold Greenhouse?
Should I open the Tent flap everyday, does that matter?
Do Ihave to worry about the normal insects etc as normal gh? it's on soil.

any advice appreciated.thks!

[Tee Gee]

So, can I treat it as a Cold Greenhouse?

Basically YES! but it is subject to what you are growing (which you do not mention!)

Should I open the Tent flap everyday, does that matter?

Again YES! subject to that mentioned above.

Do I have to worry about the normal insects etc as normal gh? it's on soil.

Yes plus those that like the protection of the greenhouse.

[Mrs greenjeans]

thanks for thoughts... I had thought it might be "less protective" somehow than a real greenhouse. Am keeping veg seedlings - cabbage, squashes etc. plus my young sweetpea plants etc.

will put peas in guttering segments if I get round to it soon.
all in all very exciting!

[Gazfoz]

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

[Twospot Ladybird]

Hi Mrs greenjeans,

If it's a bigger version of what I've got, tubular metal frame with clear plastic cover with zip up doorflap, then these can get very hot and humid inside on warm days. I have mine in the most sheltered part of the garden, temperature in the garden was 18C (about 62F) at about 10am. Temperature in the mini greenhouse was a whopping 30C (about 86F) before I opened the flap, after opening it up, the temperature fell to 20C (about 68F) but I took most of my plants out anyway.

I sow everything and put them on the window ledge in the living room, after germination and once I feel they are ready, I move them to the mini greenhouse to start acclimatising them and once all risk of frost has passed, I plant out. Not used my to start off seeds yet.

Oh and despite how tough the covers are supposed to be, I find I have to replace mine every year.

[Chris Graham]

Make sure to anchor it down, i moved mine with seedling inside at the weekend and a slight gust of wind took it skyward and all the seedlings lost :(

[SueSteve]

I have had 2 of these, the first one go caught by the wind and it was ripped to pieces.
A few years later we bought another, we had moved and the garden was more sheltered, the plastic also looked stronger. At the end of the first season the tomatoes were growing through the top of the plastic! We left it up in the winter (big mistake) and when we went in there in January it was raining! All teh little squares of plastic had perished!
We have just bought a secondhand glass greenhouse, and need to pick it up this week. The plastic ones were £50 each and lasted less than a year, the glass one is £100! Fingers crossed that we can get it together ok!
So the main tips are place in a sheltered position, and take down through the winter.Sue

[SueSteve]

Forgot to say! Be very careful of the shelves, we lost loads of veggies last year, when the wind blew the greenhouse, the seed trays and pots landed on the floor, we then decided to put everything on the floor and just put empty pot and trays on the shelf, that was silly, as the empties just landed on the plants below!!

[MrsKP]

Forgot to say! Be very careful of the shelves, we lost loads of veggies last year, when the wind blew the greenhouse, the seed trays and pots landed on the floor, we then decided to put everything on the floor and just put empty pot and trays on the shelf, that was silly, as the empties just landed on the plants below!!

sorry, couldn't help myself.

 ;D

and just to excuse myself even more, been there - done that !  lol