My pride and joy
My pride and joy
When I moved here about 15 years ago, I built a greenhouse that I thoroughly enjoyed for many years.
At the time the site was an empty field within spitting distance of the Atlantic, so I decided to build a substantial portion of it below ground level, sort of hunkered down against the stormy winter weather ... which worked out very well.
The problem turned out to be all my own fault; firstly I made it out of timber I bought at a local auction, which of course was reject wood that nobody else wanted, and secondly, I was in such a hurry to start using it that it barely got a lick of paint.
But it lasted for about 14 years before ending up looking like this ..... This was after I had salvaged most of the glass, but a sorry sight.
That was last February (2009) and I thought I would take my time and rebuild it over the summer months so that it would be ready for this year. I didn't reckon on the summer being so wet that I couldn't do anything much until November when I got the structure built and painted ... and not until this February that I managed to almost finish it. Should have taken me about a month, not a whole B** year!
Anyway, this time the timber was building grade and each piece was given two coats of wood preservative, then a coat of primer, then undercoat and a good thick gloss top coat.
Now it looks like this ..... Still not totally finished, the ventilator flaps need a couple of coats of paint, but it's nearly there.
It's about 20 feet by 12 feet and the inside floor level is about 5 feet below ground level and that works really well as the surrounding soil acts as a faily efficient insulator to such an extent that it has never been heated but the temperature has never dropped below freezing inside.
The inside looks like this ..... The back bed is about 4 feet wide and there used to be a similar one in the front, but I dug that one out as I intend to make the front half all hydroponic.
I ran out of time on that, so this year it will be full of grow bags and containers
After using it for the last umpteen years it was sorely missed last year, but now I have it back to (or exceeding) it's former glory and I'm as happy as a pig in whatsit.
At the time the site was an empty field within spitting distance of the Atlantic, so I decided to build a substantial portion of it below ground level, sort of hunkered down against the stormy winter weather ... which worked out very well.
The problem turned out to be all my own fault; firstly I made it out of timber I bought at a local auction, which of course was reject wood that nobody else wanted, and secondly, I was in such a hurry to start using it that it barely got a lick of paint.
But it lasted for about 14 years before ending up looking like this ..... This was after I had salvaged most of the glass, but a sorry sight.
That was last February (2009) and I thought I would take my time and rebuild it over the summer months so that it would be ready for this year. I didn't reckon on the summer being so wet that I couldn't do anything much until November when I got the structure built and painted ... and not until this February that I managed to almost finish it. Should have taken me about a month, not a whole B** year!
Anyway, this time the timber was building grade and each piece was given two coats of wood preservative, then a coat of primer, then undercoat and a good thick gloss top coat.
Now it looks like this ..... Still not totally finished, the ventilator flaps need a couple of coats of paint, but it's nearly there.
It's about 20 feet by 12 feet and the inside floor level is about 5 feet below ground level and that works really well as the surrounding soil acts as a faily efficient insulator to such an extent that it has never been heated but the temperature has never dropped below freezing inside.
The inside looks like this ..... The back bed is about 4 feet wide and there used to be a similar one in the front, but I dug that one out as I intend to make the front half all hydroponic.
I ran out of time on that, so this year it will be full of grow bags and containers
After using it for the last umpteen years it was sorely missed last year, but now I have it back to (or exceeding) it's former glory and I'm as happy as a pig in whatsit.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
-
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 1212
- Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:39 pm
- Location: London
Re: My pride and joy
Fabulous, great work, I think sinking greenhouses and polytunnels is very sensible. How about adding a gutter - but another year perhaps!
- Green Aura
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9313
- Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:16 pm
- latitude: 58.569279
- longitude: -4.762620
- Location: North West Highlands
Re: My pride and joy
That's amazing Tony.
I do envy your skills
It's a brilliant idea to sink it.
When fully functioning do you use it all year? Knowing what you grow in the polytunnel I'm sure you do.
I do envy your skills
It's a brilliant idea to sink it.
When fully functioning do you use it all year? Knowing what you grow in the polytunnel I'm sure you do.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Re: My pride and joy
Yes that is one more job I have to do next week, not to save water (no need for that here) but with no gutter the front wall gets extremely wet and soaks through to the inside.grahamhobbs wrote:How about adding a gutter - but another year perhaps!
Another job to do is to make flaps for the top. You might just be able to make out the rock wool insulation that I stuffed between the joists at the top. There will be flaps there that can be opened or closed as extra ventilation, and I have old radiators that will be fixed the other side, painted matt black, which should provide hot water in my potting shed (that's yet to be built).
Yes Maggie it was always in use all year. During the winter months it grows lettuce, spring onions and lots of baby carrots.
The lettuce does a lot better there than the polytunnel as there is no condensation to drip.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
- marshlander
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 1323
- Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:45 am
- Location: Cloddygate Farm, North Linconshire coast.
Re: My pride and joy
Wow! Fantastic. I now, officially, have greenhouse envy!
Terri x
“I'd rather be a little weird than all boring.”
― Rebecca McKinsey
“I'd rather be a little weird than all boring.”
― Rebecca McKinsey
- homegrown
- Living the good life
- Posts: 440
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:03 am
- Location: North Canterbury, NZ, somewhere between reality and heaven
Re: My pride and joy
I want one!
and atleast the wind can't blow yours down.
and atleast the wind can't blow yours down.
Our remote ancestors said to their mother Earth, "We are yours."
Modern humanity has said to Nature, "You are mine."
The Green Man has returned as the living face of the whole earth so that through his mouth we may say to the universe, "We are one."
Author Unknown
Modern humanity has said to Nature, "You are mine."
The Green Man has returned as the living face of the whole earth so that through his mouth we may say to the universe, "We are one."
Author Unknown
- Jandra
- Living the good life
- Posts: 490
- Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:29 pm
- Location: Germany (Dutch/German border)
- Contact:
Re: My pride and joy
That's great! I'm about to order a greenhouse kit and really pleased about that. It is a polycarbonate greenhouse in stead of the polytunnel I had on my allotment. But it can't stand up against your fabulous greenhouse. It is great how you have made use of materials available and your environment to create something really beautiful and extremely functional.
Happy growing! Jandra
Happy growing! Jandra
My weblog: http://www.jandrasweblog.com/wp
- Millymollymandy
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 17637
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 6:09 am
- Location: Brittany, France
Re: My pride and joy
It's fabulous Tony! I am very envious!
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, (thanks)
- bonniethomas06
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 1246
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:24 am
- Location: Wiltshire, UK
Re: My pride and joy
WOW!! It is FANTASTIC! Well done!
I am sure you will do great things with a palace like that!
I am sure you will do great things with a palace like that!
"A pretty face is fine, but what a farmer needs is a woman who can carry a pig under each arm"
My blog...
http://www.theparttimesmallholder.blogspot.com
My blog...
http://www.theparttimesmallholder.blogspot.com
-
- Living the good life
- Posts: 293
- Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:36 pm
- Location: Ontario, Canada
- Contact:
Re: My pride and joy
OMG! That looks really well-done.
Now all that's left (after a few fixes here and there) is filling it! Have fun!
Martina
Now all that's left (after a few fixes here and there) is filling it! Have fun!
Martina
You can see my photos at------
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40007483@N05/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40007483@N05/
-
- Jerry - Bit higher than newbie
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:40 pm
- Contact:
Re: My pride and joy
Looks awesome indeed! Those triangle-shaped panels at the side, are ventilators right? Do they swing open/close or are they just open all the time?
Re: My pride and joy
Yes they shut, they are just like casement windows with a stay bar with holes, so that they can be either closed, wide open or several stages inbetween.shiela_robins wrote: Those triangle-shaped panels at the side, are ventilators right? Do they swing open/close or are they just open all the time?
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
- red
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 6513
- Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2006 7:59 pm
- Location: Devon UK
- Contact:
Re: My pride and joy
very nice
Red
I like like minded people... a bit like minded anyway.. well people with bits of their minds that are like the bits of my mind that I like...
my website: colour it green
etsy shop
blog
I like like minded people... a bit like minded anyway.. well people with bits of their minds that are like the bits of my mind that I like...
my website: colour it green
etsy shop
blog
- Thomzo
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 4311
- Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:42 pm
- Facebook Name: Zoe Thomas
- Location: Swindon, South West England
Re: My pride and joy
Wow, that is really good. It reminds me of those victorian greenhouses you see in walled gardens. They really knew a thing or two about greenhouses in those days.
Dropping it below ground is an excellent idea.
I really am jealous. You've done a great job.
Zoe
Dropping it below ground is an excellent idea.
I really am jealous. You've done a great job.
Zoe
- Keaniebean
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 605
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 8:14 am
- Location: London
Re: My pride and joy
That's about the size of my back garden, I am sooooooooo jealous. Well done it's fantastic.
Sarah.x
Come on over and see the fun at Troll Manor http://trollfamily.blogspot.com/ Now blogging once more :) after a little shove from the one and only MMM.
Come on over and see the fun at Troll Manor http://trollfamily.blogspot.com/ Now blogging once more :) after a little shove from the one and only MMM.