Monday 23 January 2012

Spring preparations.

Last year we grew most of our vegetables from seed taking advantage of the space available in the grenier. There was however limited light and many of the seedlings became very leggy. At the time we talked about buying a greenhouse for use this year. However on reconsidering we decided we would not get full use out of a proper greenhouse... So we compromised on a very cheap option... Unfortunately it was another of those DIY assembly jobbies... This time without instructions and plenty of bits!!

I just love 3D jigsaws...
 Can you see what it is yet?
It will hold 18 large seed trays and more if we improvise a couple of shelves at the higher level. It comes complete with pegs to peg it down and four guy ropes. It should do the job if it doesn't all collapse when we get a strong wind.  Once we have finished with it it can be stored away in the cellar until next year.

5 comments:

Jean said...

It looks very useful, well done in putting it together in one go !!

I had something similar before we got our greenhouse. It was excellent, but it blew over one night, emptying all the trays of little seedlings into a pile of mixed seedlings on the patio !! After that we tied it to the wall. After a few years the cover became too ripped and tatty so we now use it just as a shelf unit for hardening off things that have been grown in the greenhouse.

I hope yours will be just as good an investment !!

(word verification is batidown !!) So bati it down before the wind gets it !!

Diane said...

We had the same problem as Jean, ours took off in the UK one night and we had a real right mess! I suggest you find it a spot that does not get too much wind.
We have a green house, but due to my cough originally and now Nigel not feeling so brilliant, we are no further than the instructions. I have to add they sound impossible. Oh we have got the base down as we did that last year :) Diane

Tim said...

I agree with Jean and Diane.... Pauline and I have seen these in various states of dis-repair all over the allotments. We haven't decided what to put up here yet!
The most successful I've seen of these was your model... but... the plot holder had hammered a stake in at each corner [on the inside] and tied it to those all the way up. It never moved after that! She also lenghtened the life of the cover by removing it in winter and in high summer [June > August]... so it was effectively used for 6 > 7 months of the year. It was used as you intend... for seedlings. Although it did become a bean frame when the cover died. Hers came from Wilko! Did yours?

Colin and Elizabeth said...

Hi Tim, ours came from good old Tesco. It appeared to be the best value. I will take your advice and use the two stake approach, as in order to get it in full sun all day it will have to be away from any structure.

Tim said...

Not two stakes.... four! And I've since taken a closer look at yours [that last pic] and those shelves don't allow for the stakes on the inside... but the cover looks quite roomy; I suggest getting some 1cm reinforcing rod from the brico and hammer it in just outside each corner, and then tie it home with plastic ties; all before you put the cover on. And paving slabs wouldn't go amiss on those nice outward facing flaps either... and they'd give you somewhere convenient to stand the seed trays for hardening off.

I had to come back an edit this... the WV has just come up as "shboom"... I hope it doesn't!