First attempt

Hi,
This is my first attempt at growing anything in my life, shows what happens
when you retire !
This gives me 192 sq. feet and should be useful in future years







Hope these pics come out as I'am a bit of a techno-moron.

Cheers.

What a terrific start. Knowing the UK weather, do you have an area where you can keep peppers and tomatos extra warm?

Kay

You deserve a prize too. Solid stuff there.

WOW! I don't think I've ever seen such a stylish but efficient SFG. What did you use to fill the bottoms of those tall boxes? They're a wonderful height for those of us with bad backs.

Oh these are beautiful! That was a lot of work getting those built and filled! They look amazing and your plants look great also!

donnainzone10 wrote:WOW! I don't think I've ever seen such a stylish but efficient SFG. What did you use to fill the bottoms of those tall boxes? They're a wonderful height for those of us with bad backs.

I was thinking the same thing! They're gorgeous and would be perfect for my parents who were just asking me about helping them get started with SFG.

That is a very sharp, and healthy looking garden -- nice work and thanks for sharing!

Bill

donnainzone10 wrote:WOW! I don't think I've ever seen such a stylish but efficient SFG. What did you use to fill the bottoms of those tall boxes? They're a wonderful height for those of us with bad backs.

Don't forget you can build tabletops to any height you want.

Kay

Wow, thanks for the encouragement. The beds are approx. 4x4 each they consist
of planks that just slot into the uprights. They fix into place without any screwing
The usable layer is 1 foot deep (probably 8" MM) and consists of 2 planks high. The 3
planks below have been filled in with pallets covered with chicken wire to support
a layer of weed screen material that holds up all the MM but allows it to drain.
By next year Iam hoping to get a greenhouse for delicate plants as this year I've
planted peppers and tomatoes in the beds. I'll see how this works out but I don't
hold much hope as I've already lost 2 sets of tomatoes this year.
Once again thank you all

Keith

Keith, I am impressed with the plants growing and the whole look of your beds! Great job!

Hi Keith , Those piccies look better than the ones you sent me yesterday .

Dream big about your glasshouse , dream very big ,day and night ..... 24/7 .

Evidently " Strong belief triggers the mind to find the way " . No polly tunnel or plastic dry cleaning bags for you my lad , the winds would soon send them on their way when it screams in from the Skaggerak .



WRT glashouse size ...



I was told dream of a big glass house then buy the next size up so I got a 8 x 12 jobby with end sliding doors . Diametrically opposite auto roof vents , two more that can be manually opened and one low down auto vent on the North wall to let in the cooler air .

There is a decent book by DG Hessyon about things to consider when setting up a glashouse .. think it's called " The greenhouse expert "

I now think I should have doubled mine to 24 x 24 with three or four isles , full electrics , a micro watering watering syetem and heated misting propagation bed but that size is very very expensive and at present out of reach of my short arms .

Set it on a paving slab base set on 4 inches of dry mixed cement and 19 mm mixed ballast . . drill the base to the slabs and use redhead anchor bolts to fix it down .



I had my guys cast a slab of 4 inch thick concrete with black concrete dye mixed in to make a black heat sink .. trouble is they managed to lose 1 1/2 inches at one corner so it is on the slope and badly errcted.. when it rains it can get very wet inside.

They were also very ecomomical with the ratios so now the floor is crumbling / powdering away due to poor mixes used. Decent 2 x 3 foot slabs wiil stop that prob dead and you'll never have to worry about having to shovel new soil in to replace infected soil or weeds etc gropwing up through the floor. If like me you end up a bit unsteady on your legs /feet the flat smooth floor is a great bonus .

you'll also need to consider getting your services planned and in place before errection as it's difficult & more expensive to do it afterwards

Those are some gorgeous boxes. Nice job. I'm totally jealous- . You should have many years of enjoyment out of those. Keep us posted.

The Brits sure know how to do gardening right.

Great boxes man.

What fabulous save your back beds you have!

In the last picture, what is growing on the top of that box?

@fenlander.......Welcome to the forum and those pictures are lovely. Shows what can be done with a lot of effort. Great beds for bad backs, etc. I'd sure like a few of those. Keep us posted with more pictures.

Brilliant!

Wow!!

"I'll bet you did the "extra points" work in school too.

No. When I grew up - schools hadn't been invented !!

Keith

fenlander wrote:No. When I grew up - schools hadn't been invented !!

Keith

- good one..