At the moment we’re hard at work creating the vegetable garden to start growing our own veg in 2022. Now, as I explained in the previous post, the greenhouse is already built using repurposed materials. It took some doing, however. See, Pat bought one that was reasonably priced. Little did we know…
Our first attempt
It was a polycarbonate and aluminum construction, with those clips that hold the plastic windows in. Pat built it on our driveway. Now you have to understand that we live right on the edge of the village. Behind us are fields. Flat fields. And it gets windy. Especially during the autumn. I think you can guess what happened next.
It didn’t blow away, at least not that time. But we had to go look for the windows. And the clips. After the umpteenth time of this happening, and of it being repositioned somewhat (without our interference I might add), Pat placed it somewhere more out of the way, with the aim of donating it to friends. Because he didn’t want it to blow away entirely, he fortified the construction by placing something heavy inside it and tying it to the greenhouse using lashing straps. Upside: it didn’t blow away. Downside: the whole structure went askew. So to friends, it went and we were on the lookout for something else.
Repurposed materials
This meant that we needed (ok, wanted really) a greenhouse that was able to stand heavy gusts of wind. Buying a new greenhouse can be expensive. Online you see some beautiful versions made from repurposed materials, like doors and window frames, and that would definitely be something I would love to have. We chose to go a different route, however. Online we found a site that dealt in custom-made greenhouses made from material from old industrial greenhouses. That way we could still get a greenhouse that was able to stand some gale forces and it would be sustainable (since then they updated the content to say it also uses new materials for these greenhouses, that can then be reused, so for instance the concrete foundation is not second-hand). So, we placed an order. Pat wanted to put it together himself, to save costs and to have a project. We did splurge on a couple of windows that open automatically when it gets too humid.
Location
The location of the greenhouse was to be right next to the house. That way the route to the kitchen wouldn’t be too long and it could easily be sealed off from the main garden, so the dogs can’t get in and start eating everything. It lies to the west of the house, so it gets enough sun during the day.
There was one tree that needed to be cut down. Which took a long time, because unbeknownst to us, it turned out to be a hawthorn. A particularly hard type of wood apparently. But Pat managed. Until the stump. But hey, that didn’t deter him. You can build around it!
Getting it built
Which he did. So off Pat went building a greenhouse using repurposed materials. As you can see, the concrete blocks were laid down as the foundation behind the stump of the tree.
The greenhouse was built halfway when the people we hired to build the ‘ditch wall’ were on-site with a small crane. That was very helpful in pulling out the stump. And on Pat went with the project. The roof construction was set up and then it was time for the windows. Made of glass this time.
Windows
Turns out, they weren’t made to size. Pat had to cut them all himself. Which he did. After several failed attempts and much swearing and frustration. Sometimes you just have gotta say, today is not my day, tomorrow I’ll try again. In the end, he managed. So now we only have this one window with a crack in it. Happened when he put it in and crack it said. But we have had some storms and it’s still standing!
Raised beds
I did want some raised beds in the greenhouse, so I created a layout based on some tiles that were available as a pathway. Ordered wood for the walls and soil to fill it up. Which Pat then built. He likes to keep busy. Champ helped of course, because dirt! And then it was ready to be used.
The end result
To be fair we haven’t used it extensively. We’ve been too busy doing other things, but it is home to a tomato plant we got from those same friends we gifted the former greenhouse. I do know I’ll be butting my head against the middle beam a lot. Anyway, I plan to start using it for the spring season of 2022. Then the veg garden in front of it will be ready as well.
The first attempt
Oh and that first greenhouse we donated to friends? It ended up looking like this:
So what do you think? Would you have done what we did? Or now that you know this, what is your plan? Let me know in the comments!