Your Advice on the below would be appreciated

Got an email about this
Gardenline 4 Tier Growhouse
I have never had 1 of these "blow aways" and wondered if this would be a good idea for hardening off my seedlings? I already have a 8x20 greenhouse but as like everybody else! this gets stuffed to the gunnels and I usually run out of room for things. I would plan to use it sort of like a cold frame. If it is a good idea it would save me having to keep bringing seedlings in and out of the greenhouse to harden them off.

 

Hi Silu,
I have had several and they are useful in mid spring when you have too many pots of things that can't quite manage without shelter.

There are some points to take into account though. Firstly, these things are called blowaways for a reason. A heavy bag of compost or sand on the lowest shelf keeps them fairly stable, but it's a good idea not to have heavier pots on upper shelves.

Secondly, the covered space is so small that the temperature rises and falls very quickly. One spring I boiled my petunias, the soil was hot and almost steaming! So the GH will need to be close to the house so that you can quickly adjust the opening as needed.

But all in all, they are definitely worth the money and come in very handy. And when not in use, the shelves can be used as, well, shelving, or stacked away. I take the top part off and the height is just right to house my smaller plants and houseplants over the summer. Not the most elegant piece of garden decor, but practical

 

Hi @silu my neighbour as one on the back garden which she uses besides using the porch with new plants...weather they're any good i haven't got a clue because i hardly see her

 

They need a bit of weight at the bottom. A couple of house bricks should be OK.

 

I use them as I still haven't got my greenhouse as we're still spending money on our new house!

It looks the same as mine but mines from Argos. You don't get long out of the covers. I've done repairs on mine and bought another blowaway recently but you can get spare covers which should fit.

They are definitely called blowaways for a reason. I had a full bag of compost on the bottom shelf and on a windy spring day, the frame still moved and it blew over.

These days I use saddle or pipe clips to attach the frame plus cover to a wall or fence. It means the blowaway stays in place all winter and is not dismantled which maybe why my covers only last a few years!

 

I no longer buy these things instead i just wait for one of the neighbours ones to blow over the hedges into my garden,free stuff love it

 

Nice one mate

 

In my previous garden I had two "Walk-In" versions. Based on the "sack of compost"/"couple of house bricks" suggestions I stacked 3 bags of bark, 2 paving slabs and a crate with gardening books on the base to *secure* it. It did too! All through those sunny days of summer. Come October and a bit of wind ... gone!

Having said all of that, I do plan to get a cheap one but it will be placed in an area of the garden that gets least wind (less sun too, of course, but enough to do what I need it to do).

 

Sounds like you are 1 of those miserable pieces of grass @WeeTam who won't give children back their ball if it's landed in your garden.
Think I'll get 1 as it could sit in a fairly sheltered spot protected from the prevailing wind and I live far enough from wee tam so he won't "acquire" mine

 

I bought the walk in type last summer. It blew over the first night. After that I weighed it down with paving slabs. It hasn't moved since.

The wind where I live is a serious problem. Where my greenhouse is situated it is totally exposed. After a couple of winter storms it looked like.



The remainder of the cover has continued to perish since. Now there is virtually nothing left.

In a different spot it might have survived better but that is where I want it to go. Eventually I want to put a proper greenhouse there.

G.

ps. Its not animal proof either.

 

Mine's tucked away in a sheltered spot behind the shed and again weighed down with heavy stuff on the bottom shelf for further stability. The cover is a clear one and only goes on in the spring when there are trays of seedlings in there, for the rest of the year the shelves are still handy for pots of cuttings etc, plus lower down a store of brown cardboard to tear up and put in the adjacent compost bin.

The main problem with using it for seedlings I find is that it can get very steamy in there, and also when the sun comes out very hot! So the easier it is to open up and ventilate the better. I also use an old net curtain as a shade awning when required.

I got a spare cover inexpensively on ebay but actually the original cover is still in good nick after a couple of years.