New greenhouse grower!

Hi,
I started my growing adventure earlier this year as an excuse to encourage my daughter into the garden and away from the TV! We grew runner beans, peas (not very successful), onion, beetroot, carrots and had a previous stock of strawberries, gooseberries, apples etc.
We'll I'm moving home and the garden is taking a big hit. We currently have a massive 180' long monster but going to a 40' x 40' garden. I've been told by the wife that I can't take it over as the growing family will take priority so I have been allowed a 5*6 greenhouse with the possibility of me keeping 2 hens
So, I really need to be efficient and hit the ground running with a greenhouse. I plan to add a solar powered vent/fan but is there anything else I should realistically consider with it's structure and what is the 'best' thing to grow in such a small space? I need some bang for my buck I think.

 

most veg that I grow need to be outside eventuly , but a greenhouse is great for starting them off in trays. I grow capsicum and aubergine all year round ,( I started some off in spring, they are still producing and ripening .)
I grow lettuce , in individual 6 inch pots but put them under staging where it is cooler. Spring onions are fine too under staging
Tomatoes, cucs and melons good in large bucket size pots .
But you will find you need chicken wire across the opening a must . A green house is a favourite diner for chicks !!!........and they believe in sharing it goes something like this
You grow it ,they eat it

 

Hi,

5*6 sounds an unusual size and a bit mean in a 40x40 garden, sure its not a typo and mean 8*6 which the most popular size.
If plenty of kids around you want some form of plastic glazing and we would go for an auto roof vent rather than a fan/vent.
If you can stretch to a bottom auto louvre vent as well that really lets the air flow without having to leave the door open all the time.

Getting electricity to it for heated propogators will really make it work , getting the friut, veg and flowers off to a good early start.
Same with water if you can get it in there.

If you are moving to a more built up area, you need to check you are allowed to keep livetock, surprising whats not allowed by either the council or terms of your deeds/ lease etc. not to mention neighbours ..?

 

We are on the border of the greenbelt but actually back onto a golf course. So the chicks are okay but I will have them secured due to fox risk.
I was thinking as I don't have the soil set up set, and will have decorating to do. I could either do small (and yes it is 5*6) or do long term like peppers! I really want bees but thats a non starter with kids. So chickens with a 10*6 secure run and a 5*6 green house (side of an extension so not in danger) is all I'm allowed. It's south facing so????

 

Between me and thee beefpotnoodle

I'd try and get permission for a bit bigger sized greenhouse !!!!

Because which ever size .........it will never be big enough!!!!

Not that I want you to end up in:happydog:doghouse but I

speak from experience.:embarrassed:

 

I think it's all I'm allow tbh. I'm blessed that I'm allowed to taken over the garage with my home brew and classic car 'project'. The greenhouse I think it a buy off so I don't steal all the borders again. The chickens were a check negotiate tactic, which I want but was going to be a make weight for a patch next to the greenhouse. But she isn't budging. I think I did okay out of it. Obviously I have to do all the diy and decorating to pay for all these lavish hobbies I would get nearly enough time to do!

 

Ney Lad, you are letting the side down here !!

Explain how a bigger greenhouse will give all those extra fresh Strawberries, Toms , Peppers etc, etc so vital for your growing familiy and flowers for the house and gardens.

Car Resto ....?

 

Restoration yeah. Just need an expert sprayer in the west mids/client area and I'm sweet!

 

I've a few suggestions....... Just hope I don't get chucked out from
The Woman's Lib gathering ! Meetings at our house this week .


explain .......but..........your going to save her money and you can't get fresher than picking your own ........it tastes of freshness.

And actually she has the best of both here the healthy fresh luscious fruit veg and all the extras and then all the decorating and diy jobs thrown in too .!

Stands to sense
It's a well known thing that a well stocked fridge with goodies from your own greenhouse equals diy and decorating anyday !

if all else fails and it's still a No No ......then you will probably have to prove as your goodies grow and get eaten you explain how you could have had more with a bigger greenhouse.

 

I honestly think it's a non starter. We are inheriting the smaller greenhouse with the house and this is the main reason why Im getting it. This year we had a host of fresh veg, I forgot potatoes earlier! But we eat way more than I could ever grow....about a kilo of apples, carrots, surprisingly 1/2 kill of peas, about 5kg of potato a week, I'm the only one that eats beetroot though! I'm not sure that the 'fresh veg' cherry on top of all the shopping would convince her. Especially when you factor in time, she'll always chose the 39p kilo of store carrots and have me doing the washing up! On a separate thought, about 35 yrs ago I recall my grandad had a very spider infested grape vine system in his and made wine from it. Obviously I don't know how much sugar he had to add or how good it was, but is this viable in a greenhouse the Midlands, uk?

 

She would agree to free wine and summerberry cider!

 

I would swop the green house for a bigger one and use the 6x5 space for your hens, especially if you can free range when you are there. Build the coop so it is raised and this will give you a whole of the floor space as a run for them. A 6x5 GH is tiny, mine is 7x6 and not big enough.

Rusty

 

Free wine etc ...... Id be looking into that one.

Where theirs a will theirs a way

 

Anyone grow grapes in uk greenhouses, what I am looking to hopefully yield?

I'd need about 700 per bottle, which google tells me is 10 clusters

 

My mum had a grapevine but it took over .
I wasn't keen on them the skin was tough and they had pips..
I should think that someone on here will advise of a good and less aggressive vine.