Preparing for greenhouse, small outdoor veg patch and a few herb planters.

Gorteen

I've previously had a small veg patch but for 2023 I'm hoping to get back into gardening for veg & salad next year.

Have never had a greenhouse so I am going to start preparing between now and spring, getting site ready, level, etc.

Also will have a veg patch with the usual suspects, potatoes, cabbages, carrots, onions, beetroots, maybe some peas

Finally, some planter boxes for lettuces, scallions, radishes, herbs like parsley, coriander, chives, etc.

Any suggestions of this to plan of work? What things do I need to think of, things to remember, things to make sure I do, in fact any advice at all would be appreciated. Any tips? About saving hints? Advice on cost saving ideas?

looksee

Make sure your planter for herbs is deep enough, a lot of the boxes sold for herbs are far too shallow and will dry out in no time. You might even consider large pots standing in a group rather than a wooden planter, though a small raised bed would be good too.

Most of the herbs/salads you have listed are fine, easy to grow, with the possible exception of parsley which can be very slow to get going from seed, its one I might suggest buying a couple of plants, you don't need much more than that and it would not cost much more than a packet of seed.

If you want heads of lettuce then grow just lettuce from seed but I think the mixed salad greens sown in a large plant pot, just a tiny pinch of seed repeated at maybe two week intervals gives you an ongoing crop of nice mixed leaves, cut them off rather than pulling them up and they will keep coming.

You might consider purple sprouting brocolli rather than cabbages, I find cabbages a bit of a liability mostly down to caterpillars. Leeks are very easy and a crop that you will be harvesting up to Christmas. French beans and runner beans are both very satisfactory crops that are not too susceptible to bugs.

Try not to handle carrot tops when they are growing, it attracts carrot fly, and intersperse the rows of carrots with scallions, garlic, chives or onions (or marigolds) to discourage carrot fly.

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119632121#Comment_119632121

Great tips there.... thanks!

How deep should the planters be?

I am planning to sow lettuce and leaves....

I was debating cabbage versus kale. Might give broccoli a shot!

The Continental Op

My advice whatever size greenhouse you are getting its is going to be too small get a bigger one :-)

Ask anyone that uses their greenhouse.

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119632566#Comment_119632566

I like the look of the greenhouses available at KSBgarden.com

The Continental Op

3m x4m is the smallest they do which isn't too bad.

youllbemine

Order your greenhouse this side of Xmas as the annual rush will result in long delays. Heard of 10 week delays in spring 2021 and 2022.

mountainy man

We got a KSB greenhouse/tunnel early this year and am very impressed with it so far. I decided to put it up myself and it was quite a bit of work but got it done during the good weather back in March. It is a 8x3m "Strong" model with 6mm polycarbonate.

The instructions are not great being translated from Russian but they have some helpful videos on their website, I fitted gutters to it to collect rainwater too,

Crops have been good.

if you need any advise ask away.

Denis

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119635923#Comment_119635923

What size is that greenhouse?

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119636150#Comment_119636150

Each bay (area between the rib supports) is 1 meter so I think you can work it out?

Gorteen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119636396#Comment_119636396

Thanks. I'm assuming a level surface is required. How have you set it in place? Is it pegged into the ground or set in concrete?

GavPJ

If you are looking for ready made planters/raised beds, give me a PM.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119637820#Comment_119637820

Sorry don't have one just looking at their website and working it out. Taking one at random it says

The vertical beams of the frame are equipped with T-shaped anchors that are dug into the ground. It can also be installed on a foundation by using angle brackets (not included). https://www.ksbgarden.com/products/copy-of-greenhouse-strong-24-m?variant=40547024371919

Then if you look at @mountainy man's second picture you can see the anchors going into whatever he has used to bed them in. It could be concrete, I'm sure he'll say but I don't think it needs to be if the T-shaped anchors are deep enough.

mountainy man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119636150#Comment_119636150

The greenhouse is 3m x 8m and is the strong model, it has level struts as part of the hoop frame that can be fitted with shelves which is really handy for seed trays. We have tomatoes (tumbling tom) in hanging baskets hanging from the frame which is really solid and they have been fantastic.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119637820#Comment_119637820

My ground is fairly level with an ever so slight fall to one end, I'm sure it does not matter to much, within reason, as long as the frame is straight. as mine was a little off level I could not use a spirit level so I used a string tied from a known point on each end hoop along its length so I could tell if each hoop in between needed to go up or down. Each leg of the hoops has a 4" T on the end to be set in the ground, as I live halfway up a mountain and it does be windy I set the legs in cement after levelling in the holes which i dug roughly 8" deep and 6" across, levelling involved adding a stone under the T or removing a bit more soil until the string hits the same point on each of the hoops and thus level or at least straight.

It is important to get it straight or the sheets of polycarbonate will not sit right. Nobody wants a tunnel with a hump lol.

Putting the plastic on needs 2 people as it is bolted on with large washers an you cannot be both inside and outside. There are a huge amount (a bucket full) of nuts and bolts of different sizes and strange shaped bits if metal and is a bit intimidating but when you get into it it is ok.

Or you could get KSB to put it up for you but where's the fun in that!

Denis