Greenhouse Restoration

[addjunkie]

@Parm cover floor in cardboard, and do no dig gardening, just plant in compost on top!

 

[DAPPH]

Here's a mental idea I had...

I've stacks of old greenhouse glass, collected by the previous house owner. The ancient, already glazed, wooden greenhouse here is falling down and we're slowly getting rid of it.

I've recently gone and got one of my brother's cast off aluminium greenhouses as he's upgraded. It did have plastic panels but they're all knackered.

The obvious is to use the stack of glass to glaze the aluminium greenhouse but where's the fun in that?

So...3D print corner connectors and make a geodesic dome out of the stack of glass.

CT1 all the adjoing edges etc.

Should be self supporting right?

What could go wrong?

New glass is called green glass once it's18 months or so old it has oxidized and starts getting brittle , after five years it's a sod to cut even with a decent diamond or a paraffined diamond powdered cutting wheel on a stick . Clear glaziers mastic is what some folks have used to make weird glass things including fish tanks but the glass must be scrupulously clean or it won't stick . Reccommending 1/4 inch glass for lower than 2 mtrs as a safety devcice .

 

[DAPPH]

Really?

It certainly feels like it this last few days

 

[DAPPH]

Apologies for taking this a tad off thread but I've just realised square/rectangular glass is no good for a geodesic dome.

Need to be hexagonal or triangular I think...

Do I really want to start cutting old glass in hexagons?

I think I do!

You & your lad can design & 3D print an adjustable jig that you can slide a diamond wheeled angle grinder over on rails so you get the precise sized shape hexgons.


Whilst house hunting 20 years ago we visited a former high lever banker who'd retired at 45 .

He'd bespoke built a lovely geodic greenhouse in very hard mahogany designed by his architect & structural engineer sons , it took him four years to complete it when he was just turned 55 ,
When I met him he was selling up aged 72 and in ill health .... the place had run to rack & ruin , The wood work of the greenhouse was in need of urgent repair and attention so was the massive house and stables ,but he couldn't do it .
His words to me & Alison were , " What every you do get a decent aluminium glasshouse that will last 40 or more years so you don't end up like me & get all the renovations and hard work done by the time your 65 so you have 35 or so years of happiness . The 17 acre small holding was full of unfinished almost done works that I could not contemplate doing due disability and lack of money if we had paid the £ 300,000 asking price .

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

The 17 acre small holding was full of unfinished almost done

Wise words indeed...I've heard similar stories with people spending all their time just maintaining their house and grounds....fine when you're a bit younger but not great later on.

 

[Dave-sparks]

I have plan B which involves a rotovator….

Not always the best plan with things like ivy.

The rotovator chops one problem plant up into lots of little pieces, then most of these pieces start growing into their own seperate problem plants.

 

[Parm]

Does it involve a turnip

That’s cunning plan B

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

The rotovator chops one problem plant up into lots of little pieces

I concur...with ivy it isn't a good idea. Also not a good idea with couch grass....as my neighbour on the allotment found out!

I have a good sharp shovel and that gets through most things....even the odd stone too. Can't remember the brand but I can check...definitely made a huge difference for me.

 

[DAPPH]

I concur...with ivy it isn't a good idea. Also not a good idea with couch grass....as my neighbour on the allotment found out!

I have a good sharp shovel and that gets through most things....even the odd stone too. Can't remember the brand but I can check...definitely made a huge difference for me.

SBK weed killer mixed with heating oil or diesel at the recommended rates sprayed or painted on the pernicious weeds knocks the weeds on the head . Rake them up & burn then when the greenery is well and truly desiccated by that time the roots systems will have copped it too .

Yeah , I hear all the crap about organic and save the world , LGBTQWRSTUVWXY & Z etc.etc., NFI . I'm interested in getting arable friable land & crops quickly free from as many weeds & pests as possible .

 

[addjunkie]

You & your lad can design & 3D print an adjustable jig that you can slide a diamond wheeled angle grinder over on rails so you get the precise sized shape hexgons.


Whilst house hunting 20 years ago we visited a former high lever banker who'd retired at 45 .

He'd bespoke built a lovely geodic greenhouse in very hard mahogany designed by his architect & structural engineer sons , it took him four years to complete it when he was just turned 55 ,
When I met him he was selling up aged 72 and in ill health .... the place had run to rack & ruin , The wood work of the greenhouse was in need of urgent repair and attention so was the massive house and stables ,but he couldn't do it .
His words to me & Alison were , " What every you do get a decent aluminium glasshouse that will last 40 or more years so you don't end up like me & get all the renovations and hard work done by the time your 65 so you have 35 or so years of happiness . The 17 acre small holding was full of unfinished almost done works that I could not contemplate doing due disability and lack of money if we had paid the £ 300,000 asking price .

This is surprisingly common with small holdings. Initially I couldnt understand it, but now owning one. i do! The retired banker I know just employs some one to do all the grunt work, so he can enjoy it. In his words…”got no kids might as well enjoy it now”

 

[premmington]

SBK weed killer mixed with heating oil or diesel at the recommended rates sprayed or painted on the pernicious weeds knocks the weeds on the head . Rake them up & burn then when the greenery is well and truly desiccated by that time the roots systems will have copped it too .

Yeah , I hear all the crap about organic and save the world , LGBTQWRSTUVWXY & Z etc.etc., NFI . I'm interested in getting arable friable land & crops quickly free from as many weeds & pests as possible .

Weed killer. Fork the roots out - let them dry - burn.

 

[brewdexta]

I can't believe nobody had mentioned ammonium sulphamate yet.

It's also a compost accelerator and breaks down leaving no harmless residues so the compost can be used in food production. Not sure I would want to use compost from other herbicides mixed with engine oil

Ammonium sulfamate - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Seadog]

I can't believe nobody had mentioned ammonium sulphamate yet.

I was about to

 

[Parm]

@Parm cover floor in cardboard, and do no dig gardening, just plant in compost on top!

Will the roots go through the cardboard?

 

[Parm]

So my cunning plan involved me going to see @Paul. for a job I wanted doing, also took the broken tool along with me

He worked his magic by applying some carefully controlled glue

Et Viola

Thanks very much Paul

 

[Bullet2012]

carefully controlled glue

 

[prepman]

"There is a green...house fa..r a...w...ay without a c..ity wall...where our ...etc"

Can't beat steely glue.....

 

[addjunkie]

Will the roots go through the cardboard?

Yes, as the cardboard rots down adding compost to your base. Your a bit late really in that had you done it last year, the ivy would have rotted below the cardboard due to jo light for it to grow. The no dig technique is more aimed at veg gardening.

Lay carboard over bits of ground. Hold it down around the edge with a fence rail or whatever for a low edge. Whats under cardboard dies with no light. Come planting, plant on top of card board in compost, and water. Cardboard rots plant grows. Hand weed between or cover weeds in bark or similar, sheeps fleece, anything that rots down. Harvest and start again.

Thats the theory anyway, beats hours with a fork and spade. A friend of ours does it, each winter he covers the bed in manure. Then covers it in heavy weed membrane, come spring remove membrane and lay card board, plant. Its all about, not digging, as hes disabled. Its the digging that puts most folk off gardening, me included.

 

[brewdexta]

Yes, as the cardboard rots down adding compost to your base. Your a bit late really in that had you done it last year, the ivy would have rotted below the cardboard due to jo light for it to grow. The no dig technique is more aimed at veg gardening.

Lay carboard over bits of ground. Hold it down around the edge with a fence rail or whatever for a low edge. Whats under cardboard dies with no light. Come planting, plant on top of card board in compost, and water. Cardboard rots plant grows. Hand weed between or cover weeds in bark or similar, sheeps fleece, anything that rots down. Harvest and start again.

Thats the theory anyway, beats hours with a fork and spade. A friend of ours does it, each winter he covers the bed in manure. Then covers it in heavy weed membrane, come spring remove membrane and lay card board, plant. Its all about, not digging, as hes disabled. Its the digging that puts most folk off gardening, me included.

We do similar, or rather the missus does. She's most of the way through a diploma in permaculture and teaches a bit too. Not formally yet although students from the local college come to the farm occasionally for a field trip and she organises a few lessons etc.

 

[Seadog]

Not formally yet although students from the local college come to the farm occasionally for a field trip and she organises a few lessons etc.

Followed by a beer tasting, perhaps?