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23-10-2005, 10:44 PM

wrote:
Hello,

I bought my first greenhouse this year and simply put weed matting
down to stop the grass growing through the floor,and it worked well
until now. First the grass started to grown through at the edges
and
now some is managing to grow through the mat!

My other problem is that due to a faulty watering timer, the plants
were given too much water, which drained onto the floor and made it
an
ideal environment for moss to grow.

I have decided to put gravel on the floor, hoping that this will
prevent grass growing through if thick enough (how thick do you
recommend?) I bought a few heavy bags from my local DIY store and
was
amazed how much I needed. I would advise anyone doing the same to
think about ordering a large bag that gets delivered onto your
drive,
as I think this would be cheaper than getting several bags as I
did.
Does anyone have experience of how the costs compare?

Was the gravel a good thing? What flooring do you use? I know some
people pave. I know other people actual plant into the floor, but I
am
using my greenhouse for pots and grow bags, so gravelling
everything
seemed the easy option. I thought gravel would allow easy drainage
of
excess water too.

What should I do about the moss? Will covering it gravel be enough
or
will it colonise over the gravel?

Thanks for your help.

I'm afraid you're, as the aristocracy say, stuffed. In many
situations that anti-weed membrane really isn't worth the bother: all
it can do is lighten the load, and, to be fair, it does that pretty
well -- but you still have to be on top of the problem. Six inches of
concrete will suppress weeds, of course! Gravel in any sensible
quantities won't. But, yes, the big bags are far better value than
small sacks. You can also use the big bag as a compost bin
afterwards.

But if you can grow good weeds, you can grow good plants.

The soil in your greenhouse will only be productive for a limited
time: you'll always have to top it up, and sooner or later you'll
almost certainly have to sterilise it, too. A good way to use a
glasshouse productively with minimum effort is for grapes: you plant
the vine in the soil outside, but bring the top growth into the
house, and follow the pruning regime in the books. You can put a few
growbags in there, too, and they will give you some very good
tomatoes and peppers. Forget cucumbers -- who needs that many? A
friend of mine used to grow luxuriant dope under his grape vine, if
that appeals to you.

Gardening is quite hard work: if you don't enjoy it, it's best just
to stick to shrubberies and lawns. Apart from the few things above, I
really wouldn't recommend a greenhouse to somebody who didn't have
the time and enthusiasm to maintain it.

--
Mike.

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