Jump to content

A home for VFTs in winter


cgarry

Recommended Posts

I know that an unheated greenhouse is a good place to keep VFTs over winter, how good would the following be though?

Small poly growhouse like this (I have a 4 tier one - £10 from ASDA!):

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/prod...p;PRODID=176771

Would a layer of bubble wrap help?

Cold frame like this:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/prod...p;PRODID=176776

Any other ideas for housing VFTs during the UK winter?

Cheers,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i used both and the only difference from the greenhouse is the condensation (not a problem if you dont mind getting rained on every time you enter!) as aidan said anchor it down, a couple of bricks on the bottom shelf worked for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a couple of cheap plastic coldframes, with zippered tops (like they're going to last, Not). I wove some plastic string across the base tubes and sit the water trays on that to anchor it down. Less than a tenner each so why should I complain.

I've had smaller growhouse blown over, so an absolute necessity is good anchorage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the 4 tier one from asda are of a flimsy quality - the plastic struts are too soft, i loaded one with cps (in trays with water) and the next day the whole thing was leaning at a similar angle to the leaning tower of Pisa. I was lucky not to loose everything onto the floor ! B+Q's are more expensive but of a sturdier nature - ive had 2 for 3 years and are still going strong. You pays yer money, you makes yer choice...........

Phil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't noticed the struts being too soft, but I haven't loaded mine up that much.

I actually thought the asda one was a better thought out design. It came with its own pegs to secure it to the ground, it has some bars across the top to stop the plastic sagging (and collecting rain water) and has slightly more headroom on the top shelf.

Cheers,

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Thrud

I’ve got a similar plastic green house, got it from my local Index shop before it closed down. The type I’ve got is a metal construction but I had to modify it because one of the holes for the screws was missing. I’ve also got a winter cover for it shaped exactly like the plastic cover but made out of fleece complete with a zip door. The packet says it’s good down to –8C does anyone know if I leave the plastic cover on and just pull the other cover over the top or do I remove the plastic cover and just use the fleece?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Sheila
I’ve got a similar plastic green house, got it from my local Index shop before it closed down. The type I’ve got is a metal construction but I had to modify it because one of the holes for the screws was missing. I’ve also got a winter cover for it shaped exactly like the plastic cover but made out of fleece complete with a zip door. The packet says it’s good down to –8C does anyone know if I leave the plastic cover on and just pull the other cover over the top or do I remove the plastic cover and just use the fleece?

Thanks

If the fleece is not waterproof then I would just put it over the plastic cover that is already on the growhouse. Your plants still need light even in the winter months and can usually withstand quite low temperatures anyway, so I would only use it at night time when temperatures are excessively low.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Since I don't have opportunity of having those greenhouses, can anyone suggest a " do it yourself" greenhouse just to put my dionae?

I've researched but I haven't find anything good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have all my VFT in an unheatened room in my house, it has an

east und south facing window, the temperates are lowest -5 C.

They sleep very well till its time to hunt insects.

The plants stand on a windowsill on polystyrene.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:evil: It gets to -5 indoors. I could not live in a house that gets that cold. Central heating, double glazing and cavity wall insulation are absolute necessities for me. It would take more than the love of CPs for me to live in those conditions.

Have you considered moving :evil:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Sheila,

I´m not an Inuit, it is only one room, that´s I mean, this room is not used

for living in, so I confiscated it for my hobby.

Not the whole house is as there. Are you calmed down ?

Stay cool ;-D winter comes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I keep my house nice and warm. Even if I turned the heating off completely in one room, the heat in the rest of the house would stop that room from sinking to the low temperatures in your unheated room. -5 in any room indoors makes me shiver with the thought. My days of scraping frost from the insides of the windows are long gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ohhh, Sheila that´s typicall ladies ;-D.

The house is about fourty years old, the walls are not modern state and

one windows is open during the half day. Anyway the room is separated

by a corridor from the heated part of the house.

I hope i got you in wintermood so you are prepaered for arctic part of

the year (Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr).

My plants say" all that doesn`t kill us makes us only harder".

Wish you a warm and sunny autumn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...