Converting old silage clamp to covered walled garden.

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Converting old silage clamp to covered walled garden.

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welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 10 4:56 pm Post subject: Converting old silage clamp to covered walled garden.

We have a redundant silage clamp 60ft long (North South) and 30ft wide( East West). A Concrete Floor.
3 walls 7 ft tall with an open front on the South side.
With some A frames From another redundant building I can cover over 45ft by 30 ft.I have jst finished some uprights for support and am now
thinking about the roof material and costing it- Ouch !
Would one row of zinc then one row of plastic sheet alternately work ok ?
I have the zinc sheets and it would cut the cost down if the light would be sufficient.
The plan is raised beds and the usual greenhouse stuff grown.
Any advice gratefully received.

AnneandMike

Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 890
Location: Over the hill and soon to be far away

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 10 6:01 pm Post subject:
I'm no expert but I would think that with opaque sides, lack of light would be a problem outside the summer months, but the shading could help in summer. What are you thinking of growing?....and when?

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 10 6:15 pm Post subject:
The front would be clear anyway so I was thinking that might help. I remember a shed on the farm I grew up on which had just two rooflights in an asbestos roofed 8ft high feedstore which had enough light for some tomatoes I experimented with. Just wanting to grow the usual greenhouse stuff and extend the growing season a bit. The solid walls should keep the temperature reasonably stable.

zigs

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 524
Location: Somerset

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 10 8:23 pm Post subject:
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You could consider lining the walls with reflective materials to maximise the light. Do it cheap by using all the shiny things that come as packaging and slap it on the concrete with a bit of pva glue, blue peter stylee, but on a huge scale.

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 10 9:22 pm Post subject:
Cheers ziggy good idea. Tesco cheap aluminium foil should work.

Sally Too

Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 2511
Location: N.Ireland

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 10 6:15 am Post subject:
White paint might be easier/smarter?

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 10 6:27 am Post subject:
Put a roof on it and grow mushrooms.

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Tue Jun 08, 10 8:21 am Post subject:
Forced rhubarb?

Res

Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 1172
Location: Allotment Shed, Harlow

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 10 7:15 am Post subject:
If the zinc sheet rows were north to south it would be better as you would then get full coverage as the sun moves across but avoid zinc rows against/along the end walls as this would give you too much of a dark area. At the end of the day the more light you can let in the better results you will have. You could always create a fernery with pond and waterfall and have an indoor garden instead

Truffle

Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 526

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 10 7:33 am Post subject:
Take it down, sell the bits to a salvage yard and build a super-wide poly tunnel...

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 10 11:38 am Post subject:
Many thanks to everybody for their contribution to this topic. That's the benefit of a forum for sharing ideas. I will create a dark mushroom area and a rhubarb area within the building saving some of the plastic roof required. We only want to be self sufficent inside a pleasant pottering about shed and are not trying to be commercial.

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