Bulb frames - construction

[Maggi Young]

Helen. The frames of my home made frames are made of dexion (second hand angle iron used in shopfitting amongst other things). This is built up to waste height. Within the frame are paving slabs to form the internal base and wooden shuttering boards to form the sides thereby creating a box. To the back are screwed wooden pillars approx 4 x 2 cm and at a height of around 30cm. The same at the front but a few cm less to provide a slope. I have some old secondary double glazing channelling screwed to the back posts into which my covers just slide and rest on the front ones. I have been lucky to retain some old secondary double glazing panels which are perfect although you can use polycarbonate but this will need holding down as it is too light otherwise. The sides are completely open so allow an overhang to suit your needs. They have survived close to twenty years so far. Relatively cheap although sourcing some of the parts may need some searching around. Good luck.

Paul and Gill grow fantastic plants - so this advice comes with a Five Star notice!!

[PeterT]

Please excuse me for for repeating what is probably in many of the links provided in this thread, I have not open them all. a raised plunge or planting bed bed such as in the Rix book can provide excellent conditions for many bulbs, including dessert ones, even in high rain fall areas. Covering them is an optional luxury not necessary for a lot of plants. I discovered that erecting a cheap six or eight foot wide green house over such a bed was a great deal cheaper for the area coverd than an access frame. Cheapest green houses I have found in the UK were from the green house people near Uttoxeter

[Maggi Young]

That's a very good point, Peter -  you can often see some real bargains in small glasshouses.
In fact, that is the reason our glass houses comprise three and a half  'el cheapo' 8 x 6 aluminium glass houses 

Edit: Mind you, I don't think that bargains such as we got are around now - having just had a mooch around online to see current prices!     Though perhaps I should have taken inflation into consideration. 

[Helen Johnstone]

I dont have room for another greenhouse - small garden mostly sloping.  I am looking for a cold frame/plunge and liked Access ones as they seem to have very good ventilation which I think will be good for a newbie like me who is at work all day

Been reading Kath Dryden who has made me laugh out loud a few times and she says I should invest in a small alpine house so I am doing as told!!

[PeterT]

8 x 10 = 80 sqare feet for £449.00 here, compare that to the price of access frames Maggie!

[Helen Johnstone]

A 9'11" x 4' cold frame is £374 - I dont think they go any bigger

[Tim Ingram]

Kath's garden was pretty small and when she talked about a small alpine house she had a couple that were hardly big enough to walk into - one devoted to cyclamen I think, and another to hepaticas. Another greenhouse I remember is at the Malahide Garden in Dublin; not very large and all the glass from the sides had been completely removed - sounds a little like Peter's house except it was planted with puyas, bomareas and other such plants. What a stimulating thread this has become!

[PeterT]

sorry I forgot the link for my earlier post http://www.greenhousepeople.co.uk/clearance/

[Helen Johnstone]

Kath's garden was pretty small and when she talked about a small alpine house she had a couple that were hardly big enough to walk into - one devoted to cyclamen I think, and another to hepaticas. Another greenhouse I remember is at the Malahide Garden in Dublin; not very large and all the glass from the sides had been completely removed - sounds a little like Peter's house except it was planted with puyas, bomareas and other such plants. What a stimulating thread this has become!

Hi Tim

I have a small garden too and am only looking to accommodate some pots of bulbs possbly for showing rather than a nursery etc.

I think I have made a decision to buy a small Access cold frame now.  I just need to consider its location.  My garden is not only smallish but it slopes a lot so there are few flat areas to locate a frame and I have no desire to dig out another flat space!!

This thread has shown have innovative alpine growers are with their DIY constructions

Helen

[Maggi Young]

Not about bulb frames but new greenhouse plunge staging :
on 17th July we ordered  plunge staging, custom size, from Two Wests for one of the bulb  houses - it has arrived this morning - speedy huh?!!

www.twowests.co.uk

[Helen Johnstone]

Not about bulb frames but new greenhouse plunge staging :
on 17th July we ordered  plunge staging, custom size, from Two Wests for one of the bulb  houses - it has arrived this morning - speedy huh?!!

www.twowests.co.uk

Do they do the heavy duty stuff that takes the weight of plunges then?
I have some space in my greenhouse which I had wondered about using for alpines, mainly bulbs.  The greenhouse is kept frost free but is small so the only ventilation is the door so presumably not ideal for the summer although bulbs would certainly have a good bake.  I know there are some who frown on using heat but I am more interested in whether the bulbs need the cold weather to break their dormancy so that in fact putting narcissus/tulips in a greenhouse wont help the plants?  If that makes sense.

Helen

[Maggi Young]

This staging has  got a six inch plunge area and elsewhere in the forum various members have spoken of their use of this make. Mark Smyth. didn't think like it but, as I recall, Martin R. and Diane Clement both have it and are happy with it and their opinion is what we went on.

We take out panes of glass in summer to improve ventilation of our  8x 6 foot glass houses. There are heating cables in most plunges at the moment which are used only to prevent the pots being entirely frozen in winter. Most years these do not even come on.

This staging is for house with mostly narcissus and crocus - though the others will need to be renewed as well. We decided to just buy for one house till we saw for ourselves what the staging is like.

Getting the old home-made VERY  rusted dexion staging OUT will be our next problem - new angle grinder is on order!!

[Helen Johnstone]

Hi Maggie

So in theory I could put a bulb plunge in my frost free greenhouse?  This would allow me more time to see if I need to buy/build an additional cold frame

Helen (confused of Malvern!)

[Maggi Young]

Indeed you could - and  a section of plunge staging by Two Wests cost about  £150  for a section 80"  by 24" (they work still in imperial measurements!) http://www.twowests.co.uk/product/plunge-propagating-bench

[Helen Johnstone]

Indeed you could - and  a section of plunge staging by Two Wests cost about  £150  for a section 80"  by 24" (they work still in imperial measurements!) http://www.twowests.co.uk/product/plunge-propagating-bench

Hmm, for me it would be about £76 which is a lot cheaper than an Access frame and would give me the option of seeing how I go before I invest more in this.  I already have Two Wests staging - some slatted and some gravel beds which are shallow and I find they are good for germinating seeds which need the greenhouse.  I will have to really think about what I want to grow next spring.  As I could replace the gravel trays with plunges.  Not only do I not have much space but I also have limited time available so I need to focus on a smaller range of plants rather than trying to grow everything and not doing it well!!!