Help! I don't know where to start!

[crunchynutter]

O.k... we bought our first home together and put all our savings into our wedding. The house is a decent size and has promise but is ex-council and needed quite a lot of work (built walls, rewired, plastered, new bathroom, stairs loads more to be done!) our garden is about 30/40 feet and was more like an overgrown jungle. we levelled it off a bit, put some decking down and a new fence up. thing is, now were settling in and the end is in sight (so to speak!)i would really like a NICE garden. we are also planning to start a family and i love the idea of growing our own fresh organic fruit and veg. We have a dog (Who would dig!) and so will probably need to do this in a greenhouse.

To get to the point (sorry!) could anybody tell me roughly how much they cost, how do you get started, are they easy to constuct (my dear hubby built our shed which fell apart almost completely in strong winds!) what can you grow in them and are they hard work?

I know this is a lot but i am a COMPLETE garden novice- i have even comented on 'pretty' flowers to be told they are weeds (blush) however i would love to utilise this space and have a healthier, greener lifestyle for when our little ones do come along!

Scour the papers for a 2nd hand greenhouse if you want to do it cheap, or visit lots of garden centres and B&Q to find out how much they cost and what types there are. Then decide which you think is best for you I have seen them with just shelves and pot in, my mums has two breezebloc rows of planters in it, which she mainly does spuds and lettuce in, plus shelves for other things in pots. Her neighbours has grapes in hers! your world is your oyster.

the trouble with a recycled greenhouse is that putting them up is about 50 times as difficult as you think it is, and taking one down then putting it up again - well, the mind boggles. if you and dh do it together you may find yourself spending your savings on a divorce.

you don't need a greenhouse to grow most veg, you jsut need a dogproof fenced off bit - probably easier to achieve on a diy basis. If you can find a spot with a sunny south facing fence or wall then you will be able to manage even the tender stuff like tomatoes outside.

grow what you like eating. do not get seduced into growing stuff you hate just because the books assume that's what you want to do.

aww thanks for quick replys! our garden is not great, uneven, horsegrass etc and the dog is a rather young and excitable lab who loves agility so would proabably see small fence as a challenge lol allotment wouldnt work as i don;t think we would go down often enough- much easier in your back garden so i think greenhouse is best option. do you need concrete bases to build them on though?i think my dad and grandad would have to be called in with the promise of free spuds lol. Do not fancy divorce missing- we are rather happy :-)

i think we would love potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and a variety of herbs as we do love cooking- i would love grapes and strawberries but did not think this would be possible- i;m getting quite inspired now!

You don't need a concrete base for a greenhouse - you cna build them on a frame straight on the grass

I still think a greenhouse is a very expensive way of making a veg patch!

Tomatoes are good in a greenhouse. Carrots are too, no carrot root fly if you are lucky.

Strawberries are OK as long as you leave windows open so bees can get in and pollinate them, otherwise you have to do it yourself!

for a decent quantity of potatoes you need loads of space. If you can't afford a huge greenhouse then you could grow some fancy ones in pots or compost bags instead, but go for quality not quantity.

FYI my greenhouse which is 6 x 10 (feet, which is about 2m wide by 3.5 growbags long), with horticultural glass, extra louvers, automatic openings, and in lovely shiny green, and put up for me by a man who does nothing else all day and still took a whole day and some choice language, and NOT bought from anywhere cheap, cost about £800 all in. You could get something for MUCH less than that on ebay (but I am a bit of a fanatic, and I like green, and i am NEVER attempting to put one up myself ever again)

have just looked- really expensive at b&q but not so bad here; www.greenhousesgalore.co.uk

guess ill have to try to sort the garden a bit and convince hubby (or do it june when hes working away for a week!) i'm really keen on the idea but as i said we still have lots of work to do which all take time and money! i would appreciate any tips from as to how to start planting- what to buy and where from etc! will be watching this thread!