Grow Your Own Magazine

I have been fortunate enough to find a Freecycle Greenhouse and to have first option on it.

However, as well as having 3 panes of glass missing (which I expected), the lady has just informed me that the door is missing too. I noticed that theres a wealth of knowledge out there - just a newbie to greenhouses myself - does anyone have any idea how to resolve this issue as I would think that the door is vital.

Thanks for the help - I've been trawling the internet for hours for ideas.

Unless you can identify the make of greenhouse and the maker still exists, or you are a dab hand with diy metalwork, I would walk away from it and wait for another.

Of course you could always bodge up something with heavy duty polythene sheeting inside and out to get a "double-glazed" roller blind at that end?

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It depends on how good you DIY skills are and where you intend to position the greenhouse?
If you can keep the door opening to the North side when you position it you could even rig up a wooden door.! The north end gets no direct sunlight anyway so theoretically the door, and complete north end for that matter needn't be clear glass or perspex!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Hubby quite good at DIY but definitely going to have to be placed with a south facing door.
I've been waiting so long for a greenhouse that it'd be quite hard to walk away! Interesting idea for a roller blind - just made some for in the house so I guess it'd be the same idea

Would say that you definitely need a door. Suggest you measure up the hole and take a load of pictures of the frame etc and somebody may be able to advise on the manufacturer. Seeing as it's free then you may as well have it and even if you can't use it as well as expected, at least it hasn't cost you.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

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I think you'll be creating a rod for your own back. Its hard enough assembling a greenhouse when you have all the bits!
With a missing door, panes etc you'll have wind and weather ripping thru there, knocking your plants over and messing it all up. Heartache.
Walk away, wait for a better one, it will come. It's a little late in the year to be of most benefit anyway ...?

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Big grins - went to see the greenhouse and the couple had found the door in the meantime!! Thanks for all the help and advice - will defo be back on this forum. Still have missing panes but they are not too expensive to replace so still cheaper than a new one.

Good stuff, you'll have it all ready for next spring's new plants. Does make you wonder though, how can you lose a greenhouse door?????

__________________

Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Where's your spirit of adventure TS???

I've had a wooden door in my greenhouse for ages, in fact I've just found a half glazed wooden door in a skip and with a bit of titivation it should let a bit more light in. I'm also going to make it open outward to give me more growing space!

Make do and mend is the name of the game!

PS Just in case you think it will lower the tone of the neighbourhood, I'll take a piccie once its fitted to show how good it will look!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Well done Green Linds, glad you've got the door as well!

Now all you've got to do is disassemble it, transport it and put it up!

Have fun!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I was going to suggest you nick one off someone else

My dads old Dutch light greenhouse came minus the door (well it was rotter) so we picked one up from a reclaim yard complete with lock and keys. It was a nice green colour and said

Boardroom on a brass plaque

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While youre mesing about with the door you have found, consider installing a simple inner door covered with plastic mesh. My parets have a large greenhouse with such a door which is useful as when the glass door is left open for ventilation, the mesh prevent ingress of cats, birds and butterflys.

Simple method of creating a cat/insect proof mesh door. Get two widths of conduit, one to fit inside the other.

Measure two lengths of each type of conduit, one set for each side of the doorway.

Drill small holes through the back of the larger conduit lengths and pass a wire through such that you can wire the conduit to the frame of the greenhouse (can be a little tricky - patience is required!).

Get a length of horticultural mesh and roll a little around one length of narrow conduit - stitch to fix. Repeat on other side of mesh leaving a door width between conduits.

Snap one side into one wide conduit and fix by wiring through the mesh and around both conduits.

To close the 'door' - stretch the mesh across and snap into the second wide conduit.

To store the door 'open' - unclip the narrow conduit by applying pressure from one end and 'unzip'. Roll the mesh arond the narrow conduit until to reach the other side.

Easy and lasts for years if you are careful.


If you are lucky enough to have a wooden greenhouse it is even easier - instead of wire use screws!