Building a new Greenhouse - Part 3 - Six on Saturday

This is the final instalment of our major project to demolish the old greenhouse, clear the space to make a paved courtyard area and build a new greenhouse alongside, re-using the glass panels.

Since the last post, I've terminated the incoming power cable from the mast, although I haven't yet ran an internal cable from the isolator and installed a socket point.  We've no pressing need for electricity in the greenhouse at this time of year, but in the autumn we'll likely install some LED lighting and the sockets can also be used for heated propagators etc next year. 

The aluminium louvre covers for the rear upper vents arrived, and these were fitted in five minutes.

isolator switch, and vent louvre from the inside ...

I modified the existing slatted shelving to suit the new greenhouse, and extended it where required so now we've two sides fully fitted.  There's also a free-standing shelf unit in there, against the back of the greenhouse.

 shelving around the greenhouse ....

We've added guttering and a downpipe to the building, with materials reclaimed from the old greenhouse.  It's not quite how I want it, and the downpipe is too short, but there's still a lack of easy access to DIY shops for the materials I need.  I know B&Q and similar are open again, but standing in a queue waiting to get inside a shop is not my idea of a leisure activity.

And I finally finished the new patio space late this week.  I'd previously built the timber frame around the north and west sides to provide support for the existing grapevine and also for new climbers.  

But it was only this week that a particular local timber yard re-opened for order collections, so I was able to buy the additional diamond trellis panels I needed to complete the job.  I already had one of them, so I wanted the other three to be in the same style and similar panels are also used elsewhere in the garden, in the pergolas and summerhouse.

On the paved area, we removed a couple of the heavy slabs to plant directly into the ground.    Our largest Trachycarpus wagnerianus fan palm went in there, as did a young lilac bush we've grown from seed.  The lilac is still quite small, but it's planted towards the back of the space because it should put on height and bulk much more quickly than the palm.

We also added plants to four of the new pots we'd bought at a garden centre sale in January.  Standing at the front corners of the greenhouse are Hibiscus syriacus bushes - these are Poundland plants bought in 2017 and 2018 - and on the paved area we've a pot with agapanthus - six large roots bought from a market in Madeira earlier this year - and a young bird cherry tree which we grew from seed, sown in 2015 along with the lilacs.

There are further larger pots sitting on the raised pathway behind the retaining wall, and smaller pots on the metal shelves at the west.

The grapevine is putting on leaves and there's even a few flower clusters forming.

And here's a final picture of how it all fits together in that top corner of the garden, with the greenhouse, paved area and new raised beds.

So finished for now except for vacuuming all the sawdust from the gravelled areas, although I've already identified further smaller jobs to do in the area.  Most can wait until the autumn and winter but there's one or two to tackle during the growing season ...

This weekend, we'll be planting out tomato, chilli and sweet pepper plants in pots in the greenhouse, grown from seed on the kitchen windowsill.  After a few very cool nights this week, the longer-term forecast is for higher nighttime temperatures.   Still too risky here to plant out cucumbers and melons, though.

Head over to The Propagator's site for further inspiration from gardeners around the world.