Advice on securing a greenhouse to ground

[purpleangelxxx]

Hi,

I have acquired a second hand greenhouse 6x6x8 and I need some advice on how to secure it to the ground so that it doesn't get blown over by the wind!

I have a newly built allotment plot as my old plot was on land that was taken over by the Olympic developers so they had to arrange a new site for us.

The new site has been built on an area that was contaminated so they removed loads of the contaminated soil, laid a membrane down and replaced fresh soil. The membrane is 80cm below the surface so I have to be carefull not to push anything too deep so it doesn't break the membrane.
There has been a little bit of flooding on the whole site and we are not sure if this is due to the membrane or just the amount of rainfall we have had but we have experts coming in to check! :(

I am also not allowed to use cement or concrete on the site!

So does anyone have any idea's on how I can secure the greenhouse (and if I need to at all? The allotments have no wind protecting other than a metal fence)

Also, the greenhouse has no base if that makes any difference?  ???

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

[purpleangelxxx]

[morton]

Get some concrete lintels from a hardware store and lay them on the surface of the soil around the perimeter of the greenhouse. Level them up and drill through the bottom of the greenhouse into the concrete and secure with ragbolts or similar. The weight of the lintels will hold the greenhouse down. Then knock a timber post into the ground on the inside in each corner. You can go two foot into the ground and leave them stuck out a foot to stop any chance of the thing moving.
The depth of the lintels above ground will give you extra height inside the greenhouse. If you are still worried then put up a wind break in the direction of the prevailing wind using some of that rush type fencing that you see carried on a timber frame.
Hope that it is clear.

[Baaaaaaaa]

I'd go back to the Olympic developers and ask them what your meant to do.

I built a base of concrete blocks, sunk 100mm into the ground, and screwed the GH to that.

[kt.]

Thick tent pegs. Hammer them into the ground with the arch overlapping the lip of the greenhouse.

[Deb P]

I sat my little greenhouse on a ditch filled with pea gravel, and used long metal tent pegs through the holes in the bottom frame to secure. It survived last years gales ok! ;D

[saddad]

Yes Deb but you are at the bottom of the hill and surrounded by trees! My Greenshed flew over the fence one year... so make sure the door is not facing into the prevailing winds!!
::)

[davee52uk]

There's some stuff used for industrial type shelving - think it's called Dexion. It's L-shaped metal with holes in for attaching bolts to make shelves.

Anyway if you can get some of this it makes great anchors. I hammer it in to about 18 ins depth. Once in the soil it can only be removed by digging it out - pulling is useless. I have got about 6 of these anchors inside my greenhouse which I then attached by thick wire to the rest of the green house.

On my other greenhouse I have used aluminium tent pegs where I sawed a hole in then so that soil could go into the hollow tube. Aagin this seems to work O.K.

[Stevens706]

My greenhouse is sitting on a base of old house bricks, which are easy to get free (skip diving), the frame is screwed to the bricks and has survived the last 2 years winds

[springbok]

I just build mine on sleepers, and screwed the base to those.  It sits on a patio.  First time I have had a greenhouse, so I hope it holds.

[louise stella]

Hi there

I do feel for you - lot's of us followed your plight and signed the petition - to no avaul.....grrrrr bloody Olympics!!

80cm of soil is not a lot - so spikes might not be a good idea.  I think sleepers are you best option - ask the powers that be to contact Railtrack (or whoever) and ask for some to be delivered to the site.  My brother gets them free for me but he doesn't live your way i'm afraid!

On another note - what is going to happen to you in the long term?  The site you are on surely isn't permanent????

louise

[Plot69]

Just a word of caution. Concrete lintels contain steel reinforcement so not always easy to drill. Pre-stressed lintels, the thinner ones, have highly stretched steel under great pressure that could shatter if drilled so be careful.

I screwed mine down onto paving slabs. 

[purpleangelxxx]

Hi Louise,

These new allotments that have been built are only for the short term, after the Olympics we will be moved back into the Olympic park and will once again have to start all over!!

The planning permission for the site we are on states we HAVE to move back after 2012!!!! ??? ??? ???

What madness! And there are such problems with flooding on the site, some of our plots are so flooded there is no point in starting to grow things still.

The LDA are now getting investigators in to assess the soil compaction and the capillary layer, so hopefully they will rectify the problem (and probably ruin any crops already in the ground as they do so knowing them!!!) ::)