Greenhouse

[thesunflowergal]

Hello All

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend, its been a weekend of very mixed blessings here.

My Mother has offered to buy me a new greenhouse for my birthday , have been looking for a second hand one for a couple of months now with no joy .

I have only got space for a 6x6, hence why a tunnel is out of the question. Does anyone have any recomdendations or ideas please?

Thanks Nikki

[Green Aura]

I don't know about specific brands but one thing to look for are high eaves - in such a small greenhouse you need the height to be able to plant right out to the edges.

If memory serves the make of ours was Elite - lovely greenhouse but it was quite a bit bigger, 12'x8'. I don't know how small they go.

[MKG]

There are loads and loads of little greenhouses on the market, and they're all fine ... except ...

Don't go for one of those monstrosities which has wafer-thin polycarbonate glazing. They're wonderful until you get the slightest breath of wind, at which point the panes blow out - out, note, not in. You'll find those panes in your neighbour's garden or your neighbour's neighbour's garden - or not at all. Manufacturers appear (despite their protestations to the contrary) not to understand what happens to poorly supported thin plastic (flexible) panels when the wind hits them.

So - glass or SUBSTANTIAL polycarbonate is definitely a must, and that's more important than size. Even in the tiniest of greenhouses, you can get a hell of a crop of tomatoes - providing the protection stays where it's supposed to be.

Mike

EDIT: Elite have models down to 4 feet square. They're excellent - but far from the cheapest.

[baldybloke]

Depends on the budget really. Ideally a strong aluminium frame with safety glass would be the preferred choice. Try South West Greenhouses in Trowbridge to get an idea of cost. Then hunt around online to see if you can find a better price.

[bonniethomas06]

There are loads and loads of little greenhouses on the market, and they're all fine ... except ...

Don't go for one of those monstrosities which has wafer-thin polycarbonate glazing. They're wonderful until you get the slightest breath of wind, at which point the panes blow out - out, note, not in. .

Yep, can second this, has happened to me.

But how exciting though! Your very own greenhouse. I love them, mine is my favorite place in the world. Never had a brand new one though - but after doing much window shopping I found that the cheapest were an online company which also sold via fleabay. Will see if I can find a linky.

[thesunflowergal]

Thanks for the advice all.

I can not make a decision about which one to get, I am struggling with my budget which is £350. My options are:

6x6 Hort Glass, with self opening roof vent and base

6x8 Green Polycarbonate with self opening windows.

6x8 Silver Hort Glass, with base. No vents.

I am tempted towards the later, do I really need a roof vent? I think I do

Please can anyone offer any more advice??

[Thomzo]

A self-opening roof vent is vital. They can get extremely hot inside on a cold but sunny day so you won't realise that everything inside is cooking until it's too late.

Oh, and a cat flap. They'll be in there at every opportunity and can become seriously dehydrated if they can't get out. Alternatively, make sure there is a large bowl of water in there at all times in case they get trapped inside.

Try to save some of your budget for shelving so that you can start off your seeds in there.

I'm sure you'll love it. How exciting.
Zoe

[thesunflowergal]

Thanks Zoe.
I will have to think about the cat flap, as the cat population has grown rather a lot here since we last saw you. Flossie had four kittens, six weeks ago!!

[Thomzo]

Ahhhh cute.

Zoe

[bonniethomas06]

Yep I agree, isn't there a rule in grenhouses where you think of the amount of venitlation you think you need, then double it? My g/house (think you saw it when you came over) only has two roof vents and it gets so hot in the summer that I have to take out some ofthe side panels to compensate.

Controversially through, I don't think you need to shell out for a base. I know there was a long thread on here about greenhouse bases not long ago, but I didn't have one for mine, it just went straight on the grass and so far, so good!

Enjoy...and the kitties! Aww

[Odsox]

Controversially through, I don't think you need to shell out for a base.

Hmm, I'm not so sure. I think it would depend on the site.
I have just moved and refurbished a small aluminium greenhouse that my son-in-law originally built.
He screwed it to pieces of 4 x 2 timber and sunk it in the ground a bit to get it level.
The problem with that is the grass grew up, which pushed soil against the bottom panes of glass and cracked several. I have just come back from the glass shop with 6 new sheets to finish it off. (6 x €5)
I built a base out of concrete blocks, which has the added advantage of making the greenhouse nearly a foot taller inside, which means an extra truss of tomatoes on each plant and stops me banging my *##&$!! head on the roof.

I'll post a photo later if you are interested.

[gregorach]

I really wish that whoever originally built the greenhouse on my plot had put it on a proper base. It's kinda bendy along the long sides and saggy at the corners, which doesn't improve its structural integrity one bit - but I really don't fancy the idea of having to dismantle the bloody thing to sort it out.

[Odsox]

I'm not sure I would have done mine either Dunc, but it was in the wrong place. So as I had to move it, it made sense to do the job properly and replace the broken sheets of glass.
As you can see, the site is far from level, so it would have been difficult to install any other way.

greenhouse.jpg (100.92 KiB) Viewed 3502 times

[Green Aura]

I agree totally about the base, especially if there's any hint of wind in your area. Because ours was originally set (very badly!) on a thin rectangle of concrete it moved with the slightest breeze and cracked several panes. A strong base, we eventually used railway sleepers, held it much more securely.

Raising it up confirms my point about having high eaves - you don't have to be very tall to find the perimeter of the greenhouse a pain in the head and restricts the height of any plants - particularly important if it's only small in the first place.

As for roof vents, they only cost about a fiver, so I'd opt for the one with the base (and still set it on sleepers or blocks).