Which Greenhouse ?

Which Greenhouse should I buy?

I've only a small space which greenhouse

would be best ?

I have limited funds which greenhouse is cheapest ?

I live in a very windy area which greenhouse would be best ?

All these questions and more answered here to help our gardening buddies !

For more information on greenhouses and which greenhouse to choose click here.

Mini Greenhouses

Everyone has the space for a greenhouse !

It's true ! There is such a wide choice of mini greenhouses available now that there really is one to suit everybody. Gardman make a mini greenhouse in 3, 4 and 5 Tier configurations with reinforced plastic covers that will live happily in your yard or on your balcony.

Small Greenhouses are the answer to the " Greenhouses are too BIG " for my little garden statement !

The best and smallest true "small greenhouse" is the Elite Compact Greenhouse which is only 4ft wide and the smallest is only 4ft x 4ft in total (pictured). The Compact features a built in low threshold base, one roof vent, double sliding doors and integral guttering. Basically all the features of a bigger Elite Greenhouse in a small package that will grace the corner of the smallest garden or patio.

See many types of small greenhouse here:

There are many good cheap greenhouses on the market today to choose from. Probably the market leader in cheap greenhouses is Gardman Greenhouses with their green framed and twin wall polycarbonate glazed greenhouses. The Gardman range is available in 6x4, 6x6, 8x6 and a 4x6 Lean-to Greenhouse. The greenhouses come complete with a green steel base, green aluminium frame and 4mm twin wall polycarbonate glazing.

One of the most frequent questions asked by greenhouse buyers who are new to greenhouses is "What is best, glass or polycarbonate?". Historically greenhouses have always been glazed in glass both in the UK and abroad. In Germany in the past they have used frosted glass as it has the added feature of difusing UV rays ! In Europe it has been common to use polycarbonate instead of glass and increasingly that is becoming the case here in the UK due to cost and safety concerns.

The main advantage of polycarbonate over glass is its durability and strength and hence its safety benefits. Most greenhouses are glazed in 3mm horticultural glass which can be dangerous if broken as it breaks into large shards which are extremely sharp and terribly dangerous. It's generally recommended that if the greenhouse is sited in a public place (allotment) or certainly where children or elderly people may be present that Toughened Safety Glass (to BS6206) or polycarbonate is the glazing of choice. Whilst toughened safety glass will still smash, it breaks down into small harmless stones like car windscreens or telephone box glass which is less dangerous that the shards of sharp glass with 3mm horticultural glass. Most large glasshouses and wooden greenhouses tend to, and certainly benefit from, having toughened glass as it's a lot more weighty and rigid than other glazing types and will withstand harsh weather.

Polycarbonate glazing however, is highly recommended if you have children or animals running around your garden as any impact will merely result in the child or pet bouncing off the polycarbonate panel or popping a panel out which can be put back in place, simply and quickly. A collision of this type with a glass greenhouse or coldframe would result in injury.

Polycarbonate greenhouses are also ideal for allotments as many local councils now insist that allotment tenants use polycarbonate greenhouses rather than glass due to health and safety policy. Greenhouses in gardens and allotments can also fall victim to vandalism and this is where polycarbonate has a very clear advantage over glass in that the cost of replacement polycarbonate is far cheaper and easier to source than glass. Generally speaking polycarbonate doesn't smash so whether the wind has blown out a panel then it can simply be put back in and be secured with clips.

The insulation properties of polycarbonate are superb and the most popular form of polycarbonate and by far the most effective greenhouse polycarbonate is 4mm twin wall polycarbonate sheet. This polycarbonate has a thermal insulation "R value" of around 1.42 whereas horticultural glass has an "R value" of around 0.93. Twin wall polycarbonate also out performs glass where protection of your plants from harmful scorching UV is concerned also as it effectively diffuses light coming into the greenhouse whilst maintaining 80 to 85 % light transmission, plenty for most growing.

A greenhouse can always compliment a garden either by the way it looks or by simply what is on display within it, like flowers and plants.

However, there are many greenhouses available today that offer something a bit different, be it shape, colour or construction. Elite Greenhouses for instance are available in 5 colour choices, green, brown, terracotta, black and white. Vitavia and Halls both offer greenhouses with curved eaves in 6ft and 8ft widths (Vitavia Orion Greenhouse shown).

There are also Orangery sun room style greenhouses from Halls, Eden and Vitavia as well as the new Cygnet Greenhouse from Swallow Greenhouses.