Buying a New Greenhouse / Getting a new second hand one

[MarkHackwell]

Looking into possibly buying a new greenhouse for the Allotment as just found out mine is coming up to 7 years old and is nearly destroyed by the wind, plus I’m getting fed up with having to chase the polycarbonate around every time there is a strong storm

What are everyone’s opinion on what a good new greenhouse would be please? Without breaking the bank tooo much!

[SarrissUK]

I'm probably not the best to provide advice on your exact question - what a good new greenhouse would be. New isn't it to me - I would always go for second hand.

I got mine that I have in the garden off the intranet at work for £50 with almost all the glass for it. I never did replace the missing panes, as it serves as good ventilation on the side that is backed up against a tall brick wall. Not had a problem with it, and I've had it for six or seven years now.

I scavenged a knackered greenhouse off an abandoned plot on the allotment site and replaced the polycarbonate with big secure bolts and plates. Cost me the grand total of a fiver.

The most expensive things I've procured for things like that is the plastic and the accessories needed for the polytunnel frame that was on my plot when I got it, and all in all that cost me £90.

So maybe that gives a picture why I'm not the best at answering your exact question. I simply can't do the math and find the reason to spend so much money on a new greenhouse when you get so much more for your money second hand. But that's just me. We're all different

[Thelma Sanders]

Buy a 2ndhand one, ideally one you can take down yourself so you can label all the bits as you take it down. Then it is sooo much easier to put back together. They're usually easy enough to find locally on freecycle and the like, or on ebay. Good luck!

[veggiechicken]

Put your existing one back together, reinforce it and secure the polycarb panels better?

[MarkHackwell]

Tried it about 3 times already, tried to glue the panels in with Gorilla glue but as soon as one window comes out the wind gets in and takes the lot out I have got to the point I don’t dare put any plants in it as the last time I did the whole thing took off and tipped all my beautiful seedlings everywhere which never recovered.

The Greenhouse frame is now getting quite mangled now (The window doesn’t appear to close properly and the door wasn’t the best to start with but the slider at the top appears to be busting). I was going to replace completely with a Shed but I still think a Greenhouse is more practical. Unless there is a hybrid of some sort?

I suppose if I could get a free Greenhouse I could keep these polycarbonate panels and make some coldframes and maybe the frame could be used for something else (it isnt a very strong frame at all being honest).

[Guest]

Put your existing one back together, reinforce it and secure the polycarb panels better?

You can cut bamboo canes down and put/wedge them across which will secure them.

[greenishfing]

Someone I know drilled the polycarbonate panels at the corners and secured them to the frame with cable ties. It worked.

[Stan79]

Sounds like you might want to look at a potting shed. I got mine secondhand in 2013 and it’s going strong!

[MarkHackwell]

You can cut bamboo canes down and put/wedge them across which will secure them.

Do you mean cutting them in half all the way down? Or using them whole? As whole appears to be too thick?