Do we need a greenhouse?

[Two_Sheds]

I totally agree, you certainly need to water every day.

Twice a day in mid-summer. And if you don't have auto-vents, you have to open all the windows and close them again every day too

You also need to have a good sunny site for the gh, there's no point at all having one in the shade

[Loudbarker1]

If you get a greenhouse, and I did from day one, cos its a great help, it also helps to cultivate neighbours, cos at some point, you will need them!

Interesting! I haven't heard of this plant before. Can you please suggest varieties, seed suplliers, best growing conditions. Recipies are always useful too.

[Amanda1]

The watering issue is a very good point. Is the greenhouse going to be on an allotment or in your garden? Mine is in my garden so I don't find this so much of an issue but I wouldn't be able to commit to one during summer where I have to get to it once or twice a day.

[gojiberry]

You have to make certain that you want to grow vegetables before splashing out on greenhouses and the likes. I'd probably been growing veg for 20years before I got a greenhouse and then it was only a small Norfolk one. I now have 3 the largest 20ft by 8ft.and wouldn't be without them.

Ian

[Kristen]

Couple of contrary points if I may

People say that Tomatoes grown outside taste better (I only grow them in my greenhouse so have no personal experience). Outdoor season is much shorter than indoor one though.

I grow my greenhouse "crops" in the greenhouse border, not in pots / bags. I certainly don't water every day - and it would be relatively straightforward to set up some dripper-irrigation if it was not possible to get to the greenhouse regularly (consider what will happen when you are away for the weekend / holiday - if no neighbours to help then some automation might be needed). The greenhouse border soil needs to be changed each year though.

I personally don't have auto-vents as I like to choose which side the house is vented etc., and I like to have some ventilation at night during the summer, but the automatic vents are obviously a great boon if you can't get to the greenhouse first & last thing each day (and in Winter that will be quite late in the morning, and mid afternoon)

I grow some early crops in my greenhouse - Sweetcorn and French Beans - as well as some overwinter crops, and the usual Summer crops.

The greenhouse is also used to get things off the windowsills as early as possible in the year (never early enough in my good Wife's eyes though!). If the greenhouse is near the house you have the option of brining plants indoors for the night if there is a particularly cold snap (or using a small heater sufficient to keep the frost off, but Tomatoes / Cucumbers / etc. need a minimum of 10C to carry on growing, which is a bit more than just "frost free")

[alim0229]

Thank you all for your fantastic advice. All a bit confusing really, on one hand I do not one to invest in something if I'm not sure we will 'get into it' on the other it may difficult to get the 'full experience' without all the kit. We plan to use a greenhouse in our garden and we have a garden on two tiers with an upper and lower deck, we would locate the greenhouse on the lower deck.

Not knowing much about greenhouses, how much would one need to spend to get a decent starter greenhouse? We have a young children, not sure whether this influences what would be suitable for us

[Two_Sheds]

Unless you're well off, perhaps you could start off with a couple of blowaways? about £10 each

A decent, rock solid greenhouse is about £2,000

[Potstubsdustbins]

No Two Sheds she is thinking of a green house not a Kew Garden glass house oh oh.

Colin

[Amanda1]

I would say that if you are going to buy one I wouldn't make the mistake of starting off small. I would buy the biggest one you can afford to fit your space. You'll use all of it and still wish you had a bigger one (if you know what I mean!)

[Two_Sheds]

A decent, rock solid greenhouse is about £2,000

she is thinking of a green house not a Kew Garden glass house

I mean there are lots of cheap, badly made greenhouses out there - the type that pop their glass out in every wind, or travel across the garden in a gale, or break under a few inches of snow, are too small or don't have adequate ventilation

I think rather than go all out for a greenhouse when she's not sure if she even wants one, she'd do better to use a blowaway for a year or two until she finds her feet

[alim0229]

I have considered a cheap £20-40 mini green house, but I'm not sure whether I should go and buy a cheap starter greenhouse. Looking on the internet, one can buy a greenhouse for £400-600 pounds; perhaps these are the type of greenhouse you describe, which fall to pieces and best avoided. I certainly could afford much more than £400-600 pounds, Am I priced out of a greenhouse or would a model in my price range do the job ok?

[Aberdeenplotter]

Cheap doesn't necessarily mean it won't function though. When I was a lad (Swore when I was in fact a lad that I would never ever say that when I grew up) my dad made a greenhouse out of plastic granular fertiliser bags. Farmers used to buy their fertiliser in clear bags with manufacturers logo on.

The bags were tacked on to a wooden frame and had to be replaced every couple of years but even in the North of Scotland, that allowed him to grow super tomatoes with the minimum of expense albeit with high maintenance in terms of his time.

Cheap aluminium greenhouses will function very well if treated properly. They won't blow away if fixed in place and that should be done even with an expensive brand. Extra Glazing clips will help prevent glass blowing out and some judicious effort with a sweeping brush should prevent damage with snow as will cleaning out the inevitable accumulation of moss and gunge under the glass which is likely to lead to damage by frost. I got caught with that myself this year and it cost me 4 panes of glass.

There are a miriad of extras that can be bought to impove ventilation such as automatic openers and cantilever type slats that fit directly into the frame.

Personally, I wouldn't waste money on a plastic blowaway that will need replacing in a couple of years anyway, but of course as we have seen on here already,we all have different views.

[alim0229]

Are there any good companies, brand or websites to use to purchase a greenhouse in my price range? There are always the national chains such as B&Q, Homebase etc

[Munch]

I have 2 little £12 4 self 'blowaway' types from Wilko's last year and the were fine for me (well me and my budget!)

This year as we have an allotment we are 'investing' in 2 of the £30 (reduced from £44 ) walk in types.

Wilko Walk In Greenhouse with Staging & PE Cover | Mini Greenhouses | | Mini Greenhouse & Propagation from Wilkinson Plus

I know they are probably not the best but they do for us until we can actually afford to buy better.

Hopefully they will dot he trick


We are planning to have one at home for the delicated, need LOTS of looking after seedling and things and one at the allotment (anchored down) for other bits.

[Amanda1]

Maj, I would just google greenhouses and see what comes up. I think the one I bought off ebay would have been original about £400, it's 8 x 6, I've had one piece of glass broken by a falling apple I think (dropped by a bird) which I've repaired with the greenhouse repair tape and another crack in one of the panes (no idea how) which I've repaired in the same way. It's screwed down into a concrete base. I've had it 6 years now and it was second hand to start with, I clean it once a year in spring and it's been perfect for me. When you google and see something you like in your price range, I would then google that greenhouse for reviews to see what other people have said about it (I wouldn't rely on any reviews actually posted on the manufacturers website for obvious reasons). I hope you find something you can afford and that suits you.