Kitchen Garden Forum

Are you able to help me with a greenhouse question?

My husband and I are looking for a smallish greenhouse but had no idea the glass ones were so expensive!

Can anyone recommend a supplier of inexpensive greenhouses and if the smaller plastic ones are any good??

thanks

VeggieAli
xx

Dear VeggieAli, i think you might be able to pick a secondhand one up, if you look in the ads in your local paper or shop windows.

Other people on here get things off of Freecycle, but i'm not sure how that works, but others are bound to let you know.

As for the plastic ones i don't think they are up to much, but if you do go down them lines, the biggest thing to remember is to fix them down very well.

When you have had a greenhouse, you would never be with out one.

Ni VeggieAli

Having been the very disappointed owner of a semi rigid UPVC greenhouse I would never recommend that route to anyone. I bought this because I couldn't afford glass. It lasted two years and had to be replaced and was nothing but trouble from day one.

I now have two glass greenhouses, one of which has been standing, trouble free, for the past ten years. A glass greenhouse is more costly but a much better investment.

Hi VeggieAli!
Definitely check out Ebay and Loot, you should be able to find soemthing suitable near you, even if you do have to dismantle it to take it away. (that helps, because you can mark as you go, and then it will be a doddle to put back together again) We recently got ourselves a free 12x6 glasshouse from a neighbour. We had to take it down ourselves, but it is worth it, we only broke a couple of bits of glass!

Hello VeggieAli, I hope you get a reasonably priced glass greenhouse somewhere but make sure it's still in good condition because otherwise it could prove to be a "curate's egg".

We bought ours (Alton glass to ground, cedarwood, 6'x8') more than 30 years ago new and it's survived two moves but it certainly would not be worth moving it again because even the hardwood is now getting soft and rotten in places in spite of being treated every two years.

So beware of secondhand ones that are too old!

the aluminium ones seem to last forever ours were got secondhand some 15 years ago, the auto vents are the only bits that have given trouble, they have both needed new cylinders. if the greenhouse you get has only an opening rooflight its worth adding a louvre vent in the end wall to improve the airflow.

Thanks! will look out for a glass one....

Hi All - i found my octagonal glass greenhouse on e-bay & paid a fraction of its new value - needed because of my small garden - had to take it apart but cheap - regards

I was given a glass 10x6 a few years ago and it was a victime of high winds in 06, so I repaired the twisted frame, and bought a polycarbonate glazing kit from B & Q for a greenhouse of similar design, second season now and second winter and it appears to be in good condition. I thanks Chantal is referring to the type you can get in wilko's etc with the floppy plastic sheeting similar to a tent, they are really only for someone that wants to propogate in spring and then take down for the rest of the year, frankly I would look for a cheap aluminium one as on the sources above, people are very keen to get shot if you can dismantle yourself. Definitely a boon for any veg grower, and somewhere to work when the ground on the plot is too wet.

Regards

Compo

Glass or plastic? It really depends on what use you going to put it to.

If you want to heat it and/or use it in the more dreary months to raise early plants or overwinter perennials definitely go for glass. Glass has more insulating properties and will let in up to 20% more light than plastic.

If you just want to get a few weeks start on tender crops and protect them during the summer/autumn go for plastic.

I am not quite sure about what kind of amount of money are you speaking, but I've found something like this and I thinking "Is this cedar greenhouse expensive or not?"

My aluminium glass G/house has been standing since 1986 with no problems other than broken glass panes during 2 gales. 10 panes in 1987 (the big storm) and 2 in 2002.

talula wrote:I am not quite sure about what kind of amount of money are you speaking, but I've found something like this and I thinking "Is this cedar greenhouse expensive or not?"

It's about four times what I would pay but then money is pretty relative isn't it

I am not quite sure about what kind of amount of money are you speaking, but I've found something like this and I thinking "Is this cedar greenhouse expensive or not?"

zoinks!!

Get a small conservatory for that!