Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi everyone.

I have had allotments in Leicester for about 15 years, so im not a total newcomer to growing my own, i also have 3x 8'x6' 1x10'x8' and 1x10'x12' greenhouses that ive accumalated and made good use of with tomatoes peppers,cucumber's etc.

However im looking forward to this coming season with great anticipation.
About this time last year i was given a a 36' x 8' aluminium greenhouse that had been dismantled and lay under a huge oak tree for 6 years.Its took me almost a year to get the frame cleaned up, scrounge up enough glass to replace the missing bits, and visit almost every branch of wilko in leicester and buy all the glazing clips they have and get it erected.

And now through unfortunate circumstances - my friend stan has had a major op and is sidelined for a year -so i have the use of his 48'x14' polytunnel this year.




Thanks for reading thus far ....... now for the questions.

Will the large greenhouse get as hot as the smaller 8x6 / 10x8 - or due to the area it covers will it be a little cooler ?.

If you were in my position - how would you set yourself up? what would you put under glass , and same for the tunnel.

Thanks for reading - i look forward to getting a few ideas and pointers ..

Hope Stab recovers quickly, my jealousness can then go down!


The glasshouse is better for letting the light through, as your photos show, ot also should have more vents for cooling than the tunnel.

I reckon this is one for JB or oH to answer, I only have a 12x8 glasshouse.

Dear GB,
I would put cucumbers and peppers in the polytunnel, with perhaps early crops of spinnach, lettuce and courgettes. For the glasshouse I would go for tomatoes and aubergines with an early crop of new potatoes, french/runner beans (dwf) and any seedlings you are growing on for planting outside.
Polytunnels retain moisture for longer and transmit slightly less light so they are better for things which may suffer from red spider mite and too much sun.
The drier atmosphere and more openings of a glasshouse will benefit the plants which need insect pollination and mould free conditions.
I am assuming that you will be passing on a portion of the crop to Stan in payment for the use of his rather nifty polytunnel.

If I had the time I would be jealous but as I have a 5' x 10' glasshouse at home with a 12' x 90' glasshouse with a matching length of cold frame at work. There is also a 12' x 20' polytunnel and we are in the process of putting up a 16' x 50' polytunnel which we scrounged from the botanic garden down the road. I also have 2 allotments in hand (sort of).

Regards Sally Wright.

Thankyou for your replies.

Its been a glorious day in leicester today and i think thats answered one of my questions for me .

The greenhouse has been left with the doors and windows closed, i went in there about lunchtime, and it was very warm in there .
So i think my theory that, the larger area of the big greenhouse would not hold the same kind of heat the a smaller 8x6 holds is not a valid theory.

Simple, the ratio of surface area, through which heat is lost or gained, to volume, within which heat is retained, is lower in a larger regularly sized object like a block or greenhouse.
A big thing looses heat slower as it has less surface to loose it through.

e.g. One cubic centimetre has six square centimetres surface area. Two cubic centimetres (2x1x1) has ten square centimetres surface area, where two seperate cc blocks would have twelve.

I am very glad of the example Peter, the explanation was a bit full on for me - but your cubes did the job!

In my personal point of view The greenhouse is the much better than Polytunnel because of it is less wasted space and also they make rainwater harvesting very easy. It is very cheaper than polytunnel. I will choose the greenhouse.

williamraed wrote:In my personal point of view The greenhouse is the much better than Polytunnel because of it is less wasted space and also they make rainwater harvesting very easy. It is very cheaper than polytunnel. I will choose the greenhouse.

Where did you get the idea that a greenhouse is cheaper than a polytunnel? It most certainly is not!