What makes a quality greenhouse?

There are so many things to consider when looking for a quality greenhouse, but hopefully our handy points will help make the search a little easier.

Initial check list…

LOCATION – Where will you put it in your garden and how much space do you actually have? Is the area flat or can you flatten it and is the area free of overhang from trees, buildings etc.?

DIRECTION – Ideally an East-West direction would be best to help capture as much sunlight at possible.

WATER – Will you have easy access to water?

There are endless choices for customising your greenhouse, to ensure you get exactly the greenhouse you want. Options include;

GLAZING

Toughened safety glass has replaced horticultural glass as the most popular option in recent years mainly because its stronger, and if it breaks, it’ll break into loads of little pieces making it safer as opposed to horticultural glass which when broken, breaks into large shards. You can also opt for polycarbonate glazing with some greenhouses which is 200 times stronger than normal greenhouse glass and is less likely to be damaged compared to either glass option.

Halls Magnum 8ft x 12ft greenhouse

If you want a greenhouse with toughened glazing, we suggest you take a look at the Halls Magnum greenhouse range which is available in several sizes and comes with a choice of glazing options.

SHAPE AND SIZE

Firstly, buy the largest greenhouse that your garden and budget allows to try and ensure you don’t outgrow your greenhouse. There are several shapes out there including the traditional house shape, lean-to and wall gardens to name just a few.

The traditional house shape lets plenty of light in with full length glass panes and also allows for plenty of head room and ample growing space. These are available in the greatest number of size combinations and are the easiest shape to purchase accessories for.

If you’re considering a traditional shaped greenhouse, the Eden Burford greenhouse range is a good place to start, as this range has a choice of sizes available and it comes with a Zero Threshold Door System, allowing for easy access.

A lean-to greenhouse is handy if space is limited but you have a large wall area which catches the sun. You can often find plenty of accessories such as staging and shelving for lean-tos, however overall working space is slightly limited.

Eden Broadway lean-to greenhouse

The new Eden Broadway Lean-to greenhouse range boasts a lot of features including the Zero Threshold door technology, split sliding doors, high eaves and much more! There is also a choice of three sizes to choose from.

A wall garden is the perfect option if you only have a small area or if you are just starting out and don’t want a larger greenhouse at this time. Like the traditional and lean-to greenhouses, a wall garden greenhouse is often available in a choice of frame colours and glass types.

We’d recommend the Halls Supreme Wall Garden to anyone considering this option as along with all the normal greenhouse features, this one also comes with all the kit to get started including seed pots and shelving!

MATERIAL

One of the most important decisions in what will make a quality greenhouse for you, will be the material. Aluminium or wood are the two most common options for your greenhouse and each have their own advantages.

An aluminium greenhouse is normally powder coated so you can add a bit of personality to your colour choice! The aluminium frames are also very durable, lightweight and mainly maintenance free. However, a couple of things to consider include the overall quality. You will see that the prices of aluminium greenhouses vary massively, but it’s true what they say, you often pay for what you get. If you want a really robust greenhouse which will withstand the elements and the test of time, a Juliana greenhouse is manufactured of strong aluminium in Denmark and is the only aluminium greenhouses endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society for its quality. Another consideration is the option of adding a greenhouse base. These are often an extra cost but can help to add rigidity to your greenhouse.

Modern day wooden greenhouses are often made of high quality, pre-treated cedar wood which won’t need to be treated or painted. Over time the wood will become more silver-grey. Wooden greenhouses often give more of a traditional feel to your greenhouse and are often available with the same features as an aluminium greenhouse i.e vents. If you’re considering a wooden greenhouse, you won’t go far wrong with a Gabriel Ash cedar greenhouse.

ACCESSORIES

Like most things, you can now purchase many greenhouse accessories to enhance your greenhouse and gardening experience. A few accessories to consider including vents, water butts and staging. Vents help with temperature control and circulation of air. The Eden greenhouse range offer automatic vents as an added extra, so you won’t need to remember to go out and open and close them!

We touched on access to water earlier on during the initial check list, but it is also worth considering purchasing a water butt to connect to your greenhouse and catch rain water. Not only is this more environmentally friendly, but it will also save you time and money in the long run. The Eden water butt is a great choice and can be easily connected using the connection kit, and if you wanted to go one step further you could connect an automatic watering system such as an Irrigatia Sol C12 or C24 system.

Irrigatia SOL-C12 Automatic Watering System

Staging is always a good purchase when looking for more working and storage space as it will allow you to really captivate on your growing area. Check out the range of Halls staging accessories which include various tier heights and different lengths.

Now all is left is for you to decide which quality greenhouse makes the cut and get growing!