Quality Greenhouses Information

Autumn is without a doubt one of our most favourite times of the year. As the weather changes and turns crisp, it’s the perfect excuse to get out for a walk and kick some leaves! And as our gardens welcome the change of the season by shredding its leaves, there is still plenty to be getting on with in order to prepare your garden for the colder winter months, and the spring ahead.

Out in the garden

• Although the fallen leaves can look spectacular and make a fun play area for young children, it’s important to not let them sit on your lawn for too long as they will prevent the amount of sunlight from reaching the lawn, so be sure to rake these up on a regular basis. If you want to help your local wild animals, you could make a mound out of your raked leaves and help provide a winter bed for some of your little visitors
• Plant out your winter bedding plants and add some colour and interest to your garden during the colder days
• Raise your containers now to prevent possible waterlogging later
• If it’s mild where you are and your lawn is still growing, trim it back but set your mower blades to a higher setting
• There is still time to give your lawn its Autumn feed, choose one which is high in potassium and phosphorous as this will help to establish a strong root system and harden your grass ready for the cooler weather
• Clean out and fill up your bird feeders. This will help encourage winter birds into your garden. You should also ensure your bird baths are clean and topped up
• Think about moving your plants into your greenhouse or garage to protect them against winter frost

In your greenhouse

• In preparation for your Spring growth, give your greenhouse an Autumn clean and disinfect it. It will help get it ready for next year’s growing season
• Remove any dead or yellowing leaves along with dead flowers
• Maintain good levels of ventilation in your greenhouse to help with air flow and winter growth
• Tidy up any pots and containers you have ready for use next year
• Replace any broken glass and glazing strip ready to get the most out of your greenhouse next year

We often get asked by our customers what some of the key greenhouse buzz words mean, after all they can be a bit confusing especially if you’re just starting out buying your first greenhouse. So we wanted to take a moment or two to explain what some of the common buzz words actually mean. We’re sure you’ll have more as well, so be sure to leave them in the comments box below and share with your fellow gardeners!

Colour

You’ll normally be able to choose the frame colour of your greenhouse. The most common are silver (usually included as standard in the cost) green and black. Most frames are aluminium, some come with a matt finish rather than a shiny one depending on the greenhouse make and model you go for.

Glass type

There are often more choices to be made with the glass for your greenhouse. The standard glass is called horticultural glass and is the cheapest option available. It’s often a 3mm wide pane of glass which is adequate for your greenhouse, however if it breaks, it will break into large shards which can be quite dangerous so just be aware of this.

Toughened safety glass is normally 3mm or 4mm thick and will withstand greater levels of impact before breaking (it will normally withstand a football hitting it for example). If and when it does shatter, it will break into lots of smaller pieces which will be safer to clean up. Toughened glass is also heavier than standard horticultural glass, adding more weight to your greenhouse.

You will also see polycarbonate glazing as an option when looking at greenhouses. Polycarbonate is stronger again compared to toughened, and 200x stronger than standard horticultural glass. Therefore, it will withstand far greater levels of impact, making it an ideal choice if you have young children playing in the garden.

Lourve

Glass louvres allow for air to easily circulate around your greenhouse, helping with ventilation. They look a lot like a set a horizontal blinds – just glass ones! Louvres are often an additional extra which you can opt to include when purchasing your greenhouse.

Cresting

Cresting is the nice bit of patterned decoration found on the top of your greenhouse. It should be the same colour as your greenhouse frame and adds a bit of extra style to the top of your greenhouse. Cresting is normally an extra which you can opt for when buying your greenhouse.

Integral staging

Integral staging is the racks/shelves at working height within a greenhouse. These are normally the same colour as the frame of your greenhouse, however you can also purchase freestanding staging if you wanted to.

Shelving

Shelving refers to the small shelves which are found around head height in your greenhouse. They’re handy for storing small gardening accessories, packs of seeds etc. You can also use these to help get your plants or vegetables started before moving them into larger pots.

Auto vents

Vents are also important to help maintain a healthy air supply in your greenhouse and allow for ample air circulation, however if you don’t want to have to remember to open and shut your vents, purchasing an automatic system is a good option. They aren’t powered by electricity, rather they are powered by the sun as the metal cylinder containing a mineral wax expands when heated, causing the vents to open and when it cools again, the wax shrinks causing the vents to close again – clever eh!

Eaves

Many greenhouse retailers will refer to some models having high eaves. What they are actually referring to is the area where the greenhouse roof meets the walls of the greenhouse. Obviously the higher the eaves, the more head room available for gardeners

Zero Threshold Door System

This term is seen a lot when looking at Eden greenhouses. The Zero Threshold Door System is designed to have a smoother opening mechanism compared to other greenhouses and is not meant to jam. These door systems also don’t have a threshold bar so any wheelchair users can gain access to their greenhouse much easier

Threshold bar

The threshold bar is the bar which normally sits under the door to your greenhouse and is what your greenhouse door will slide along. Some modern greenhouses have done away with this threshold bar, making accessing your greenhouse easier than ever!

With the official arrival of Autumn this week, we wanted to take a moment to think about those Autumn gardening jobs that we need to get done, in preparation for the colder months.

1. There’s still time to plant or split – Yes that’s right, there is still a small window of opportunity to plant your spring bulbs or split your perennials etc. whilst the soil is still warm after summer. Also the soil being moist will help with splitting any plants. Try to get this done sooner rather than later though to give the roots of your plants/bulbs chance to establish themselves before the winter weather arrives
2. Think about your Spring garden - If like us you enjoy seeing your garden spring to life come Spring, now is the time to prepare for that by planting your spring bulbs. TIP – Face the bulb tip facing upwards and plant at a depth of 2/3 times their height to help their roots to get established.
3. Trim your bushes, shrubs and herbaceous perennials – As soon as you see your shrubs and bushes turn yellow, or the stems of your perennials bending down towards the ground, now is the time to cut them back. You can normally cut your shrubs and bushes back to around ¼ their size, however if you’re in any doubt, speak to your local garden centre to seek advice.
4. Feed your lawn – It’s important not to forget about your lawn as you’re busy preparing your plants for the winter months. Apply a Autumn lawn fertilizer to give it a boost ahead of the colder months and be sure to clear away all fallen leaves, fruit etc. to prevent them rotting and damaging your lawn. TIP – Your last mow should be around early November, and if you leave your grass slightly longer than normal (around 5cm) it will be able to make better use of the late Autumn sunlight.
5. Relocate your pot plants – Either move them inside or into your greenhouse, or place them in a sheltered location.
6. Harvest any fruits such as apples or pears. We are loving this Autumn recipe from BBC Good Food for using up some of your delicious produce

That’s our 6 essentials must dos in the garden this Autumn, but we’d love to hear your top tips and Autumn jobs.  Feel free to share them below.

The Quality Greenhouses team :-)

One of our favourite products at the moment which we saw in action at RHS Tatton a few months ago is the smart solar powered Irrigatia SOL-C12 and SOL-C24 Automatic Watering Systems. Designed to save gardeners a whole lot of time and effort and encourage plant growth, this automatic watering system is one not to be missed!

The Irrigatia Automatic Watering System is solar powered and comes with a water pump system which can be connected to any water system, most commonly water butts. It harvests the power of the sun to water your plants, so on hotter days where the sun’s power is greater, it will automatically deliver more water to your plants. Unlike other water systems, this system can also pump the water upwards if needed and the power of the watering system can be adjusted to suit the natural climate. The water supply system works by delivering a drip feed to your plants every 3 hours, allowing for regular watering throughout the day. This is really useful for allotment users or if you’re greenhouse or polytunnel is not located at home, as it means you don’t need to visit your greenhouse every day if you don’t want to. What makes this system so smart is that it can now detect when it is dark and will turn the system off during the night to prevent watering.

The other great feature about the Irrigatia Automatic Watering Systems is that they come with a SMART controller and water level sensor which monitors the water level in your water butt and will alert you if the water level falls below a safe level, therefore preventing damage to the pump.

The system is available in two sizes, the SOL-C12 and SOL-C24. The Irrigatia SOL-C12 Automatic Watering System is capable of watering up to twelve 20 litre pots or 5 large hanging baskets whereas the SOL-C24 Automatic Watering System can water up to 24 20 litre pots or 10 hanging baskets.

To make your life easier, you can also purchase various extension kits to help water more plants. The system comes with 12 drippers for use with pots and baskets, but you could also choose to add the likes of a seep hose or extend the length of the watering system by using one of the connector kits.
All in all, we think that the Irrigatia Automatic Watering Systems are a great product which would make a welcome addition to most greenhouses or polytunnels. The smart technology which sees the system turn off in the evenings and sound during daylight hours if the water level is low are great features which will help to protect your watering system and plants. And what’s more, not having to stand there and water your plants everyday will also save you time and hassle! We’re happy with that!

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!

It has long been said that growing your own food is not only cost effective, but it also gives you more control over the way your food is grown. If organic eating is something you’ve always wanted to, but never been able to afford, growing your produce is the way forward. It’s also a great way to get the whole family involved and learn more about fruits and vegetables and the many health benefits associated with these.

So this month we are rather excited to be running a competition to get you started with growing your own! Our amazing competition includes;

A VegTrug Classic – These beauties are perfect for getting started with growing your own vegetables. The V shape means that you can grow a selection of vegetables including deep rooted ones such as potatoes. At approximately 1 metre in length, they are a good size for a beginner as you will have enough space to experiment and try different produce, but not so much space that you don’t know what to do with it!

SeedCells – Included in the starter pack is a selection of SeedCells – these clever little things make planting easy as it’s a case of snap, pot, water and grow. Some will need to be started off in smaller pots inside before being transferred into your VegTrug, but with numerous cells to each pack, you are sure to have enough for a few rounds of planting! Included are mixed herbs, tomatoes, sweet peppers and chilli’s – and to help the kids get involved, we will also include a pack of giant sunflower seeds for planting next year.

Wooden Trug – And finally once you have successfully grown all of your tasty veggies, we are making it easier to gather them by including a medium sized wooden trug, perfect for transporting your produce back to the kitchen ready for washing and cooking.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize worth over £100.00, just visit our Facebook or Twitter page, like/follow the page and share the competition post!

Entries close at 5pm on the 17^th August with the winner being announced on our social media pages!

Congratulations to Emma Kay who is the winner of our competition! 

As reports suggest that we are on for a sizzling few weeks of Summer sun, we thought it would be useful to take a look at what you should be doing in the garden over the coming weeks to help maximise the dryer weather, whilst also protecting your plants and vegetables from the warmer conditions that the Weather Man is promising us.

Water more but less frequently – Did you know that if you water your shrubs and bedding plants thoroughly, but less often, they are more likely to be encouraged to put down roots – literally! By watering them well a few times a week, as opposed to watering on a daily basis, they will spread their roots in search of more water, meaning they will become better established in the ground. The exception to this is your hanging baskets and potted plants which should still be watered on a daily basis. Soaker hoses can come in very handy here as they use up to 70% less water compared to conventional sprinklers and are designed to operate at low pressure, making them the perfect choice. They will connect to an outside tap or water butt.

Remove the dead-heads – July is a key time to deadhead bedding plants and any perennials which re-flower as this will ensure your plants are using all of its nutrients for what it needs most – to encourage re-growth!

Feed your lawn – If like us you missed the feed earlier in the year, now is most certainly the time to treat your lawn to a feed. A feed such as Aftercut 3 Day Green can be applied after mowing your lawn and doesn’t need to be watered in. It also uses a no scorch formula to help prevent damage. This can be applied every few weeks for the next few months to see you through the warmer weather.

Attack those weeds – They really are pesky things and if your garden is anything like ours, they appear seemingly overnight. July is a key time to try and get on top of them by hoeing borders to help prevent annual weeds from establishing. You should also dig out or apply weed killer to any perennial weeds – but just be mindful of the other plants close by as many weed killers will kill everything it comes into contact with.

Time to sow – As nice as the warmer weather is, it is still important to start thinking about those longer winter nights with the fire lit. By sowing cabbage, carrots and turnips around this time, you are sure to have some tasty winter vegetables to help create those delicious warming soups. A Classic or Wall-Hugger VegTrug could provide the perfect planting environment if you don’t have a vegetable patch.

Sit-back and relax – Possibly one of the most important activities to undertake this Summer – enjoy your garden and find time to sit-back and relax. Whether escaping outdoors with a good book or entertainment friends over the BBQ, be sure to make the most of the warmer weather.

There are plenty of choices available to you when looking for your next greenhouse, but one range which has caught our attention is the Juliana greenhouse range as they come with some great features, making them one not to be over looked! The Juliana greenhouse range includes the Compact, Premium, Gardener, Orangery and Lean-to ranges, so there is something for every gardener, but that’s not the only reason why we think they are a winner….

Why choose a Juliana Greenhouse?
1. EASY ASSEMBLY – Now granted, many of you will opt to have your new greenhouse installed and save any hassle, but for those who do love building things as much as using them, the straight forward instructions are bound to impress. The guys over at Juliana don’t want to confuse you or over complicate things, so instead of pages and pages of written instructions, they have gone for a pictorial approach – adding as much detail as possible to the images to help you to easily follow them. The amount of writing is therefore significantly reduced!
2. BUILT TO LAST – The Juliana greenhouse ranges are actually manufactured in Denmark and are designed to withstand heavy winds and Scandinavian snow fall, making them one of the strongest greenhouses on the market – perfect for our harsh UK winters!
3. THEY’RE GUARANTEED – Juliana are so sure of their product that they guarantee it for not 5 or 10 years, but for 12. This covers you for any faults to do with the material quality and manufacturer of the aluminium.
4. SMART FEATURES – As if you’d expect anything less, but with the optional automatic watering system and automatic window openers, this greenhouse can pretty much look after itself -perfect for fitting in around our busy lives! Very smart!
5. THEY’RE ENDORSED – The Compact, Premium and Gardener ranges are the only ranges of aluminium greenhouses to be endorsed by the RHS. We think that’s pretty impressive and if they’re good enough for the RHS, they’re good enough for us!

So before you look any further, be sure to take a peek at our range of Juliana greenhouses for sale, and enjoy a greenhouse which really is a cut above the rest.

Since the arrival of the VegTrug range a couple of months ago, we have been busy reading up and learning more about its purpose in order to help you get the most from it. We’re sure you know all about the great features of the VegTrug range and what makes them so special, but just in case you don’t, here’s a quick run-down;

1. The V shaped planter means you can really maximise your growing space to make the most of the seasons. The middle (which has a depth of 42cm) is where all your delicious veggies go that require a deeper root space, whilst the outside is perfect for everything else – more about what to grow and when later….
2. They are solid little (or rather big depending on which you go for) things which are made from hardy plantation-grown fir, and they come with protectors on their feet to help further project against rot
3. They come in all shapes and sizes, so you can literally create your own urban kitchen garden anywhere! Choose from the Poppy, classic or wall hugger ranges, with the classic and wall hugger coming in two sizes
4. They are much higher than a traditional raised bed, so all the horrible bending over is eliminated and due to their design, they can be moved (when empty) meaning you don’t need to dig up part of the garden - and if you think your produce would grow better in another area of the garden, you can move it there

Interplanting is one of the major advantages of the VegTrug and here’s some ideas for what to plant and when;

Potatoes – Need to be planted in the centre of your VegTrug to allow for plenty of space for the roots to establish themselves. You should plant your chitted potatoes when the soil has started to warm up, usually from mid-March or early April.

Radishes – Should also be planted towards the centre where the growing depth is greater. Radishes are quite easy to grow and will be ready to harvest around 4 weeks after sowing. Towards the end of May is normally a good time to start sowing your radishes and this can continue every couple of weeks well into Autumn if you want.

Broccoli – Another option for your deep planted crop is Broccoli. You can sow sprouting broccoli from mid-April to mid-May and it will do well in a sunny location in firm, moist soil.

Strawberries – These can be postioned towards the outside of your VegTrug. March is a good time to plant your strawberries and they’ll do well in fertile soil which is well-drained and that enjoys plenty of sunshine. Fruit should be ready for picking with 60 days, but this handy guide will take you through the various stages growth.

Garlic – Such an important component of cooking, garlic can be placed towards the outside of your VegTrug. You can plant from January to late March in free-draining soil and ensure you keep the soil well-watered. There are various websites which will give you tips on growing garlic, but it is one of the easier crops to grow, so we’d definitely suggest giving it a go!

Have fun growing!

Being one of the UK’s longest established greenhouse manufacturers, Eden know what they are talking about when it comes to greenhouses, and their current ranges which include the Birdlip, Burford, Blockley and Bourton greenhouses demonstrate what clever people they really are!

Eden greenhouses are available in a choice of frame and glass type – allowing you to immediately stamp some personality on your purchase. And what’s more, they are available in various shapes and sizes so there is most definitely an Eden greenhouse for you! The handy 12-year frame guarantee will see you through a number of Summers (and our lovely UK winters!).

However, what really gets us excited is the Zero Threshold Revolution, which sees a new, jam-free door mechanism which features a much smoother opening and closing operation – result! This means that it’s far easier for people to gain access to their greenhouse and they don’t need to worry about the door jamming. The Zero Threshold revolution is just that, a revolution which does away with the threshold bar so it’s now easier than ever to get wheelbarrows or trollies in and out of your greenhouse – result again! There is also a major advantage to all this for wheelchair users as they will be able to easily enter their greenhouse without having to worry about threshold bars and heavy doors. This earns a major thumbs-up from us!

The Eden range also comes equipped with a pile of accessories to help making gardening easier and more efficient. Accessories include the water butt and stand which can be easily connected to your greenhouse using the gutter connection kit, and will help to capture rainwater meaning you’ll have easy access to water. There is also internal staging available which is specifically designed to compliment the zero threshold range and is available in a wide selection of sizes. The internal staging helps to really maximise the space available to you in your greenhouse, allowing you to create an easy working space with the added bonus of using the space below the staging for storage or growing your produce.

Overall we’re really impressed with the Eden greenhouse range and think that they have managed to produce a modern but still very practical greenhouse range, suitable for the needs of the modern day gardener. The addition of the Zero Threshold makes for much easier access and is a great step forward - we wouldn’t be surprised to see other manufacturers following suit in the future and producing something similar!

Check out our range of Eden greenhouses for sale.