Recommend or avoid !

Hi, All,

I am looking to get a small greenhouse for my garden, I have one of those cheap pop up ones which is actually not too bad but I need something bigger. I don't have a lot of space so probably 6'x4' maximum footprint or a wall lean-to.
There are so many online it's a bit overwhelming......any recommendations of something you're pleased with or anything to really avoid that was bad ?
I'm mainly growing tomatoes, peppers and so on but would use it to overwinter some tender plants and small tree seedlings potentially.
thanks in advance, Matt

 

If you're willing to do some extra work it might be worth just getting a second hand one. They often seem to be available free if dismantled and removed. And they normally seem to be the smaller ones. Though mostly standalone, not leanto.
My greenhouse is a big one from the Greenhouse People - their own brand Hercules. It seems pretty robust.

 

I once bought a big one of those plastic greenhouses, that you could walk into, but it only lasted 3 years, then it became rusty and the covering went full of holes. I would avoid them, and they're not very strong either, I had to put bricks to hold it in place in case the wind blew it away.

 

I would go for a timber frame one - much sturdier and easier to fix "bits" to IME. The aluminium frame ones are good if you can afford a decent make such as Rhino but not sure whether they actually make the really small sizes.

 

thanks all, good info so far, much appreciated.

 

Do Halls still make alli greenhouses.
It's not the best of makes but if assembled properly with decent fixing around the base they just go on forever.

Really it's about how much you want to pay.

 

I guess it depends on how much you are going to use the greenhouse and what you intend to grow, how many people would be eating the produce. I bought an 8 foot by 12 foot Rhino, to basically provide fresh produce for two of us, with some produce processed to use all year.
Tomatoes are eaten fresh and made into sauces, same with peppers/chillies. I also grow soft fruit and early crops like salads and even peas/carrots/spring onions for example. Having done a basic evaluation, including taking into account of costs like compost/seeds/fertilisers, I am now in profit from the cost outlay of buying the greenhouse, I'm in my tenth growing season. Add on the enjoyment of the hobby of gardening and the fact I am getting fresher and tastier crops and I know no chemicals were used in the production, for me it is a no brainer.

 

@TheBeeftomato
Within an hour or two of OP ?
6ft greenhouse, complete with shelving | in Hanham, Bristol | Gumtree

 

The problem with smaller freestanding greenhouses, eg 6x4,6x6 and 6x8 they have limited vertical space.
Usually enough height for you to walik into, but at the eaves/gutters it can be as low as 4ft.

These days we have a wall we could put a lean to against and the eaves height are much taller just under 6ft and the total height agaist the wall can be 7 to 8ft depending on the model, so you have much more growing space for things like tomatos etc.

Loads of lean tos on the market, we have an Elite Kensington which comes in many sizes and there are lots by other companies, but as always, go for the biggest one you can fit in.

 

I still have one , for the same reason but hindsight be the wonderful thing it is I wouldn't have another.
The are relatively expensive.
The footprint is the same as a rectangular one, and there's a lot of wasted space in the corners.

 

No matter how big a greenhouse you buy, you will always want a bigger one.
I found a freeby, close to where I live, on my local Freecycle web site. My son in law and daughter borrowed a friend's trailer, went and lifted the whole thing onto the trailer, having removed the glass panes, and got it into my garden. It is an old Eden aluminium one with a broken catch on the roof window but it has done me well. Withstood the storms and gales etc. in a very exposed garden, but I would love a bigger one, 12ftx8ft. However, beggars cannot be choosers. It is fixed onto brieze blocks and has an earth floor. Replacement parts are still available. Goodness knows how old it is, at least 20 years I guess.
I would always go for an aluminium frame, easy maintainance, no rotting, painting etc. but you have to choose according to the depth of your pocket and the space you have. I throw old lace curtains over it as shading during the summer and leave the door and window wide open night and day during the summer.