A proper greenhouse on a tight budget

Hi Alley.
I used to have exactly the same problem as you with plastic zip up greenhouses getting destroyed by high winds. I don't have room for a greenhouse so I decided to put 4 heavy bricks or some breeze blocks in the corners on the bottom shelf and placed it up against wall and it has stayed upright even in the big gusts we've had over the last few days.

After buying a 6 x 8 greenhouse when we first came here, I found that it was too small. So last year we decided to buy a lean-to glass one for my overflows - I think they are called 'Wall Gardens' in the trade. Here is where the advice bit comes -first we got websites of all the leading makes from gardening mags, and then checked out prices. Some were WAY out of our price range. We then found one with the right size/shape /door position etc and got a list of local-ish suppliers. You would be amazed - we spent time ringing round for firm prices from each, and the one we ended up with was almost HALF the price of the most expensive (same greenhouse). We collected it flat-packed whch saved a big delivery charge and then put it together ourselves on a slab base. Watch out for the large Garden Centres - we thought they'd be cheaper, but no, they were NOT. Also watch out for coloured finishes, they add mega-money to the price. Good luck - hope you find one you can: a) afford, b) like c) enjoy using! P.S. Mine is a Hall's and we made shelves for it to keep price down even more!

I agree with spritzhenry shop around but if you can afford the extra go for one with more headroom it makes more use of the sides. I saved money by getting plastic shelving off ebay to start with which helped the pennies good luck and enjoy.

hi Alley, i bought a step in polycarbonate greenhouse from an online company, west and elliot in the summer. i went for polycarbonate as i have a 2 year old little girl so did'nt really want glass but i wanted something a bit more stable than the zip up ones like you had. it cost £200 and it is 6ft x 2ft so good for space saving, and much cheaper than the same size with glass. i was very happy with it until recently when we had a storm and part of the roof blew off, due to a loose pannel, anyway to cut a long story short, it came with a 12 month guarentee so i rang the company - who were actually very good, and admitted that a batch of this model had come in with loose pannels. the guy i spoke to said that usally they are very good, and as strong as the glass ones, in fact in some cases better in strong winds as the glass can blow through. well they replaced the roof with new pannels which fit snuggly, and refunded half of the price i paid. so i would recomend them, and now the roof pannels fit properly i would recomend this type of greenhouse as it does seem quite sturdy. i think this is a good option to glass, it holds the heat well, and safer with regards to young children and pets. also i did see a much cheaper version of this type of greenhouse in b & Q - but it did'nt look very sturdy at all, but then it was only £30. and my £200 one did'nt with stand the winds we had recently, but then the company did admit a fault on some of them, maybe it would have with held the winds if the pannels had fit right in the first place, who knows - i gues i'll find out when the next storm comes. but west's have agreed to give me a full refund if i have the same problem again, so really i have nothing to loose! but as the others have said it does pay to shop around. and one last thing i have had a couple of greenhouses in my time, both glass and polycarbonate - and you really do need a degree in DIY to put one together! lol good luck.

I would still go for a glass one myself, very easy to clean and shade etc, but understand majeeka's reasons. My Hall's 'Wall Garden' cost a lot less that her version, too - as I said previously, do lots of reaearch before you buy yours. Only you can make the final choice to meet your needs. I can get inside mine as my husband put shelves at the side as well as along the back, so I can fit in quite a number of seed trays and I also had enough space to grow a cucumber plant on the floor. The instructions didn't seem too bad, but I didn't actually construct it, my husband did, and coped well with it - not too many naughty words ! lol.

Hi Alley, I bought my aluminium glass greenhouse from b&q fifteen years ago, we live right on the water front on the east coast. we get some really high winds. I layed 2+2 slabs the size of the green house frame I bolted the frame to the slabs, after the frame was erected, before I placed the glass I ran silicon sealer like a spot weld which allow's the glass a certain amount of movement, then apply the clips, after seeing my friends glass getting blown out with the high winds, I decided to use the sealer mine is still standing.( Ps use a spirit level when erecting the frame) Wishing you all the best in your endeavour.

Hi Patrick. I'm interested in your commenst on the B&Q greenhouse. My allotment is very windy. Just wondering, would it be very difficult to dismantle it with the silicone spots? I might need to move it in a year or 2. Cheers.