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This is a guide on what to consider when thinking about buying a greenhouse or other protected growing structure in glass, polythene or plastic.
A greenhouse provides a protected environment for growing more delicate plants, for starting off your seeds or for simply lengthening the growing season to raise that extra range of vegetables or flowers.
Choosing from today's range of products, you can have almost any size of cover, from cloches for individual or small groups of plants, through small greenhouses, to very large ones. The choice is up to you - to suit what you can afford and the space you have available.
Whatever your choice, you should remember that the cost of the greenhouse itself is only part of the outlay you need to consider. There are also the installation costs, in addition to equipping the greenhouse with electricity or gas, water, paving, benches, etc.
As a brief comparison between glass and polythene, glass is more expensive but lasts much longer. It is easier to control the environment under glass. A polythene tunnel can be clad in netting (rather than polythene) to provide a shade house.
A greenhouse can be glazed with twin (or even triple) wall polycarbonate. Although this is more expensive than glass, it is almost unbreakable and has better insulation qualities.
Whatever your choice, the following points should be remembered:
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