Greenhouse advice?

[shovetheholly]

I'm in the market for my first ever greenhouse... squeeeeeee!

But I have no clue what I am doing, and despite literally hours of internet research I feel none the wiser.

Unfortunately, I can't fit anything bigger than about 6ft x 6ft. Everyone tells me I will regret not buying bigger, but I honestly don't have the space. It will be in my garden but will mainly be used to establish veg seedlings for my allotment and to grow tomatoes.

I could afford anything up to about £900, but ideally I'd like to pay £600-700. Can I get something decent for that?

What brands would you recommend, and what advice would you give in terms of air vents, accessories etc? Is toughened glass worth it, for instance? Should I go with the staging that comes with the greenhouse, or buy separately?

I bought a rhino seven years ago. It's been great. Withstood some terrible storms with no damage, and it came with me when I moved house. Reassembled perfectly. It has self opening roof vents and staging along one side - a bench and narrower shelf above. I use it for starting off seeds (have extra shelving units for this) and tomatoes/cucumbers/melons over summer.

yes, you can definitely get a decent greenhouse for that! My Dad bought his (and mine) from Greenhouses Direct. They have a 6' square one here: www.greenhousesdirect.co.uk/Greenhouses/Halls/Popular/6x6/

I have 2 opening windows in the top of my greenhouse which do get used a lot. You can also buy automatic opening thingies I think, which open the windows when the greenhouse gets hot.

Mine came with staging, but there's no reason why you have to buy it at the same time. in fact I think Aldi have some staging at the moment so might be worth a look.

If you can afford toughened glass definitely get it. We didn't and quite a few of our panes have cracked. We're replacing ours gradually as we can afford it.

You'll get a lot in a 6 feet greenhouse - especially if you get shelving etc to put things on.

Hi
exactly the same here (as in you getting advice from a newbie!). There's a Rhino greenhouse sale at the moment, you can get the 6x6 in your price range, £849 sale price vs £1449 normally. I've read a lot about Rhino and mostly seen excellent reviews, seems like the GH are a bit of a pain to put together but might be the same for all greenhouses. That's literally the extent of my greenhouse knowledge right here but i hope it helps!

I would love a Rhino but I didn't think I could get one in budget! Thank you so, so much for pointing me towards the sale, Fragola. It's actually a really good package.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

I am also weighing up this one: www.greenhousestores.co.uk/Elite-High-Eave-6x6-Greenhouse-Starter-Kit-Toughened-Glazing.htm. It's a bit cheaper, but unlikely I think to be as strong as a Rhino?

My Dad has been saying 'Just get a cheap one, with ordinary glass', but a. I am clumsy as hell and b. I live in an area with high winds. While the greenhouse will be sheltered, it may well get small twigs and stuff chucked at it in October or November. When I mentioned ordinary horticultural glass to DH his reply was an eyeroll and 'I will pay £100 extra not to take you to A&E'

Ooh, OP that one looks great! And yes definitely get the toughened glass in that case!

Happy planting. And maybe come and join us on the allotment thread?