Hi. This is a good while after the original question and conversation, but still can be interesting for people coming across it.
I'm in my early 40s and have only begun to get involved in some container gardening, for a small garden where I live. Most of it is a patio, but also with a soil area with a few established bushes in. I'm not really going to touch that part for now though, being interested in the containers.
I bought a plastic greenhouse from Homebase late last Autumn. Though, I think, all of the new plants in containers I got last year are hardy enough for this Northern part of the UK, I have at times had a history of not being able to grow plants well or at all!
So I thought - give them every aid and try them in the greenhouse for winter. This is actually easier anyway than going around and covering all of the containers with bubble wrap and being ready to put a plastic or fleece cover over plants when temps get very low.
I am long term ill, including with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and basic things are very hard, including potting up, which I'm very behind on.
It took me actually quite a short time to erect the good side plastic greenhouse - I had a lucky day.
I have gardened before - a long time ago, when I was a teenager. My illness includes serious memory loss though, so it's a lottery as to what I'll remember.
Something told me plastic greenhouses are great - reading reviews though some said theirs was excellent, others said the same model blew away forever in only moderate winds.
I remembered that - basic mostly people get it wrong. Basically, nearly any model of plastic greenhouse can blow away or rip in the "right" place, and with gales, actually it is quite a likely thing, as opposed to just a risk. There are a few, expensive models I found, years ago which are much more likely to be safe - but for most models, the risk is similar to lose or rip.
HOWEVER, through the magic of duct tape, nearly any plastic greenhouse can be as good as any.
Last year I duct tape around my greenhouse cover three times, a full closed loop each time, going under the greenhouse, along the ground and around and over the top to meet the other side.
One loop at the front, one in the middle, and a third at the back. Duct tape is excellent and you should never lose your greenhouse cover. It barely covers any of the area which lets in light.
In serious gales (severe weather warning periods - some people died) last winter, the greenhouse did start to fall over onto a 6 foot Juniper tree quite close to it. That stopped that.
I had forgotten the other part through - duct tape AND weights. I out a metal parasol base at one corner and an unopened 50 litre bag of compost across the two ground poles which form another corner.
While I say now with these two things, weighting and duct tape, the greenhouse will never rip or blow away (it's honestly impossible), I strongly suggest YOU DO HAVE TO install these two precautionary measures with your plastic greenhouse. (Usually whether it cost £40 or £180. While there are also exceptions - probably not in gales. Again, probably there are no safe plastic greenhouses not suitably adjusted with weights and duct tape should a bug enough gale come along).
You may be lucky if you do not make asjustments. But unless your position is really, reliably sheltered, don't risk excluding the precautions.
Usually the joints which hold the poles together are strong, but strong winds can rattle poles out of their joints, shelves fall, stressed plants plummet, ceramic and clay pots smash.
The answer is duct tape again. (Usually the heavier the load on a greenhouse shelf, the more risk.
Basically I was going to go on to mention that some of plastic greenhouses are self-catering - with a permeable roof that drips into plants during rains and less so, hours to days after rain in winter.
Though my Homebase greenhouse didn't have this in its shop description, not in the box or in instructions, it does let water in.
I was also going to go on to consider a heater in a plastic greenhouse - maybe another time, though.
If you're going to try it - be extremely careful, think of everything which could go wrong, multiply it by a number, then fill in the gaps with many other possibilities! Only consider a heater with an IP number safe rating for bathroom / wet room / outdoor.
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Hi. This is a good while after the original question and conversation, but still can be interesting for people coming across it.
I'm in my early 40s and have only begun to get involved in some container gardening, for a small garden where I live. Most of it is a patio, but also with a soil area with a few established bushes in. I'm not really going to touch that part for now though, being interested in the containers.
I bought a plastic greenhouse from Homebase late last Autumn. Though, I think, all of the new plants in containers I got last year are hardy enough for this Northern part of the UK, I have at times had a history of not being able to grow plants well or at all!
So I thought - give them every aid and try them in the greenhouse for winter. This is actually easier anyway than going around and covering all of the containers with bubble wrap and being ready to put a plastic or fleece cover over plants when temps get very low.
I am long term ill, including with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and basic things are very hard, including potting up, which I'm very behind on.
It took me actually quite a short time to erect the good side plastic greenhouse - I had a lucky day.
I have gardened before - a long time ago, when I was a teenager. My illness includes serious memory loss though, so it's a lottery as to what I'll remember.
Something told me plastic greenhouses are great - reading reviews though some said theirs was excellent, others said the same model blew away forever in only moderate winds.
I remembered that - basic mostly people get it wrong. Basically, nearly any model of plastic greenhouse can blow away or rip in the "right" place, and with gales, actually it is quite a likely thing, as opposed to just a risk. There are a few, expensive models I found, years ago which are much more likely to be safe - but for most models, the risk is similar to lose or rip.
HOWEVER, through the magic of duct tape, nearly any plastic greenhouse can be as good as any.
Last year I duct tape around my greenhouse cover three times, a full closed loop each time, going under the greenhouse, along the ground and around and over the top to meet the other side.
One loop at the front, one in the middle, and a third at the back. Duct tape is excellent and you should never lose your greenhouse cover. It barely covers any of the area which lets in light.
In serious gales (severe weather warning periods - some people died) last winter, the greenhouse did start to fall over onto a 6 foot Juniper tree quite close to it. That stopped that.
I had forgotten the other part through - duct tape AND weights. I out a metal parasol base at one corner and an unopened 50 litre bag of compost across the two ground poles which form another corner.
While I say now with these two things, weighting and duct tape, the greenhouse will never rip or blow away (it's honestly impossible), I strongly suggest YOU DO HAVE TO install these two precautionary measures with your plastic greenhouse. (Usually whether it cost £40 or £180. While there are also exceptions - probably not in gales. Again, probably there are no safe plastic greenhouses not suitably adjusted with weights and duct tape should a bug enough gale come along).
You may be lucky if you do not make asjustments. But unless your position is really, reliably sheltered, don't risk excluding the precautions.
Usually the joints which hold the poles together are strong, but strong winds can rattle poles out of their joints, shelves fall, stressed plants plummet, ceramic and clay pots smash.
The answer is duct tape again. (Usually the heavier the load on a greenhouse shelf, the more risk.
Tape joints to the poles.
Types of plastic greenhouse.
Homebase
My post got cut off, sorry.
Basically I was going to go on to mention that some of plastic greenhouses are self-catering - with a permeable roof that drips into plants during rains and less so, hours to days after rain in winter.
Though my Homebase greenhouse didn't have this in its shop description, not in the box or in instructions, it does let water in.
I was also going to go on to consider a heater in a plastic greenhouse - maybe another time, though.
If you're going to try it - be extremely careful, think of everything which could go wrong, multiply it by a number, then fill in the gaps with many other possibilities! Only consider a heater with an IP number safe rating for bathroom / wet room / outdoor.
Last edited: 03 May 2017 02:14:32
No - they aren't as good. Simple as that. Glass gives more protcetion , and you don't get extremes of temperatures in them. Sorry
I'd never use a heater of any kind in one of them either.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...