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For attractiveness, the glass greenhouse is the most popular style of greenhouse. The commonest garden greenhouse size is 8 by 6 feet or 2.4 by 1.8 meters. This size allows gardeners all the advantages of a garden greenhouse without taking up too much space or being too expensive. However, glass greenhouses can be expensive, for this reason, many people who decide to make a small glass greenhouse of this size decide to make their own using recycled or new materials.
There is more to planning a greenhouse than its construction. Choice of location, size and orientation involve some horticultural forethought: will it be used as a cool house for over-wintering plants or a hothouse for plants that appreciate tropical heat? In the UK, it is usually best to think about catching the winter sun; if your options give you a choice between morning and evening sun, morning will promote more growth.
If you plan everything in advance and stick to your plan, building a lean-to greenhouse can be a weekend task. To start, you’ll need to assess whether your available wall space gets enough daylight and whether the finished lean-to will obstruct your neighbour’s view. Always check the local building codes before you begin.
Wood is an ideal material for building your greenhouse frame, providing you with a practical, effective and attractive finish. Our guide takes you through each step of building your greenhouse frame from timber and describes how this the best choice of material.
Greenhouses come in many shapes and sizes, from the miniature that is just big enough for one or two plants to grand glass houses for any number of plants. This makes greenhouse growing accessible for anyone, even if all you have is a balcony. But how do greenhouses work, and what are the benefits of having one?