Greenhouse, which one to choose?

Arina

I finally want to put up a greenhouse at my dacha so I can grow tomatoes and peppers there. Please advise which one is better to choose so that it lasts as long as possible. Well, I can’t decide on the size of the greenhouse either.

My husband made the greenhouse himself. It is not difficult. It is made of a metal frame, size 3 by 4, and covered with polycarbonate. It's been standing for 3 years now. I recommend covering it with film, because it is easy to install, it is cheaper than glass, and it is flexible. The roof must be arched or asymmetrical, not flat, otherwise the water does not drain but remains on the roof.

Well, we have a rather old glass greenhouse, I can only say one thing, it is quite durable. Over the entire period of its use (which is about 10 years), only a couple of glasses had to be replaced, and then due to the elements. And polycarbonate is a modern material; if we ever need to change the greenhouse, we will choose it.

Choose the size based on the volume of harvest you need, the size of the plot and the place where you will place the greenhouse, so as not to cover other plants with it. People now buy durable materials - mostly polycarbonate.

Now there is no need to bother, calculate your finances and buy a ready-made greenhouse, just choose the right place and decide on the size of the greenhouse.

I would also advise you not to skimp and spend money on a purchased glass greenhouse. It will last you a long time. And choose medium sizes, enough for tomatoes and peppers. Only tie tomatoes on trellises.

Glass is the worst option for a greenhouse, if only because it is short-lived. Well, at least it can be damaged by hail, and under the weight of snow in winter it can crack. If you are going to make a greenhouse, it will be based on cellular polycarbonate.

I completely agree about glass. We once had a greenhouse made from old window frames, so we had to worry about replacing the glass. Either you hit it with a shovel, or with a rake, there’s a lot of glass, and you can cut yourself with fragments.

In general, polycarbonate can be damaged by hail and broken by snow if supports are not installed. We had a hail storm this year, the carbonate in the top layer fell into a small hole. And of course carbonate makes a good greenhouse.

You can also buy 6 mm polycarbonate. And order a reinforced frame. In the Far East, reinforced frames are in use, because the snow load is huge (despite the domed roofs, the snow still piles up on them in a thick layer).

Carbonate with a thickness of 6 mm is also susceptible to hail, so on the roof you need to use panels 10 or 16 mm thick.If the roof of a greenhouse is made gable with a slope of 45 degrees, then there will be no snow on the roof, and a lightweight frame can be made.

If you install a steep roof, then the snow will not linger on it, and the wind is held back by special vertical connections in the greenhouse frame. Therefore, the selection of profile pipe sections for the frame will depend on the design of the greenhouse.

If you take cellular polycarbonate, then hail will penetrate it even if it is thicker. It's essentially hollow inside. But if you take sheet polycarbonate, then even if it is 3-4 mm thick, it will withstand a hammer blow. But it is also more expensive.

Cellular polycarbonate also comes in different strengths. We covered the market with such material, with a honeycomb thickness of 16 mm. More than five years have passed, during which time there has been hail, more than once. There is no damage to the polycarbonate.

Are you sure you had polycarbonate? Still, polycarbonate, and not PMMA (polymethylacrylate), is a vandal-proof material. And it is often confused with polycarbonate. But you can’t always break through a real one with a hammer. Cracks will appear, at most.

Indeed, polycarbonate is pierced by hail, but not just any one; we installed 16 mm thick polycarbonate on the roof of one building. The customer specifically purchased it so that it would not be damaged by hail.

Choose the sizes depending on how much effort you can spend on it, because there is a lot of hassle with greenhouses. We had 3 m x 5 m. I got very tired in it.

There is a different size for everyone, but I set up two greenhouses for myself. One was assembled from a metal frame and polycarbonate. There was small hail a couple of times - everything was intact. I made the second cheap one entirely myself, from wooden blocks and thick polyethylene + made an opening roof. Both are still standing, although I think the one made of polyethylene may not withstand large hail.

The size of the greenhouse must be selected in such a way that there is a path in the middle and in the beds on both sides of it, it is convenient to work from this path. I make the length a multiple of the width of the polycarbonate sheet. I have always made arched greenhouses from profile pipe.

We have a small greenhouse made of polycarbonate, although I agree with its fragility, but I have not yet used any other material to build greenhouses. So far nothing has been damaged by hail.