Collection: Greenhouses 10-15 m²

Greenhouses Between 10 and 15 m2

A greenhouse between ten and fifteen square metres is the size most growers move to once a starter frame has filled up. The extra width is what changes things: there is room for staging on both sides and a bed at the far end, or beds on both sides with a path down the centre that two people can pass along.

At this scale the house holds a more stable internal climate. A larger volume of air changes temperature more slowly, so a cold night does not strip the warmth out as quickly as it would from a smaller frame, and a sunny morning does not spike as sharply.

Layouts That Work at This Size

Two arrangements dominate. The first keeps a full length bed on one side for tall crops and staging opposite for propagation and pots. The second uses beds on both sides with a central path, which suits growers producing food in volume rather than raising plants.

• Dual sided staging suits propagation, seed raising and container growing.
• Deep permanent beds suit vine tomatoes, cucumbers and trained fruit.
• A wide central path makes the house workable with a barrow or trolley.

Whichever you choose, plan it before the frame arrives. Retrofitting staging or building raised beds around an existing layout is considerably harder than setting it out from the start.

What the Extra Space Allows

Ten to fifteen square metres is enough to grow tall crops properly. Vine tomatoes and cucumbers need headroom and air movement, and both are compromised in a smaller house where the foliage reaches the glass. Here they can be trained up strings with room to work around them.

There is also space left over. A folding chair, a small table and a shelf for tools fit without taking growing area, which is what turns the house into somewhere you spend time rather than somewhere you visit to water.

Climate Control

A house this size needs more than one vent. As a rough guide, total vent area should be around a fifth of the floor area, which at this scale usually means two roof vents plus louvres at low level to draw cool air in. Airflow through the house matters more than the number of openings.

Our vents and louvres range covers both, and a circulation fan helps in dense planting where still pockets form and mould takes hold. For winter, match heater output to the cubic volume of the house rather than its floor area.

Practical Considerations

A structure of this size presents a substantial face to the wind, so the base and anchoring need to be right. It also collects a useful amount of rainwater, and guttering into a butt at one corner is worth fitting during assembly rather than later.

Cleaning becomes a scheduled job rather than an occasional one. Algae on the glazing cuts the light reaching plants and shelters pests through winter, so a pass with the cleaning range between seasons is time well spent.