Collection: Gardening accessories

What Greenhouse Accessories Actually Do

A greenhouse on its own is a shelter. Greenhouse accessories are what turn it into a working space: somewhere to put things down, somewhere for air to move, and some way of knowing what the temperature is doing when you are not there.

Most owners buy these in the wrong order. Staging and shelving get fitted first because the need is obvious, while ventilation and monitoring wait until something has already been lost to heat. In practice the climate kit earns its place faster than the storage does.

Climate Comes First

Heat builds inside a closed glasshouse far quicker than most people expect. On a bright April day an unvented house can pass thirty five degrees while the air outside sits at twelve. That range is what kills seedlings, and it happens while you are at work.

• Automatic window openers use a wax cylinder that expands as the air warms and pushes a vent open with no power involved.
• Roof vents and louvres work as a pair, drawing cool air in low and letting warm air out high.
• Shade nets, blinds and shade paint each cut light by a different amount, so the choice follows what you grow.
• A maximum and minimum thermometer records overnight lows and midday peaks, which tells you what the house actually does.

Start with the thermometer. It costs least, and it tells you which of the others you need rather than leaving you to guess.

Working Surfaces and Storage

Staging lifts pots and trays to a height you can work at without bending, and frees the floor beneath for storage. Slatted and mesh surfaces let water drain and air circulate around each pot, which matters more than it sounds: still, damp air at bench level is where mould starts.

Our staging is sized for standard house widths so a run can be planned before assembly. Wall mounted shelving adds capacity above the staging without taking any floor at all, though the fixings differ between frame makes, so check the profile before ordering.

Keeping the Structure Sound

Two things damage greenhouses: wind and neglect. Anchoring handles the first. Cleaning handles the second, because algae on the glazing cuts the light reaching plants and shelters pests through winter, and it builds up slowly enough that you stop noticing.

Glazing clips work loose after storms and are worth checking each spring. A cracked pane is a routine repair rather than a disaster if you know the pane size.

Heating Through Winter

Whether you need heat depends on what you are overwintering. Holding a house just above frost is a modest job. Holding it at ten degrees for tender stock is a different proposition, and the cost scales with the volume of air rather than the floor area.

Match output to cubic volume, not square metres. It is the most common mistake made when buying a greenhouse heater, and it results in either a unit that cannot cope or one that costs more to run than it needs to.