How 6 X 4 Greenhouses Can Expand Your Growing Season

Small yet perfectly formed, 6 x 4 greenhouses can fit into the smallest of gardens or patios, allowing you to reap the benefits of your gardening labours throughout the year. With a tiny footprint, you don’t need a large plot or acres of lawn to accommodate one of these little glass powerhouses, and you don’t have to spend a small fortune on heating it either. In fact, depending on what you choose to grow in your greenhouse, you might not even need to heat it at all.

Office dog Benson watching me eat lunch!

If you’re growing plants, seedlings or cuttings through the winter months, then you will need to protect them if temperatures dip below freezing. You won’t necessarily need a dedicated heater unit, but you will almost certainly need to use some form of insulation, such as horticultural fleece or even bubble wrap. Just make sure to remove it as soon as the mercury starts to rise again, or you risk overheating your tender crops.
We've heard of some innovative growers over in the United States who use their 6 x 4 greenhouses to house their chickens overnight, while other folk recommend keeping rabbits in there during the coldest days and nights. Apparently, rabbits generate heat through their ears, which can actually increase the temperature of the space, while the carbon dioxide/oxygen ratios work perfectly for growing plants.

At Speedwellstar we don’t endorse keeping pets in the greenhouse, but it’s certainly an interesting idea.We do, however, recommend considering the environment - we recycle all packaging and use it to pack outgoing orders - so it makes sense for us to stock 6 x 4 greenhouses that enable most gardeners to grow their own flowers, fruit and vegetables. Growing your own food saves on packaging, processing and transit, which means that you can save money at the same time as doing your bit to save the planet.

At SpeedwellStar we stock a selection of greenhouses in all sorts of sizes, including 6 x 4 greenhouses, so you’re almost certain to find something of interest. If you need a little help in making your selection, then give us a call. We love to chat with our customers, and we won’t try to sell you something you don’t need, but we will offer friendly and helpful advice.

Till next time, Laura

Why 6 x 4 greenhouses make the perfect present!

Finding the perfect present for your nearest and dearest is a challenge to say the least, and you will regularly find yourself running out of ideas and looking for inspiration. If you have a friend or family member who is into their gardening, then look no further - we have the perfect gift idea for them. 6 x 4 greenhouses are a fantastic resource for any gardener so this is sure to be a hit and this is the perfect time of year to receive one. Read on to find out more

Why 6 x 4 greenhouses? 6 x 4 greenhouses are the perfect size to fit most gardens, and they are a brilliant feature for any green fingered gardener. They will love using their greenhouse for starting off seedlings, growing herbs and vegetables and also using the greenhouse for storage of pots and tools during the winter months. And there’s no doubt that you will benefit from this new garden addition too as you’re sure to enjoy lots of delicious tomatoes, herbs and other produce all fresh from the greenhouse!

How do I find the right one? Finding the right 6 x 4 greenhouses is easier than you may imagine. Because of the sheer amount of different sizes, shapes and styles available online you no longer have to traipse around DIY warehouses and garden centres trying to find the right model. Simply have a browse online until you have found the perfect one. Then it’s simply a case of putting your order in, you can even get it delivered straight to the lucky recipients address. What an amazing surprise!

Further gift inspiration

6x4 Greenhouse, the perfect gift

When you buy 6 x 4 greenhouses for your friend or partner, it will help lots of other people know what to get them too! Let them know, and then they can buy books, tools and gardening equipment. Speedwellstar  also stock Automatic Vent Openers, the perfect accessory for the greenhouse in the warmer months. Come the springtime their garden is going to look magnificent, and they’ll be delighted!

Speedwellstar offer the very best range of 6 x 4 greenhouses and their years of knowledge and experience in the sector will stand you in good stead for finding the perfect model. Give them a call today and they’ll be delighted to answer your questions and talk you through their range of products, helping you identify the very best present for your friend or partner! 

How 6 X 4 Greenhouses Can Give You a Taste of the Good Life

Who hasn't dreamed of self-sufficiency, particularly after watching old re-runs of The Good Life on TV? Sadly, most of us don’t have gardens large enough to accommodate traditional farm animals, and the neighbors would surely complain if we did! We can, however, grow at least some of our own fruit and vegetables and even produce our own seedlings, all at minimal cost. This is thanks to the compact size and small footprint of 6 x 4 greenhouses. There are very few gardens or backyards which cannot accommodate these handy little workhorses

You'll be amazed what you can do with your home grown produce

Incredibly, 6 x 4 greenhouses take up less space than a double bed. Cheap to purchase, simple to erect and easy to maintain, these little powerhouses work day and night to nurture your seedlings, exotic fruit and vegetables. This enables you to make substantial savings on your weekly shopping bills

Unlike the traditional vegetable patch, which requires seasonal weather in order to produce seasonal produce, 6 x 4 greenhouses can work all year round to cosset your home-grown produce. They keep wind, rain and frost at bay and enable you to have good food and fantastic flowers all year long

A small greenhouse is perfect for tiny gardens where space is at a premium. It is also suitable for the single person or couple on a budget, as it enables them to grow exactly what they like, when they like. You won’t have to worry about expensive out-of-season produce at the supermarket, and you can also relax in the knowledge that you are helping the planet at the same time. Food grown in your own garden accumulates zero air miles, and you can rest assured that your produce has not been treated with dangerous or unpleasant chemicals. If you have children, involving them in the growing process is often enough to ensure that they will try the fruit and vegetables when they are ripe!

Say goodbye to expensive trips to your local nursery. The beauty of 6 x 4 greenhouses is that you can grow your own plants from seed, making huge savings over the course of a year. And apart from the considerable savings, there is always the satisfaction of knowing that you have engaged with nature and produced your own food

Check out our site at Speedwell Star to see our full range of greenhouses and accessories. We even include a handy guide to erecting your greenhouse, so if you order today, you could be getting ready to start growing within just a couple of days

Aluminium versus Wooden Framed Greenhouse

Choosing your greenhouse is a pretty big decision, it is going to be in your garden for many years and, all being well, you are going to spend a lot of time in there. Before choosing your greenhouse it's well worth thinking about whether you want an aluminium or wooden frame. Read on to help you decide

Wooden Greenhouse Frame

Pros

• Wood is often chosen because it looks so attractive and traditional
• A wooden frame is more insulating than metal and will help to keep the temperature up inside your greenhouse
• Wood is the environmental choice, especially if you decide to build your own frame from scratch using reclaimed bits of timber (not for the faint hearted)
• If you have a wooden framed greenhouse it is possible, in theory, to extend it as your needs and plants grow
• As you can imagine a wooden frame will be pretty heavy and sturdy which is especially useful if you are putting your greenhouse up in a windy spot or an area prone to heavy snow fall

Cons

• Treated soft woods can pose a risk to plants and especially vegetables. Condensation can cause water to drip from the frame and onto your plants which can be damaged by the chemicals used to treat the wood
• To avoid using treated wood cedar wood is much more durable than treated wood and wont pose any chemical risks although it is much more expensive than the soft woods
• A wooden greenhouse frame will need regular maintenance to keep it looking and performing it's best
• Wood tends to be bulkier than aluminium frames creating more shade inside your greenhouse
• Insects like wood and this is one of the main places you really don't want to be encouraging pesky insects to visit!

Aluminium Greenhouse Frame

Lola our office dog loves a swim

Pros

• Aluminium framed greenhouses are great value for money, they come up considerably cheaper than wooden framed greenhouses so are a great option if you are starting out, on a budget, adding a spare greenhouse (yes really!), or dipping a toe in the water (butt)
• Aluminium does not rust and requires no long term up keep other than keeping it generally clean
• Due to the strength of aluminium very little metal is required for the frames which means a metal frame will cast very little shade inside your greenhouse
• If you are a keen DIY enthusiast or want to save yourself money an aluminium frame is pretty straight forward to assemble, a bit like flat pack (but much bigger, it is still a building!)
• Due to the lightweight materials and flat pack nature of aluminium framed greenhouses, if you have a bit of wanderlust taking your greenhouse down and popping it on the moving van would save the pain of having to pay out for another one, and you'll be a bit of an expert at putting it back up!
• Most aluminium frames will also include guttering within the design of the frame

Cons

• Lets face it, aluminium is not nearly as attractive to look at as wood, it does come in two colours but if you have parked it in a little thatched cottage garden or are going to be looking at it day in day the looks factor needs to be taken into account
• The frame in an aluminium greenhouse will not provide any insulating properties
• Aluminium greenhouse frames in windy areas will be at more risk of wind damage than wood

So those are the pros and cons or wooden or aluminium framed greenhouses, let me know if there's anything I have missed and what you decide to go for in the end. Laura

How to fit a 6x4 greenhouse base

Fitting your aluminium greenhouse base is one of the most important jobs to get right, read on to find out more

This is not a 6x4 greenhouse :)

Your free base looks a bit like a very low table without a top, there are three different ways you can fit it depending on what is going to be best for your requirements and 6x4 greenhouse location

1. The legs on your base can be used to hold your greenhouse in place by digging a shallow foundation for the base to sit in then four deep holes at each corner to place the base legs in. Make sure you base is completely flat at all times. Then fill the holes with concrete for a very secure hold. This is especially useful if you wish to place your greenhouse directly onto soil. It allows you to grow in the soil inside your greenhouse. If this is what you are going to do replacing the soil every two years or so will keep it in the best growing condition

2. Build a brick wall or use screwed in wooden batons to make a plinth and bridge the gap between the four legs, this will raise the overall height of your greenhouse. If you are using bricks it's well worth going for an engineering brick, your 6x4 greenhouse will last many years and you don't want to find that breeze blocks or regular bricks are crumbling underneath you! Place the base directly on to your plinth and screw it into place. The benefit of this method is a taller greenhouse, useful if you yourself are tall but especially useful if you wish to grow climbers, tomatoes or vines as it gives you lots of extra head room inside.
Alternatively you can use the height gained to install raised beds or staging reducing the need to bend whilst maintaining the all important height.
The down side of this method is that you will have to step into and out of your greenhouse although a ramp or steps can easily be installed

3. If you have a concrete or slabbed area for your base just cut the legs off the 6x4 greenhouse base and use a masonry drill and raw bolts to screw it into place

Whichever method suits your greenhouse and garden best all these solutions should give you a very secure base to help your greenhouse give you many years of gardening pleasure

Laura

Tips for sucessful growing in your 6x4 Aluminium Greenhouse

Now that spring is well underway and your 6x4 greenhouse is poised for action here are some tips to take you through the next few months. Read on to get the best out of your greenhouse

Temperature control

The temperature in your 6x4 aluminium greenhouse is crucial to your plants. Too cold or too hot and they will suffer. One of the easiest way to control the temperature with little effort on your part is to fit a heat sensitive vent or window opener. Once fitted you vent opener will open and close automatically depending on how hot or cold it is inside your greenhouse. If you want to raise the humidity in the greenhouse place a tray of water on the floor or just hose down the floor and allow it to evaporate. 
Keeping a watering can full of water in the greenhouse will help increase humidity but also means that you wont risk shocking plant roots with cold water straight from the tap

All round maintenance

Keep on top of potting on your plants and thinning out to give them the best possible chance and don't let the soil or compost dry out. The best time to water your plants is first thing in the morning or late evening to avoid the risk of scorching your plants.
Feed plants as required and pull out weeds as soon as you spot them, well trained small children can be handy for this job for the price of a chocolate bar.

Ooh, snazzy greenhouse...okay, not really!

Make sure your 6x4 polycarbonate greenhouse panels are clean to make the most of the spring sunshine. You want to get as much heat inside as you can early on. Once summer is underway you may want to think about shading one side of the greenhouse with netting if the greenhouse is in a particularly sunny spot.
My favorite solution for dealing with pests has to be getting small children (it's handy to have a ready supply) to collect ladybirds and pop them on infected plants. Birds will also help by eating naughty pests so encourage them into the garden.

Your 6x4 greenhouse is a great place to get your plants and veggies growing but it's also ideal for a bit of experimentation. Why not pop something a bit more exotic in there like Okra, Sweet Potatoes, or even Melons? Above all have fun.

Until next time - Laura

Protect your plants this winter with 6 x 4 greenhouse

Don’t let the winter frost ruin your gardening efforts from the summer. Protect your plants with 6x4 greenhouses

Those that are not keen gardeners will not understand nor appreciate the hard and time consuming task of creating beautiful gardens and healthy plants. Home owners through-out the UK will have spent hours and hours this summer cultivating, pruning and watering their plants and gardens. As is often the case, you get out what you initially put in and gardening is no exception.

The wonderful weather here in the UK this summer has allowed plants to thrive and gardens to really blossom. However, summer is always short lived. It won’t be long until we are reaching for our winter coats and donning hats, scarves and gloves. Don’t let the winter frost damage your hard work from this summer; invest in 6x4 greenhouses to protect your plants this winter.

Once the frost arrives, your beautiful plants will become limp and blackened. Surprisingly, even hardy plants and tough evergreens can be damaged by prolonged spells of severe frost. The cold weather causes the soil to freeze and so the plant roots are unable to take up the water which results in the plants dying due to lack of moisture. It is therefore highly advisable to protect your plants to attempt to minimise the damaging effects of the cold.

Whilst 6x4 greenhouses create fantastic growing environments during spring and summer, they are also ideal for nurturing plants during the winter season. All pot plants should be moved into the greenhouse, however, it is not always possible for all plants to be grown in pots. Take cuttings of plants that cannot be transferred into pots so that these can be grown in the greenhouse over winter, ready for planting in spring.

Keep your plants warm through autumn & winter

For more information on our 6x4 greenhouses or 6x6 greenhouses, just pop to our website. It is also worth noting that it isn't solely plants that are damaged by the frost during the winter months. Ensure that your patio furniture is also protected. Browse our website for covers, including parasol covers, & barbecue covers to protect your garden furniture ready for next year’s summer months