Best Greenhouses UK: An Honest Buyer's Guide

The right greenhouse for you comes down to three things: how much space you have, what you actually want to grow, and how exposed your garden is to wind. A mini growhouse from £28.99 will get seedlings started on a patio.

A walk-in polytunnel gives you the most growing space per pound. A rigid polycarbonate greenhouse costs more but copes best with UK storms and lasts the longest.

Below we cover all three properly, including the two questions people usually ask too late: which way it should face, and whether you need planning permission.

In this article

• What type of greenhouse do you actually need?
• How much garden space do you have?
• Glass, polycarbonate or polythene: what actually copes with UK weather?
• Which way should a greenhouse face?
• Do you need planning permission for a greenhouse in the UK?
• How do you stop a greenhouse blowing away or steaming up?
• FAQ

What type of greenhouse do you actually need?

There are four practical options for a UK garden, and they are not interchangeable. A £25 mini growhouse is not a cut-price version of a £300 greenhouse, it is a different tool for a different job.

If you have never grown anything before and are not sure you will stick with it, start at the cheap end. If you already know you will use it every year, buy once and go rigid. See our Mini Greenhouse vs Walk-In Greenhouse comparison if you are torn between just those two.

BUDGET PICK

4 Tier Mini Portable Greenhouse

Four shelves, a roll-up zipped door, and a footprint small enough for a patio or balcony. Rated windproof to level 4 (below 28km/h), so it is a starter tool, not a permanent fixture.

From £28.99 Shop Now →

How much garden space do you have?

Most people buy a greenhouse and then wish they had gone bigger. A single grow bag of tomatoes, a seed tray station and a bit of storage fills a 6x4ft footprint faster than you expect.

• Patio or balcony only: a tiered mini growhouse (roughly 70 x 50cm footprint)
• Small garden, one bed: a wooden cold frame or a lean-to greenhouse against a wall
• Average UK garden: a 6x8ft walk-in polytunnel or polycarbonate greenhouse
• Allotment or large plot: a full-size polytunnel of 3m width or more

Fitting a greenhouse and a shed into the same corner? Our small garden sheds guide covers the same space-planning logic.

SMALL SPACE PICK

Small Wooden Greenhouse Cold Frame

A wooden-framed cold frame with a flip-top hinged lid and slatted wood shelving, sized to sit flat against a wall or fence rather than stand freely on the lawn.

From £63.99 Shop Now →

Glass, polycarbonate or polythene: what actually copes with UK weather?

This is the decision that matters most once you have picked a size, and it is where most buying guides go vague. Here is the honest trade-off.

If you have young children or pets who play near the greenhouse, that alone is reason enough to avoid glass. Polycarbonate is the middle ground most UK gardens end up choosing: safer than glass, more durable than a polythene cover, and it holds heat a little better too.

MID-RANGE PICK

6x3m Walk-In Tunnel Greenhouse

A galvanised steel frame with roll-up doors and windows on each side for cross ventilation, plus guy ropes and ground stakes included for securing it down.

From £110.99 Shop Now →

Which way should a greenhouse face?

Aim for a run north to south if you can. That spreads the sun along the length of the greenhouse from morning to evening, rather than baking one end and leaving the other cold. If your garden only gives you an east/west option, that is fine too, just plant taller crops like tomatoes on the side that gets less direct sun and shorter ones like salad leaves and peppers on the sunnier side.

Mini growhouses are the exception: because they are small and shallow, they generally do better facing east or west rather than full south, where they can overheat quickly on a hot day. Wherever you site it, keep it clear of overhanging trees, both for light and to stop falling branches doing damage in a storm.

Do you need planning permission for a greenhouse in the UK?

Most domestic greenhouses count as permitted development and do not need planning permission, but there are real limits worth checking before you buy:

• It must sit behind the front wall of the house, not in a front garden
• If it is within 2 metres of a boundary, the eaves height cannot exceed 2.5 metres
• All the outbuildings on your plot combined cannot cover more than 50% of the garden
• Homes in conservation areas, AONBs, or listed buildings usually need permission regardless of size

These are the same permitted development rules that apply to sheds and other garden buildings, and the detail varies for flats, listed buildings and different parts of the UK, so check the Planning Portal's guidance on outbuildings against your own property before you order anything large. If you are also weighing up a shed for the same corner, our guide to shed size and planning permission works through the same rules against real dimensions.

PREMIUM PICK

Large Polycarbonate Greenhouse, Aluminium Frame

A rust-resistant aluminium frame with 4mm UV-resistant polycarbonate sheets, a rooftop vent, a sliding door and built-in rain gutters. Rated to withstand wind speeds up to 12m/s (around 27mph), with a 40kg per square metre shelving load.

From £276.99 Shop Now →

How do you stop a greenhouse blowing away or steaming up?

Wind is the single biggest cause of greenhouse failure in the UK. Damage rarely comes from wind pressing on the outside, it comes from wind getting inside through an open door or vent and pushing outward with nothing to resist it. Keep doors and vents shut when you are not using the greenhouse, especially overnight and during storm warnings.

• Anchor polytunnels with the ground stakes and guy ropes supplied, or a paved or concrete base for anything larger
• Weight down a mini growhouse's base shelf with pots or bricks, the single most common fix that works
• For condensation, ventilate rather than seal up: open vents and doors by day even in cooler weather
• A small fan in a larger greenhouse keeps air moving and cuts condensation in winter

Frequently asked questions

What size greenhouse do I actually need?

Buy one size up from what feels necessary. A grow bag, a tray of seedlings and some pots fill a 6x4ft space faster than most first-time buyers expect.

Which way should a greenhouse face?

North to south along its length, so the sun reaches the whole greenhouse through the day rather than one end. Mini growhouses are the exception, and tend to do better facing east or west to avoid overheating.

Do I need planning permission for a greenhouse in the UK?

Usually not, provided it sits behind the front of the house, keeps eaves under 2.5 metres within 2 metres of a boundary, and your total outbuildings do not exceed 50% of the garden. Conservation areas and listed buildings are the main exception.

Will my greenhouse blow away in strong wind?

Only if wind gets inside it. Keep doors and vents closed when not in use, use the stakes or guy ropes provided, and add a solid base for anything larger than a mini growhouse. Polycarbonate flexes rather than shattering in wind, one reason it is the more common choice over glass in exposed gardens.

Why does my greenhouse get so much condensation?

Trapped moisture with nowhere to go. Open vents and doors during the day, even when it is cool outside, and consider a small fan for a larger structure. It is a normal part of growing, not a fault with the greenhouse itself.

Glass or polycarbonate, which should I buy?

Polycarbonate for most gardens, particularly with children or pets around. It holds heat slightly better and will not shatter into sharp pieces if something hits it. Glass still wins on clarity and looks, if that matters more to you than practicality.