Greenhouse: glass or plastic

Hello,

I am really sorry if a thread like this already exists - I tried some search keywords, but haven't found the answer that I am looking for.

I live in Northumberland, and the area can be very windy at times because we live on the top of a hill. The allotment is surrounded by hedges, but they don't really protect the greenhouse which sits pretty much in the middle of the garden.

The former owner of our allotment built a greenhouse with glass panes but unfortunately over the last couple of years the greenhouse (and garden) hasn't been maintained. The wind has destroyed most of the panes. We are now looking into getting a new greenhouse but are unsure whether to go for glass or polycarbonate. Re-locating the greenhouse is not an option because ideally we'd like to re-use the existing base.

What would you say is more suitable for a rather windy location?

Thank you very much!

MrsTea

 

Glass is best full sheet toughened safety glass, I live on the Durham coast and this is the best option in my opinion. I have tried all ways to hold in polycarbonate in place, clips, bar capping,
clips and silicone sealant together, North east gales destroyed it every time.
regards Alex

 

Hello Alex,

Thank you very much for your reply, and advice. Experience from someone who also lives in the Northeast and who knows how strong the wind can get is very helpful.

Best regards
MrsTea

 

Id go poytunnel with proper polytunnel plastic with extra hoops max 5ft spacing and extra bracing.Should be good enough against anything upto a tornado

 

I own two small Palram greenhouses. One has twinwall poly, the other is clear. There has never been a problem with them blowing out because their channels to hold them in place are high quality. We get some pretty high winds here and they did not budge.

 

I also live in a very windy area on the west coast of the island. Toughened glass is definitely a must and the added weight will help hold the frame in place. My greenhouse is also bolted down to a concrete base.

 

Hello all,

Thanks for all the advice. We have a concrete base, and the frame of the existing greenhouse - despite being old and rusty - is very sturdy, it's just that most of the panes are either missing or cracked. At one point we were considering having the panes replaced but haven't found an offer yet that is cheaper than a new greenhouse .

I will have a look into toughened glass, and let you know as soon as we have come to an agreement.

Thanks again!

 

I remember reading some research a good few years back that pointed out that some plant diseases could "ingrain" into plastic. So its another vote for glass from me.

Not toughened though, laminated.

 

Usual reason for wind breaking greenhouse glass is when the wind gets inside, the greenhouse is designed to take external forces but not internal.

So you need to be able to secure the door and vents in gales, mine also survived the 87 gales unscathed, pity my house roof didn't.

I usually tie down the automatic vents when gales are forecast.

Having said that, you cant really stop flying objects causing broken glass.

 

Flying objects bounce off polycarbonate....