Aluminium vs Wooden Greenhouses

Time to read 6 minutes

A greenhouse is a great asset whether you are an aspiring or professional gardener. It enables you to protect tender plants during extreme weather, and extend your gardening season outside of predicted frost dates. Here are 7 other reasons why I greenhouse garden.

It’s also a lovely, grounding feeling to have a designated space potter around, tending to plants.

However, if you are thinking about purchasing your own greenhouse, there are many on the market and one of the biggest questions is, what material of greenhouse to go for?

I have been fortunate enough to have experience of both so I thought it would be cool to weigh up and compare the two. Both certainly have their pros and cons and what I have to share may help with what is a relatively costly purchase.

Related: Some important factors to consider before purchasing a greenhouse

In the Blue Corner: Aluminium – The “Elite Wide Streamline”

That you can find here.

In the Red Corner: Wooden – The “Clearview Greenhouse”

Which you can find here and is my current greenhouse

I will be comparing the two in 4 categories as follows:

• Cost effectiveness – how much you pay versus what you get for your money
• Durability – how robust the structures seem and how long they last
• Upkeep – what have I had to do on a seasonal or annual basis to take care of the life of the structure and to keep everything inside healthy
• Aesthetics – of course you want a structure that looks good in your garden

DING! DING!

Cost effectiveness: Winner, Aluminium

Aluminium greenhouses are significantly cheaper when compared and is a smart choice for gardeners who want a functional, no frills greenhouse.

Durability: Winner, Aluminium

So let me start out by stating that durability, in part, has to do with many other factors such as the foundation on which the greenhouse is placed, how the greenhouse is assembled and how the greenhouse is maintained…

Now, all things being equal: for example, in my case, both greenhouses were situated on a concrete pad, I would definitely say the aluminium greenhouse seems significantly more durable and the metal framing much more robust.

We bought our previous house with the aluminium greenhouse in situ so we have no idea how long the previous occupants had had it, but they were pretty elderly and everything else in the property was pretty old so I think it is safe to assume that the greenhouse had been there for a long time.

The point it, there was not much sign of rust or wear and tear to be honest and we got about 5 years of solid use out of it.

Upkeep and Maintenance: Winner Aluminium

Greenhouses need annual, if not seasonal maintenance to keep it running effectively.

Before every growing season, greenhouses should be cleaned inside and out to prevent any disease or pest spreading to any new plants and to maximise the light that the windows will get through gleaming windows.

It’s always good to give the greenhouse a good clear out before winter sets in, again to maximise the light overwintering plants receive during the shorter, glum days.

I find that aluminium greenhouses are much easier to clean and are much more resistant to mould.

During the colder months, due to the high humidity, it is necessary to regularly manually open any windows or air vents your greenhouse has.

Although both greenhouses have auto vents, that open when the temperature inside reaches about 21 degrees centigrade, auto vents do not open during Winter when the temperature is cool yet the humidity inside the greenhouse is high.

This is a breeding ground for mould and my wooden greenhouse gets really mouldy, but in a way that did not happen with my metal greenhouse. I currently need to deal with this after a bout of bad health this Winter, meant greenhouse care got away from me a little.

And Finally… Aesthetics: Winner, Wooden Greenhouse

There is no denying that wooden greenhouses either left naturally stained, or painted another colour to match or contrast your garden decor have that classic look and I am here for it.

I hope that this greenhouse lasts me for as long as possible, with great care and maintenance, but after writing this blog post, the obvious is staring me in the face.

I love this wooden greenhouse, but I maybe I was swayed by the way it looks. If I had to buy another greenhouse to replace this one, I am not sure I would buy wooden. Or not fully wooden. Let’s hope I don’t have to make that decision any time soon, hey!

Must haves and Add ons

Whether you opt for wooden or aluminium, a few things are a MUST:

• Get the biggest greenhouse your money and space can afford. No one has ever said “I wish I had got a smaller greenhouse”. You will find ways to fill it.
• These days auto vents come as standard, but you want to ensure you also have a manually opening greenhouse for necessary ventilation during the colder months.
• Guttering on the side of the greenhouse into a water butt is very useful to have to collect rainfall to use in the garden.
• My wooden greenhouse door locks – something that my aluminium one did not have. Not necessary really if you have a secure garden, but it’s definitely a nice feature.

A word about plastic greenhouses…

Yes, during lockdown, when space in my greenhouse was limited, I purchased this plastic greenhouse for the grand total of £10 and immediately set out to fill it with freshly sowed seeds.

Then the wind blew and the whole thing was right across the garden. Compost everywhere. The other thing is, it gets very hot, humid and sweaty in there so you either need to leave the plastic covering as it is in my picture, or with the zip partially closed. I would not bother ever getting one, honestly.

If you must, I would ensure you have some bricks or something equally heavy on the bottom shelf to keep it in place. I used have some bricks on the bottom but the whole structure broke apart one night in a particularly enthusiastic storm. R.I.P plastic greenhouse.

No Greenhouse, No Problem

BONUS TIP: If you dont have a greenhouse and say, plant something tender in the ground or pot that you need to protect before a particularly cold snap, or you want your seeds to germinate quicker…use a plastic cup, clear plastic bag or glass/plastic cloche. Just lift it daily to circulate the air.

Related: 7 Reasons to Greenhouse Garden

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