Wondering where to position a greenhouse? Our guide to greenhouse orientation will help to point you in the right direction…
Get a quoteFinding the best place to put a glasshouse is a tricky task and the optimum position is seldom achieved. You simply have to find the best position for a glasshouse given any limitations at your home.
One of the main things to keep front of mind is that here in the Northern Hemisphere, the ideal glasshouse orientation would be to have a ridge running from East to West so as to maximise the sun light available throughout the day.
However, there are also a number of more practical factors to take into consideration which are dependent on the area you are looking to position your glasshouse. This includes avoiding tall trees which can limit sunlight, placing it on a flat surface and ensuring that your glasshouse is within close proximity of any utilities that you will need access to.
The below interactive guide will provide you with all the information you need in order to find the" best place to put a glasshouse at your home:
Remember that there is a very low chance of you finding a location for your glasshouse which ticks all the boxes highlighted above. However, this doesn’t mean that you should give up on the prospect of adding a glasshouse to your home. There are countless ways to compensate for any limitations that you may encounter with your glasshouse orientation.
For instance, if you are concerned that you will not get enough natural sunlight beaming through onto your crops, then you can always glasshouse grow lights to compensate.
It could be that you can’t find a position which is within close proximity of your home. However, you will have be able to take comfort in the fact that all Cultivar Glasshouses come with secure, lockable doors and toughened safety glass to keep your plants and glasshouse equipment safe and secure.
The direction your glasshouse should face is a matter of some debate amongst gardeners. In practice, the optimum orientation of your glasshouse depends on your garden, and what you want to grow.
Positioning the glasshouse with the ridge oriented North-South means that both sides of the glasshouse will receive the same amount of light. East-West oriented glasshouses will have the South-facing side receiving more sun which in most circumstances is preferential. Should you choose shading for your glasshouse in this instance it will only require shading on the south facing side.
Although not essential, where possible you should aim to have about a metre of clearance space all the way around your glasshouse. Aside from the benefits during construction, having this clearance will make access and maintenance much easier.
Leaving this clearance space has the added benefit of reducing the amount of shade that can be cast on your structure.
If you want to grow plants out of season, visit your glasshouse in the evenings or have running water, you’ll want to ensure you’re able to run your utilities into the glasshouse. This is best achieved during the base construction by laying a conduit under the concrete. This is simply a pipe that allows you to feed electrics or water into the structure from the outside.
Electricity, plumbing, and even gas can make a big difference to your plants and to how much use you get out of the glasshouse. The closer to your house the glasshouse is placed, the easier and more economical it will be to run services out to it.
The more daylight your glasshouse can be exposed to, the better. Where possible, avoid any plants, structures or any other shadow-casting obstacles. This will mean it’s possible to grow a greater range of plants, for more of the year.
If you want to grow some plants that require some shade, you can add this in later - it’s much easier to create shade than it is to get rid of it. Getting the maximum light exposure it will ensure you extend your growing season as long as possible.
Cultivar offer a practical and stylish shading solution for the entire range of glasshouses.
If your glasshouse is placed somewhere out of the way or awkward to get to, it’s going to affect the amount of time you spend in it. If there’s a position near to your house, that’d be ideal.
If you keep gardening supplies and the like in a shed or other outbuilding, then siting your glasshouse nearby would be particularly convenient. That said, Cultivar glasshouses have openings wide enough for most wheelbarrows, so it’s easy enough to transport materials from other points in the garden if needed.
Will you have children playing in your garden regularly? Running around kicking a football can be an expensive activity when near a glasshouse. The reinforced 4mm safety glass in Cultivar glasshouses will stand tough against most knocks, but it’s best to avoid the potential for damage where possible, and site your glasshouse where it’s not in the way.
For added safety, the glass panels in our glasshouse won’t shatter into shards if you do manage to break them, but into small crystals that can be easily swept away.
Is your garden level? In an ideal world you should choose a spot with even ground to avoid too much heavy work when constructing the base. When you order a glasshouse from cultivar we will provide a base plan for you or your builder to work to which will specify that the ground be flat and level. As with all things in life a firm foundation will set you in good stead.
Our selection of bases will help you plan for your glasshouse installation.
With a good free draining soil comes the option to grow from the ground or beds within your glasshouse. Alternatively, adding staging and shelving will afford you more space for growing plants in pots or other containers at a more convenient level. A popular set up is to have staging and shelving on one side and an area to grow from the ground or from pots on the other.
Set up your glasshouse with our selection of staging & shelving options.
Find out moreWhere possible, avoid siting your glasshouse near any trees. Whilst you may think that the trees provide good protection against wind, glasshouses work best when they receive uninterrupted sunlight throughout the day. Even if the area you’re thinking of isn’t shady now, as the path of the sun changes throughout the year, you may find your trees affect the amount of sunlight your glasshouse receives.
Let’s not forget that in Autumn leaves can find their way into the guttering so the less trees in close proximity the better.
Arguably the best position for your glasshouse is that which is most convenient. If it is easily accessible, close to the house for instance, you will find you use it more. Lighting can be installed so it can be accessed and used in the evening. If positioned further from the house there’s some comfort in knowing that all cultivar glasshouses come with secure, lockable doors and toughened safety glass to keep your plants safe and sound.
The direction your glasshouse should face is a matter of some debate amongst gardeners. In practice, the optimum orientation of your glasshouse depends on your garden, and what you want to grow.
Positioning the glasshouse with the ridge oriented North-South means that both sides of the glasshouse will receive the same amount of light. East-West oriented glasshouses will have the South-facing side receiving more sun which in most circumstances is preferential. Should you choose shading for your glasshouse in this instance it will only require shading on the south facing side.
Although not essential, where possible you should aim to have about a metre of clearance space all the way around your glasshouse. Aside from the benefits during construction, having this clearance will make access and maintenance much easier.
Leaving this clearance space has the added benefit of reducing the amount of shade that can be cast on your structure.
If you want to grow plants out of season, visit your glasshouse in the evenings or have running water, you’ll want to ensure you’re able to run your utilities into the glasshouse. This is best achieved during the base construction by laying a conduit under the concrete. This is simply a pipe that allows you to feed electrics or water into the structure from the outside.
Electricity, plumbing, and even gas can make a big difference to your plants and to how much use you get out of the glasshouse. The closer to your house the glasshouse is placed, the easier and more economical it will be to run services out to it.
The more daylight your glasshouse can be exposed to, the better. Where possible, avoid any plants, structures or any other shadow-casting obstacles. This will mean it’s possible to grow a greater range of plants, for more of the year.
If you want to grow some plants that require some shade, you can add this in later - it’s much easier to create shade than it is to get rid of it. Getting the maximum light exposure is will ensure you extend your growing season as long as possible.
Cultivar offer a practical and stylish shading solution for the entire range of glasshouses.
Will you have children playing in your garden regularly? Running around kicking a football can be an expensive activity when near a glasshouse. The reinforced 4mm safety glass in Cultivar glasshouses will stand tough against most knocks, but it’s best to avoid the potential for damage where possible, and site your glasshouse where it’s not in the way.
For added safety, the glass panels in our glasshouse won’t shatter into shards if you do manage to break them, but into small crystals that can be easily swept away.
Is your garden level? In an ideal world you should choose a spot with even ground to avoid too much heavy work when constructing the base. When you order a glasshouse from cultivar we will provide a base plan for you or your builder to work to which will specify that the ground be flat and level. As with all things in life a firm foundation will set you in good stead.
Our selection of bases will help you plan for your glasshouse installation.
Glasshouse Base Advice
With a good free draining soil comes the option to grow from the ground or beds within your glasshouse. Alternatively, adding staging and shelving will afford you more space for growing plants in pots or other containers at a more convenient level. A popular set up is to have staging and shelving on one side and an area to grow from the ground or from pots on the other.
Set up your glasshouse with our selection of staging & shelving options.
Find out more
Arguably the best position for your glasshouse is that which is most convenient. If it is easily accessible, close to the house for instance, you will find you use it more. Lighting can be installed so it can be accessed and used in the evening. If positioned further from the house there’s some comfort in knowing that all cultivar glasshouses come with secure, lockable doors and toughened safety glass to keep your plants safe and sound.
Where possible, avoid siting your glasshouse near any trees. Whilst you may think that the trees provide good protection against wind, glasshouses work best when they receive uninterrupted sunlight throughout the day. Even if the area you’re thinking of isn’t shady now, as the path of the sun changes throughout the year, you may find your trees affect the amount of sunlight your glasshouse receives.
Let’s not forget that in Autumn leaves can find their way into the guttering so the less trees in close proximity the better.
