A greenhouse offers you a way to extend the joy of gardening. Whether you want to produce fruit and vegetables without caring too much about flowers on display or dedicate a whole structure to colorful blooms.
We all know that the growing season lasts for 4 to 5 months starting in late April or early May and ending in late September to early October. That’s why many growers buy a greenhouse to get a jump start on the growing season.
Does it mean that the right time to buy a greenhouse is in early spring? Or is it going to be too late?
Let’s find out!
When I want to buy a new greenhouse, I always consider these 4 things:
- the size of the structure
- installation time
- growing plans
- gardening sale
Once you figure out what you want and how you’re going to use it, you’re ready to buy a greenhouse!
Save THIS Pin to your Greenhouse Growing Board on Pinterest so you can always come back to this blog post later!
So, when is the best time to buy a greenhouse?
Most of the time mid-winter is the best time to buy a greenhouse. Try to get it 3 to 4 weeks before you want to start growing. Buying in March or April can be too late as it takes time to process the order, deliver it and prepare the site for installation.
However, it depends on your growing plans and whether you want to invest in a polycarbonate or wooden freestanding greenhouse for a long-term use or a simple structure that will last a couple of years.
Let’s talk about this in more detail!
What greenhouse do you need?
When my friends ask me what greenhouse can I recommend, I always ask them this question instead – “Do you really need a greenhouse?”
What I mean by this is that greenhouse growing is an absorbing hobby – it requires investments (mostly heating costs) and constant attention at most times of the year.
That’s why I put together 10 questions that you should ask yourself before getting a greenhouse. I know that you want to have your own growing space for all your beautiful plants, but you must have:
- the money to spare
- enough free time to care for it properly
- a liking for growing things
What I recommend to do is to buy a simple walk-in structure first to see how it goes in the first year or two. You can buy it on Amazon at any time and make sure to check my favorite picks under 100$.
Installation and site preparation
Many growers skip this step and then are left with tons of problems but you’re not going to be one of them!
Any greenhouse (even a portable one) needs a solid foundation. It ensures that your structure stays secure on a windy day. There are 5 foundation options and you might need a contractor to build some of them.
On average, it can take a few hours up to a few weeks depending on the foundation that you want to build.
While you can secure a portable greenhouse with an anchor kit, a heavy wooden or polycarbonate structure requires a concrete base.
So definitely keep that in mind when deciding to finally buy a greenhouse. Also, you can find more information about the base for your greenhouse when you order it.
What will you grow?
An unheated greenhouse is on average 4 degrees warmer than the temperature outside which is enough to overwinter the frost-sensitive plants from your garden.
For this purpose, a simple portable greenhouse structure is enough. If that’s what you’re after, maybe it’s worth buying a greenhouse toward the end of summer.
Also, you can buy a greenhouse in August if you want to grow less hardy plants between early winter and mid-spring. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to heat your structure.
End of Year Winter Sale
Most greenhouse companies put on a Winter sale early in the year so it’s a perfect time to buy your greenhouse.
Monitor their clearance and sale offers throughout winter months to find the best deal.
Although in my experience there is no particular time of the year when greenhouses are cheaper, it depends on the particular merchant.
Also, keep in mind that certain manufacturers like Hartley Botanic offer custom made options which will cost more and take longer to make.
Where can you buy a greenhouse?
If you’re a beginner, I would recommend getting a simple greenhouse from Amazon or Walmart. It might last you for a year or two and will give you an idea of what growing in a greenhouse is like.
Once you are confident that growing in a greenhouse is for you, then you can buy a big greenhouse (the bigger you can go the better) from a greenhouse company.
Here are some of them:
Hope that you found the information in this blog post helpful and feel free to share it on your social media!
Want more greenhouse tips, tricks, and ideas? Follow me on Pinterest!
Happy Greenhousing 🙂
With Love,
Ana
