Euro-Rustiq orangery greenhouse

The greenhouse comes in three sizes in the 2.36 m width, from 7.29 to 10.79 m², and in three sizes in the 3.09 m width, from 11.74 to 18.66 m². The ridge rises to 2.80 m on the former and to 3.15 m on the latter, while the gutter stays at 1.65 m in all six cases. Your choice of width therefore matters more than your choice of length: going from 2.36 m to 3.09 m gives you 35 cm more at the ridge, whereas lengthening the greenhouse changes no height. The roof has 2 to 4 roof vents depending on the length, and the glazing is 4 mm toughened glass on all sides.

The space under the ridge is used first for tall-growing plants: a potted lemon tree, an oleander pruned high, a vine trained along a wire stretched across the top. Across the 3.09 m width, the 3.15 m at the ridge still leaves nearly 1.50 m above a 1.60 m specimen, wheeled tray included. You then place these pots in the centre, under the high part, and keep the low edges for seedlings and trays, where the gutter does not exceed 1.65 m. This arrangement is planned before winter: measure your plants including the pot, add up the floor space they will take once lined up in the centre, add the aisle you will still need to walk along, and you have the length to order.

If you are considering an aquaponic system under this greenhouse, your constraint is height rather than floor area. A vertical tower aquaponic kit stacks its modules right up to the gutter, and the number of modules per tower follows that height: 5 between 1.36 m and 1.48 m, 6 between 1.49 m and 1.61 m, 7 between 1.62 m and 1.74 m. At 1.65 m, you are in the last band, and the extra module that becomes possible from 1.75 m is not possible here. You make up for it by adding more towers, and later fitting them with extension modules, rather than by looking for extra height: the 3.09 × 6.04 m size offers 18.66 m² of floor space, well beyond the 5 to 7 m² that a kit needs depending on its pond. The pond itself, 400 to 800 litres, sits in the centre under the highest part, where you have room to lean over it.

The aluminium, stainless steel fixings and EPDM seals need no regular maintenance, and the care required focuses mainly on the glass and moving parts. The panes should be cleaned 1 to 2 times a year with soapy water, avoiding harsh detergents near the plants, since green deposits reduce the light reaching the lower borders. The hinges of the hinged door and those of the roof vents should be given a little penetrating oil as soon as they squeak or stick. In autumn, clear the gutter of leaves and twigs that impede drainage. If any bracing bars bend after several years, slightly loosen all their nuts and then tighten them again: the greenhouse regains its true.

When the greenhouse is used to overwinter citrus trees or oleanders, frost protection should be prepared before the first sub-zero nights. Bubble wrap fixed to the inside of the walls limits heat loss, and a small electric heater takes over for the most sensitive plants. Before a forecast gust of wind, close the door and the roof vents, because a swinging door slammed by a gust can break a glass pane.

The delivery includes the aluminium profiles, stainless steel fixings, EPDM seals, 4 mm toughened glass panels, the foundation profile, the hinged door, the roof vents and the assembly instructions. The 10-year guarantee covers the aluminium structure. When ordering, you choose raw aluminium or one of the two powder-coated finishes, green RAL 6009 or black RAL 9005. The narrow 36 cm glazing, which gives a small-pane look in place of the standard 73 cm panels, must be requested through the contact page before ordering.