Euro-Plus extra-wide greenhouse

The six sizes come in two widths, with three lengths each, giving floor areas from 14.44 to 27.60 m². The eaves height is 2.05 m on all six sizes, and the ridge is 2.92 m on the 3.80 m width or 3.15 m on the 4.57 m width. The number of roof vents follows the floor area, from 2 on the 3.80 × 3.80 m greenhouse to 5 on the 4.57 × 6.04 m one, and all of them are adjusted with a rack-and-pinion opener. Choose the width first according to the number of aisles you want, then the length according to what you will grow in rows.

The width of this greenhouse allows three rows of tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers in the ground instead of two. Allow about 50 cm of row per tomato plant, for a plant that easily exceeds 2 m in height, which the gutter at 2.05 m accommodates along its whole length. In the 3.80 × 6.04 m size, two rows along the walls and one central row each hold 12 plants, making 36 plants in all, with two paths between them. On the 4.57 m width, the extra space goes to the paths, where a wheelbarrow can pass between the rows at harvest time. For peppers, the guide Growing peppers in aquaponics covers the varieties and their growing conditions in detail.

With a minimum of 14.44 m², this greenhouse holds a system and its extras without one encroaching on the other. An 800-litre pond weighs over 800 kg when full, and that load is concentrated on the footprint of the tank: the ground beneath the pond needs preparing accordingly, more carefully than the rest of the plot. The 2.05 m height under the gutter allows for grow towers in the long configuration, and the 3.15 m at the ridge still leaves some air above them. Tower extension modules can then enlarge the system within the same greenhouse, to be placed where a trained vine lets the light through.

For a greenhouse of this size, the location is decided before any groundwork. The ridge is best set on a north-south axis, with the door facing south, which gives the longest sunshine on both roof slopes, and the greenhouse should be kept well away from large trees. The ground must be level and square across the width, over the 3.80 m or 4.57 m span; along the length, a slope of about 1 cm per metre is still acceptable for water run-off. A few days after assembly, pour a fast-setting concrete around the anchors, about 13 kg per hole, to secure the whole structure.

The aluminium foundation profile is supplied with the greenhouse and is sufficient on flat, stable ground, without a perimeter concrete slab. The area to be levelled here is larger, and any flatness defect shows all the more as the span is long: level with a straightedge and compact the ground before laying the first profile. Two people can assemble the base models in a day; on the larger sizes of this model, plan on being three to handle the roof panels without straining them.

The pallets delivered contain the aluminium profiles, including those for the reinforced roof, the stainless steel fixings, the EPDM seals, the 4 mm toughened glass panels, the foundation profile, the door, the rack-and-pinion roof vents and the assembly instructions. The whole structure, reinforced roof included, is covered by a 10-year guarantee. When ordering you choose raw aluminium or one of the two lacquered finishes, green RAL 6009 or black RAL 9005, bearing in mind that lacquering is applied to the profiles at the factory and adds a few days to your manufacturing lead time.