Lean-to greenhouse Euro-Muurserre

Six sizes are available, three for each depth, covering floor areas from 7.20 to 18.60 m². You first choose the depth, which depends on the space available in front of your wall, then the length, which depends on the amount of free wall. The gutter height is 2.05 m and the ridge, on the wall side, is at 2.56 m or 2.64 m depending on the depth: the greenhouse therefore stays below the level of first-floor windows on most house fronts. The same model is also made with gutters at 1.85 m or 2.25 m and in lengths of up to 9.02 m: if your wall requires a different height or length, let us know through the contact page before ordering.

The lean-to greenhouse also lends itself to growing tomatoes, since the wall passes on some of the house's heat to it in spring and autumn. A tomato plant grown in the ground takes up about 50 cm of row and easily reaches 2 m in height: planted along the glazed wall, on the garden side, it receives the most direct light and stays beneath the gutter at 2.05 m once trained. On the largest size, 6.04 m long, this row therefore holds 12 plants, and the depth of 3.08 m still leaves room for a path and a bed of salad leaves between the tomatoes and the wall, where you can also set out the February seedlings. For the choice of varieties and the training of the stems, see the guide Growing tomatoes in aquaponics.

The strip of ground that will take the greenhouse should be prepared before delivery: remove any obstacles, rake it as flat as possible, then tamp the soil down so that the foundation profile does not sink during assembly. It must be level and square across the width, that is, from the front towards the garden; along the length, a slope of about 1 cm per metre is still acceptable and helps water run-off. A few days after assembly, a fast-setting concrete poured around the profile anchors, at about 13 kg per hole, completes the stability of the greenhouse against the house.

A greenhouse from this range is not 100% airtight: its greenhouse-specific profiles allow a slight exchange of air, which limits humidity and mould. Maintenance therefore focuses mainly on light and moving parts. Clean the glazed panels 1 to 2 times a year with soapy water, avoiding harsh detergents near the plants, and in autumn clear the garden-side gutter of any leaves that might impede drainage. The wheels of the sliding door should be given a little penetrating oil as soon as they rub against their track.

The wall of the house gives back some of its warmth, but the greenhouse is not heated as such, and frost-tender plants need extra heat when nights drop below freezing. A socket mounted on the wall lets you plug in an electric heater without running an extension lead across the garden. If you have fitted automatic roof vent openers, remove their cylinders as soon as sub-zero temperatures are forecast inside, and store them indoors until spring. In strong winds, keep the door and roof vents closed, as a gust that slams them could break a pane of glass.

The package contains the aluminium profiles, the stainless steel fixings, the EPDM seals, the 4 mm toughened glass panels for the walls, the 8 mm polycarbonate sheets for the roof, the foundation profile, the sliding door, the roof vents and the assembly instructions. The structure is guaranteed for 10 years. When ordering, you choose raw aluminium or one of the two lacquered finishes, green RAL 6009 or black RAL 9005: this is the only time this choice can be made, as the lacquer is applied at the factory to the profiles before dispatch. Match it to the woodwork and window frames of the wall the greenhouse will lean against, since that is the view you will have of it every day.