Collection: Petite serre

What a Small Greenhouse Gives You

A small greenhouse covers under about five square metres, which suits a patio, balcony, courtyard or a garden where a walk in frame would dominate. It holds enough for herbs, salad crops, container flowers and a few fruiting plants, and most models assemble in an afternoon without a concrete base.

The benefits are the same as a larger house, scaled down. Warmth is retained overnight, wind and heavy rain are kept off, and the season extends at both ends. Seed can be started in early spring and herbs kept going into late autumn.

How the Space Works

Under five square metres you will be reaching in rather than walking around, so the layout has to work from the door. Tiered shelving uses height instead of floor, which is what makes these frames productive rather than merely small.

• Keep the tallest plants at the back where the roof is highest.
• Use shelving for propagation and the floor for one or two larger containers.
• Leave the area immediately inside the door clear, or the house becomes hard to use.

Our shelving and staging include units sized for small frames, though measuring the internal depth before ordering matters more here than in a larger house.

Heat Moves Fast in a Small Volume

A small enclosed space warms and cools far quicker than a large one. On a bright spring day a closed small greenhouse can pass thirty degrees within an hour, and on a clear night it holds very little heat at all.

Daily ventilation is not optional. An automatic vent opener handles it without attention, and it is the single most useful addition to a frame this size. For winter, bubble sheet from the protection range makes a noticeable difference to the overnight minimum.

Anchoring

Small frames are light, and light frames move in wind. On a patio or balcony that is a safety matter rather than an inconvenience, and pegs supplied in the box are a minimum rather than a recommendation.

Our anchor kits cover soil, gravel, paving and decking. Fit one during assembly rather than after the first storm.

Choosing a Size

Below about two square metres, a mini greenhouse or cold frame does the propagation job well without pretending to be a growing space. Above five, the range moves into walk in frames where you can work standing up.

The size guide sets out what each band allows, which is more useful than comparing frame dimensions on their own.