Lean to Greenhouses

Best Lean To Greenhouses

Here we look over the best lean to greenhouse depending on your situation, budget, and overall preferences.

Best High Quality Lean To Greenhouse

For a normal sized high quality lean to greenhouse, the 6ft Wide Elite Kensington range will be perfect. They're made from super strong and durable aluminium, and have a good eve height for headroom while working.

They're available in an aluminium finish here, or a powder coated finish here.

 

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Best Budget Lean To Greenhouse

Halls Wall Gardens

There's no doubt that the Halls Wall Garden range is the best budget friendly lean to greenhouse. They're much smaller in size, meaning fewer materials, and a lower price.

You can view the range here.

You can also see our cheapest lean-to's here.

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Best Large Lean To Greenhouse

8ft Wide Titan Kensington Aluminium

This traditional style greenhouse utilises the Elite Core-Vect block bar technology, making it stronger than most, with plenty of interior height, able to handle the larger sizes easily.

It's available in a traditional aluminium finish, or as a painted option.

You can also browse a selection of our largest lean to's here.

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What is a Lean To Greenhouse?

A lean to greenhouse is a type of greenhouse that leans against a wall on one side, and almost looks like half a normal greenhouse. They come in either aluminium or wooden materials, with glazing options of toughened safety glass, polycarbonate, or horticultural glass. They are sometimes called a wall greenhouse or a "lean to".

They tend to be smaller than a freestanding greenhouse, which also makes them more cost-effective in most cases.

Gardeners love a lean-to for growing plants, flowers, herbs, trees, and vegetables. You can store planters in there, or grow directly into open soil. With a bit of effort, patience, and love, you can grow your favourite tomatoes at home to add to your gardening regime outdoors.

A lean-to will protect your plants from variations in temperature, as well as variation in the weather (rain, snow, and wind). You can more easily control the light exposure and humidity too, using ventilation and insulation. If you install an automatic watering or feeding system, you can ensure your plants get the right water and nutrients too.

A larger lean-to will have enough eaves height and general width to stand up in, as well as storing other furniture in there like a workbench, shelves, and staging. The robust victorian glasshouses can feel almost like a conservatory, with the large panels of slanted glazing and double window vents.

None of these products require much maintenance, as aluminium frames are weatherproof by nature, and the wooden varieties are treated to be weatherproof.

These products don't have a back panel, so if you require those, the best alternative is a wooden potting shed. These also have the benefit of an area to store your tools.

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Greenhouse Types and Materials

Here we look at the popular types of lean to greenhouses and the common materials they're made from, including aluminium and wooden greenhouses.

Aluminium Lean To Greenhouses

The majority of lean to greenhouse manufacturers produce aluminium frames, as they're very durable, survive in all weather conditions, and have the easy option of powder coating/painting them to customise them.

The lightweight nature of aluminium means it's easier to assemble or relocate when the time comes. If they have polycarbonate glazing, they're known as polycarbonate greenhouses.

Popular aluminium lean to's include the Elite 4ft Kensington range, and the Halls Silverline Lean to.

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Wooden Lean To Greenhouses

A wooden lean to greenhouse is often seen as more traditional, with the natural material bringing a much softer feel to your garden, similar to a garden shed.

Wooden greenhouses are slightly less common, although brands like Swallow stock a range of wooden lean to's, with some even coming fully installed such as the Swallow 6ft Dove range.

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Small Garden Lean To Greenhouses

The smallest three types of lean to greenhouse we stock are the Halls Wall Garden, the Elite Easygrow, and the Halls Supreme Wall Garden.

Any of these would be suitable for a small space such as a balcony or a small pathway or just a small area of your garden.

We've also made a page with a selection of small lean to's here.

 

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Large Garden Lean To Greenhouses

The largest lean to greenhouses we stock are the 8ft Wide (eg 8ft away from the wall) Titan Kensington range.

These range in length from 6ft to a massive 20ft long.

You can view the range in either the aluminium finish here, or the painted finish here.

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Low Height Lean To Greenhouses

The lowest total height of a lean to greenhouse we stock is 6ft 7inches tall, and that's the Elite Windsor range, the width options are 4ft - 14ft wide, and they're available in both aluminium and painted finishes.

We have also made a page with all of the lowest height lean to's to browse here.

 

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Greenhouse Glazing: Polycarbonate or Glass

Here we look into the glazing options you get with a lean to greenhouse, all customisable on the individual product page.

Toughened Glass

Toughened safety glass is the most popular choice for most in their lean-to, because it offers the traditional look and clarity of glass, but is far safer in case accidents happen with broken panes of glass.

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Horticultural Glass

Horticultural glass is the cheapest option, but it's also the least safe, as the glass can shatter into nasty pieces that can cause injury if you're not very careful.

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Polycarbonate Glazing

Polycarbonate glazing is the safest you can possibly go, as there is no glass to shatter at all. However, you will sacrifice some of the clarity when compared to glass. This glazing is not recommended in exposed areas.

You can browse all polycarbonate lean to's here.

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Greenhouse Accessories: Roof Vents, Heating, Doors, and Staging

Here are the typical accessories that you can get for a lean to greenhouse, most of which are easily added to your order on the individual product page.

Ventilation

Ventilating your lean to greenhouse is very important, and we provide the option to add extra roof windows, and even an auto vent to your order, which will help you control the heat throughout the summer months.

We also have louvre vents and auto louvre vents available.

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Heating

If you want to keep your lean to greenhouse heated during the winter to help young plants, then you can choose from our range of greenhouse heaters here.

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Shelving/Staging

We offer a selection of greenhouse shelving and staging when you're on the product page, and you can choose between 5 slat and 2 slat shelving options. These are ideal for extra storage of plants and pots.

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Two Doors/Extra Door

You can also customise your lean to greenhouse with an extra door, to make it even more practical for your situation. In some cases you can even choose the exact position of your second door.

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Lean To Greenhouse Reviews

Here is a selection of recent reviews for our lean to greenhouse range, including links to the individual products where the customer left the review.

David, 20th July 2020, reviewed the Swallow 6'-7 x 10'-5 Starling Lower Roof Lean To

"Great quality greenhouse and put up very carefully. Excellent job!"

Liam, 10th April 2020, reviewed the 4x4 Elite Windsor Lean To Aluminium Finish

"We had been waiting until nice weather to put this up. Very happy with the build quality of the components, the finished greenhouse is better than we expected."

Brian, 1st March 2020, reviewed the 4x8 Elite Windsor Lean To Aluminium Finish

"Delivery on time and very helpful and friendly."

John, 9th December 2020, reviewed the 4x4 Elite Windsor Lean To Aluminium Finish

"I recently received a 4X4 Elite Windsor lean to greenhouse from South West Greenhouses.
Every item on the delivery sheet was correct and up to this time I am very happy with my purchase.
Owing to a number of health issues that I have suffered from this year I shall not be able to assemble
my greenhouse until early next year. Thank you very much for your service."

South West Greenhouses are rated 4.95/5 based on 2214 reviews.

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UK Greenhouse Delivery and Installation

We offer free UK delivery on all lean to greenhouses, with some exceptions of the Scottish Highlands and other hard-to-reach areas (which will require a custom quote).

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FAQ's

Here are some answers to FAQ's about lean to greenhouses:

Can you put a lean to greenhouse against a fence?

It's not recommended to put a lean to greenhouse against a fence in the majority of cases. There are many safety-related and practical reasons why they're better located against a solid wall.

Where should I put a lean to greenhouse and which way should it face?

You want to position your lean to greenhouse against a wall where it will receive the most sun. That will be different for many. Ideally, it would be positioned against the wall of a heated house, in order to reap the benefits of that during the winter. If you can't offer it direct sunlight, then consider using supplemental grow lights to help the plants get the proper light all year round.

You should make sure where it's leaning is solid, and that you have plenty of access to clean, maintain, and use your greenhouse.

The foundation should also be solid, using either gravel or poured concrete. Gravel has the benefit of offering good drainage.

Do lean to greenhouses have a back?

99% of lean to greenhouses don't come with a back, as they're designed to lean against a wall, so it would be counterintuitive.

How much does a lean to greenhouse cost?

A very small lean to greenhouse can start at as little as £199, but most normal sized lean-to's cost around £850, while a very large lean-to can cost as much as £3,000.

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Need More Help? Contact South West Greenhouses

We know shopping for a greenhouse might be overwhelming, which is why our helpful team is always on hand to help you make an informed decision.

You can submit your question on our contact page form here, or email us at support@swgreenhouses.co.uk and even call us on 01225 710479.