Last summer, a big wish of mine came true: We got a large greenhouse! Up until then, I already had my mini wall greenhouse. Although I was able to get a nice harvest from this small greenhouse every time, I also ran up against the limitations of the space.
Large-scale pre-sowing was not an option, many different types of tomatoes did not fit in the space and an expansion of, for example, zucchini, peppers and paprikas was something I could forget. That large greenhouse would make all this possible.
And more than that, I now know! For example, we have also created a lovely seating area in the greenhouse, vegetables and herbs grow there all year round and I can shelter my tub plants from the cold in the winter. The new greenhouse offers even more than we thought possible. It sounds like a dream come true and it simply is!
I regularly show pictures of our greenhouse on Instagram. You can hardly avoid it when taking a photo in the garden, because the greenhouse has been given a prominent place in the vegetable garden. I always get questions about the greenhouse. I have collected these questions and answered them all in this article. This way, all the information is easy to find and you can refer to it again later.
I will start with the most frequently asked question…
1. How big is the greenhouse? And how high? These are the dimensions in a row:
Width: 3.80 m
Length: 5.93 m
Ridge height: 2.53 m
Eave height: 1.72 m
Surface area: 22.53 m2
2. What brand is the greenhouse? And what is the model number??
Our greenhouse is from the ACD® brand. The model number of our greenhouse is S208H-B.
3. Did you install the greenhouse yourself? If so, what is your experience with it?
We did indeed install the greenhouse ourselves. Or actually…. Dirk was the one who installed the greenhouse. This job was done in 3 days, from leveling the surface to mounting the last accessories. Every now and then he needed some help holding something, but otherwise he was able to assemble the greenhouse by himself. Now I don’t want to brag, of course, but Dirk is really handy and does most of the jobs in and around our house himself. Installing the greenhouse was really easy for him. For the less handy people or if you don’t have time, you can also choose to have the greenhouse installed.
4. Why did you choose sloping walls?
With sloping walls, the greenhouse is extremely stable, the greenhouse has better heat and light retention, a slightly larger ground surface and I think sloping walls are especially beautiful. It reminds me of centuries-old greenhouses on estates.
5. Why is the greenhouse crooked in your garden?
The greenhouse is of course level, but I think you are talking about the position in relation to the vegetable garden. First of all, the greenhouse faces south. That is the most ideal way to catch the sunlight. It also has to do with the design of the back of our garden. A round terrace is situated in the middle of this part of the garden.
The vegetable garden, picking garden, greenhouse, hot tub and play equipment are placed in a circle around it. So the greenhouse faces the terrace. We don't really like straight lines, compartments and boxes. Everything in our garden can be a bit playful. Round lines in the garden make the view more friendly.
We also think the view of the greenhouse from our house is nicer when the greenhouse is slightly crooked. It is a beautiful model and that should be seen!
6. Do you have water and electricity in the greenhouse?
At the moment we don't have electricity in the greenhouse, but we are going to install it. There is already water. We have connected the drainpipe of the greenhouse to a rain barrel and that way we always have water at hand. We consciously chose a Rondomton rain barrel with a characteristic look. A beautiful greenhouse deserves a beautiful rain barrel 😉
7. I see that you have two sliding doors. Why did you choose these wide doors?
This greenhouse even has 3 sliding doors. You can see two doors at the front, but we also had a sliding door installed at the back. I consciously chose the wider passage at the front, so that the wheelbarrow can also easily drive in. I also like to have a wider entrance if I have to receive several people in the greenhouse at the same time.
8. How do you ventilate the greenhouse?
– By opening the doors at the front.
– By opening the 4 roof windows (automatic).
– By opening the extra door at the back.
9. How do you ventilate the greenhouse in the winter?
Good question, because plants also grow in our greenhouse in the winter. So ventilation is definitely necessary in the winter. Our automatic window openers do not work in the winter. We switched them off to prevent them from freezing. So we have to think about ventilation ourselves. I open the back door of the greenhouse during the day. We have a screen door in front of this opening. That way I prevent mice etc. from nibbling on my plants. I close the door again before sunset.
10. What are the decorations on the roof for?
Thanks to this ridge decoration, birds do not sit on the ridge and you therefore have less trouble with bird droppings on the windows. I also think this ridge decoration is very beautiful. So I really wanted to have it on my greenhouse.
11. Doesn't the cat lie on the plants in the greenhouse?
Our cat (yes, the one with that own hashtag on Instagram: #jannesdekat) does not lie on the plants. When we are not in the greenhouse ourselves, we always have the doors or the screen door closed. We do this to keep mice and the like at a distance, but the cat cannot get into the greenhouse either. When we are working in the greenhouse, there is often a door open. Jannes sometimes comes inside, but he does not feel the need to lie down between the plants. He has not been trained for that, he simply does not do it.
12. How do you choose the perfect place for a greenhouse?
Of course, I didn't have a large greenhouse until the summer of 2021. I already had our wall greenhouse. This is a really small greenhouse with a ground surface of over 2 m2. In the spring, I put our seedlings in it and in the summer, when the plants could be planted out in the garden, the cupboards with containers made room for about 12 tomato plants and 1 or 2 cucumber plants. We were able to enjoy the fruits from the greenhouse until the autumn. Although the wall greenhouse is not really big, the harvest was still a great success every year. In the autumn I took the tomato plants out of the greenhouse again and put the non-frost-resistant tub plants in this space. So I dare say with certainty that even a small greenhouse can be a huge addition.
13. How much does an ACD® greenhouse cost?
A ‘normal’ greenhouse starts at around 2000 euros. A large greenhouse obviously costs more, and custom work (for example 2 doors or an extra door at the back) obviously also costs more. ccessories for the greenhouse can also be purchased at an additional cost. For example, I also have a decorative strip on the roof, seed tables and shelves in my greenhouse. For specific price quotes, you can email info@acd.eu or visit a sales point near you.
14. What do you think of the price-quality ratio? Your greenhouse is expensive. Is your greenhouse worth the price?
During my search for a greenhouse, I paid attention to several aspects. Not only the quality, but also the business operations of a brand. I ended up with ACD® and I have not regretted it for a moment. Personally, I think the quality of the ACD® greenhouses is really very good. When I compare it with my wall greenhouse (from another brand), greenhouses from other brands and with my parents' greenhouse, I see big differences.
For example, the material is sturdier, the doors close better and more smoothly, the system is easy to assemble and the greenhouse is neatly finished down to the smallest detail. I also like that I can order all kinds of accessories for the greenhouse. I have not yet experienced any disadvantages to the greenhouse. I think it is definitely worth the investment!
I also think the business operations and service of ACD® are a plus. I have been to the showroom and workshop of ACD® myself and have seen with my own eyes how ACD® tries to deal with materials and packaging as sustainably as possible. They opt for the greenest possible business operations, are still making progress and I fully support that. For a while now I have also been able to call myself an ambassador of ACD® and I am proud of that. I am now ambassador of ACD® and I am proud of that. I am now an ambassador of a brand where the price-quality ratio, service and business operations are good and I can fully support that!
15. Can the greenhouse also be ordered in other colors?
Sure, I chose a black greenhouse, but there are many more colors possible. You can find inspiration on the ACD® website. Also take a look at the Instagram page of Moestuinweetjes and MijnmoestuinMijnpassie. They both chose a striking color!
16. What is the function of your greenhouse? Do you only use it for pre-sowing?
The greenhouse is indeed very suitable for growing sown plants. I also use this space for that, but certainly not only for that. In the spring, you will mainly find containers with pre-sown plants in the greenhouse. In this summer and autumn, the greenhouse is full of tomatoes, peppers, chillies, eggplant, herbs and a number of edible flower varieties.
Grapes grow along the walls. In the autumn, I grow a number of vegetables in the greenhouse that no longer do well in the vegetable garden at that time. You can think of pak choi, endive and lettuce varieties. In the winter, the greenhouse is home to perennial herbs, winter purslane and widow's lettuce, among other things.
However, the greenhouse is not just a place to grow plants. It is also a nice place for us to quietly retreat with a cup of tea and a book or to eat together at the table, when it is already chilly outside and still pleasant in the greenhouse.
It has also proven to be a nice place to work. I like to work with my laptop in the greenhouse. So it is a multifunctional space for us.
17. I can't fit such a large greenhouse. What now?
Of course, I didn't have a large greenhouse until the summer of 2021. I already had our wall greenhouse. This is a really small greenhouse with a ground surface of over 2 m2. In the spring, I put our seedlings in it and in the summer, when the plants could be planted out in the garden, the cupboards with containers made room for about 12 tomato plants and 1 or 2 cucumber plants. We were able to enjoy the fruits from the greenhouse until the autumn. Although the wall greenhouse is not really big, the harvest was still a great success every year. In the autumn I took the tomato plants out of the greenhouse again and put the non-frost-resistant tub plants in this space. So I dare say with certainty that even a small greenhouse can be a huge addition.
18. Do you still have the wall greenhouse? Or have you sold it?
We hesitated for a while whether we should sell the wall greenhouse. For the time being we have decided to keep this one too. Next summer we will use both greenhouses and see whether the wall greenhouse is still 'necessary'. Selling is certainly still an option in the end.