Martin Fish makes his greenhouse cosy for winter with bubble wrap
It’ll keep your greenhouse cosy and save on the energy bill, too
Through the winter months I heat my greenhouse because I overwinter a range of tender plants. The electric heater maintains the required temperature, but to save on electricity I also insulate the greenhouse with bubble polythene. I’ve used it for years and it’s great at stopping cold draughts and sealing in the warmth.
I normally leave the polythene up all year round and if you buy a greenhouse grade version that’s UV stabilised, it won’t be damaged by the sun and should last several years. In the winter it keeps the heat in and in summer it lightly shades the building, preventing it from getting too hot.
It was five years ago that I last insulated the greenhouse, which is very good. But as it was starting to get brittle and disintegrate I took it down in early summer. I must admit, when I removed the old polythene and washed the glass, the greenhouse looked much better and you could actually see what was growing inside from the outside! So I’ve decided I’m only going to put the bubble polythene up from November until the end of May and then take it down. Yes, it means more work, but it’ll be worth it to make it look more decorative through the summer. It also means I’ll have to empty the greenhouse to put the polythene up, which allows me the opportunity to sort through the plants and give the greenhouse a thorough clean.
To fit this year’s polythene, the plants were all taken out and the staging and shelves removed to give a clear run for fixing it. I’ve also used a lower grade of polythene that isn’t UV stabilised, so to insulate my 4.5m x 3m (15ft x 10ft) greenhouse it has cost just over £20. The polythene will be fine through the winter and at the end of the spring I’ll take it down and dispose of it.